Jace was quiet while he concentrated on building for a few minutes, ignoring his wailing sister. Then he asked, in a small voice, “When am I going to see Nanny and Poppy?”
Josh’s throat tightened. He didn’t want to be the one to tell Jace his grandparents had rejected him in favor of his sister. “I’m not sure. Maybe after the ski trip.”
“Tell me again about going skiing,” Jace said, as he chewed on his cheek. “I told my friend today I was going to fly on a fancy jet, but he said I was lying. He said that’s only on TV. He said I was making it up. Is it really true?”
“It’s really true. It’s a private jet. It will just be our friends on the plane.”
“And who are your friends again? Who’s coming?”
“Our friends,” Josh corrected. “They’re your friends, too. So it’s Aunt Olivia and her three sisters, Aunt Grace and Aunt Hannah and Aunt Claire. Also, Uncle Brad, Uncle Spencer, Aunt Emily, and Aunt Charlie.”
“And they’re all old like you?”
“Well, maybe not quite so old as me, but they’re grown-ups.” Josh stifled a laugh.
“And there’s kids, too?”
“Yes. Mr. and Mrs. Gherring have two little boys that are two years old, like your sister.”
“But they don’t have a little boy who’s nine?”
“No, I’m afraid there’s not another nine-year-old. But you’ll have lots of fun, I promise.
”
“That’s okay. Jeffrey’s nine, and he’s kind of mean. I’d rather play by myself.”
“Who’s Jeffrey?”
“He’s the other boy who lives with Mr. and Mrs. Delaney. But I’m not going to stay there. Right? I’m going to live with you?”
“That’s right. I want you to live with me and Aunt Olivia, when we get married. But I have to get the judge to approve it.”
“And Chloe, too?”
“I hope so.”
“That’s okay, I guess.”
“You don’t want to have Chloe live with us?”
“I guess I miss her sometimes, but she’s a girl,” he said, as if this fact explained everything. “And she messes up my stuff all the time.”
“But you want to grow up with your sister. That way, someday, when you’re grown and married—”
“Ewwww! Married? To a girl? Ewwww!”
Josh chuckled. “Okay. You’ll just have to trust me. You want to grow up together with your sister.”
A knock sounded at the door. “Is that her? Is that Aunt Olivia?”
“I bet so. You want to answer it?”
He jumped up to open the door. “Hi! Hi! Hi! Do you have cookies?” Chloe ran to greet Olivia as well, pushing Jace away from her and clinging to her leg.
OLIVIA SURVEYED THE chaotic apartment with amusement. Only a few days and the kids had wreaked havoc on his normally tidy place. “Yes, but they’re for after dinner. What are we eating?”
“Spaghetti,” said Josh, with a groan, stretching his arms over his head. “It’s almost ready.”