widened
enough that he caught sight of Lainy notice the couple entering the
space. He watched her brows wing into her hairline before a
mischievous look crossed her face. He could almost see the sparks
of humor and non-good will emanate from her amazing
eyes.
Light glinted off her glasses as she
glided across the kitchen to a door. She opened the screen door and
yelled, “Granddad just opened a box of Twinkies and doesn't want
any rugrats to come in right now.” She slammed the kitchen screen
shut and locked it before hurrying over to hover just outside the
room the couple had snuck into.
The front door opened with a crash and
a swarm of little bodies filled the foyer. Mitch counted several
furry bodies among the small human ones. Impish eyes laughed up at
Lainy and the hidden cameraman as they all tromped down the hall
toward the kitchen, which lay behind Lainy.
Just as the parade pulled abreast of
her, Lainy whisked the closet door open and intoned in a deep
announcer’s voice, “Construction in the kitchen. Detour.” She
ushered the kids and dogs into the closet before snapping the door
shut.
Nearly as soon as she'd accomplished
that, another troupe of kids and canines poured through the door
and Lainy detoured them, too. “What, no Twinkies?” one chubby
little guy asked and Lainy shook her head. “Not this time. There's
more important business for you to take care of right
now.”
The kid nodded his head
sagely. “Are Mom and Dad at it again ?” He rolled his
eyes.
“ Afraid so, buddy. And it's
your mission to stop them,” she intoned and Mitch realized this was
the first time he'd heard her voice. Not nasal or high, but husky
and warm enough to send shivers chasing down his spine. He liked
her voice. He liked her brain. He liked her.
Lainy only just closed the door on the
second group before footsteps sounded above them and Lainy turned
to face whoever plodded down the steps. He saw a teenage girl,
probably about fifteen enter the foyer and turn right toward the
kitchen.
“ Sorry, sugar, detour,”
Lainy informed her and indicated the closet door. Behind which
emitted some very interesting noises. Barking and giggling and
squawks of protests. Mitch grinned. Snagging a cookie from the
still open drawer he realized he was enjoying himself.
“ Aunt Lainy, I am so not
going in there,” the teenager protested.
“ Well, honey, you don't
have to, but think of the odds,” Lainy pointed out.
“ Odds?” The girl sounded
dubious.
“ I think all eight of you
were conceived in this very closet. Odds are that every pregnancy
has a fifty-fifty chance of producing a boy or a girl. So far,
you've got six brothers and only one sister. If you want another
brother, by all means, keep going. Otherwise, I suggest you enter
zee clozet,” Lainy finished on a really bad French
accent.
Her niece sighed and looked musing for
a moment before rolling her eyes. “I don't need another brother,”
she decided and stared at the door in resignation. “All right, I'll
go,” she said, as though Lainy had just asked her to be a virginal
sacrifice for the local dragon.
“ I figured you'd feel that
way.” Lainy swung the door open. Two kids and one dog fell out.
Lainy and her niece herded them back in before the young woman
followed them inside and shut the door.
Lainy grinned at something shouted
through the door and slid home a bolt on her side. Whistling, she
entered the kitchen and unlocked the door before yelling, “The
Twinkies are now gone. Anyone wanting to enter may do so at their
leisure.”
She backed hastily away from the door
as a huge man entered. “Lock Laurie and Greg in the closet again?”
He started opening cupboards at random.
Lainy sighed and shoved the behemoth
out of the way to open the only cupboard he hadn't. “You own this
cabin, how can you not know where the glasses are?” She sounded
exasperated.
“ I have other more
important things to file in the old brain. Why do I need to
enough that he caught sight of Lainy notice the couple entering the
space. He watched her brows wing into her hairline before a
mischievous look crossed her face. He could almost see the sparks
of humor and non-good will emanate from her amazing
eyes.
Light glinted off her glasses as she
glided across the kitchen to a door. She opened the screen door and
yelled, “Granddad just opened a box of Twinkies and doesn't want
any rugrats to come in right now.” She slammed the kitchen screen
shut and locked it before hurrying over to hover just outside the
room the couple had snuck into.
The front door opened with a crash and
a swarm of little bodies filled the foyer. Mitch counted several
furry bodies among the small human ones. Impish eyes laughed up at
Lainy and the hidden cameraman as they all tromped down the hall
toward the kitchen, which lay behind Lainy.
Just as the parade pulled abreast of
her, Lainy whisked the closet door open and intoned in a deep
announcer’s voice, “Construction in the kitchen. Detour.” She
ushered the kids and dogs into the closet before snapping the door
shut.
Nearly as soon as she'd accomplished
that, another troupe of kids and canines poured through the door
and Lainy detoured them, too. “What, no Twinkies?” one chubby
little guy asked and Lainy shook her head. “Not this time. There's
more important business for you to take care of right
now.”
The kid nodded his head
sagely. “Are Mom and Dad at it again ?” He rolled his
eyes.
“ Afraid so, buddy. And it's
your mission to stop them,” she intoned and Mitch realized this was
the first time he'd heard her voice. Not nasal or high, but husky
and warm enough to send shivers chasing down his spine. He liked
her voice. He liked her brain. He liked her.
Lainy only just closed the door on the
second group before footsteps sounded above them and Lainy turned
to face whoever plodded down the steps. He saw a teenage girl,
probably about fifteen enter the foyer and turn right toward the
kitchen.
“ Sorry, sugar, detour,”
Lainy informed her and indicated the closet door. Behind which
emitted some very interesting noises. Barking and giggling and
squawks of protests. Mitch grinned. Snagging a cookie from the
still open drawer he realized he was enjoying himself.
“ Aunt Lainy, I am so not
going in there,” the teenager protested.
“ Well, honey, you don't
have to, but think of the odds,” Lainy pointed out.
“ Odds?” The girl sounded
dubious.
“ I think all eight of you
were conceived in this very closet. Odds are that every pregnancy
has a fifty-fifty chance of producing a boy or a girl. So far,
you've got six brothers and only one sister. If you want another
brother, by all means, keep going. Otherwise, I suggest you enter
zee clozet,” Lainy finished on a really bad French
accent.
Her niece sighed and looked musing for
a moment before rolling her eyes. “I don't need another brother,”
she decided and stared at the door in resignation. “All right, I'll
go,” she said, as though Lainy had just asked her to be a virginal
sacrifice for the local dragon.
“ I figured you'd feel that
way.” Lainy swung the door open. Two kids and one dog fell out.
Lainy and her niece herded them back in before the young woman
followed them inside and shut the door.
Lainy grinned at something shouted
through the door and slid home a bolt on her side. Whistling, she
entered the kitchen and unlocked the door before yelling, “The
Twinkies are now gone. Anyone wanting to enter may do so at their
leisure.”
She backed hastily away from the door
as a huge man entered. “Lock Laurie and Greg in the closet again?”
He started opening cupboards at random.
Lainy sighed and shoved the behemoth
out of the way to open the only cupboard he hadn't. “You own this
cabin, how can you not know where the glasses are?” She sounded
exasperated.
“ I have other more
important things to file in the old brain. Why do I need to
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