Page 4 of Guiding Little Gabi

“Hi, I’m Gabi. I just checked in, and Erika suggested I come here to grab some dinner.”

“Well, you made a wise choice,” Hayleigh said. “The café is great. I mean, it’s not the cafeteria, but you can eat there in the morning. Chef Connor is the best chef in the world.”

“You say that because he’s your Daddy,” Wren said with a grin. Turning to Gabi, she added. “Though she’s also a hundred percent right. Chef Connor is the best.”

“If these pancakes are anything to go by, I can’t wait to taste his. I’ll bet they’re incredible! Has anyone ever nominated him for the James Beard Award?”

Hayleigh shrugged. “I don’t know, probably. What is it?”

Gabi smiled. “Basically, it’s the Academy Award for chefs. We should find out how to nominate someone.”

Wren snorted. “We’ll get right on that. As soon as we can all sit in front of the computer again.”

Sadie grinned. “Don’t mind her. I like the way you think. I can tell we are going to be besties! We were all planning on playing in the big hot tub next to the swimming pool thisafternoon, but since our Daddies grounded us, we’re doing it the day after tomorrow and–”

Pippi broke in with a worried expression. “Wait, did everyone get their bath bombs? My Mommy said I could use anything in the bathroom, but she didn’t have many bath bombs.”

That was unexpected. Gabi turned her attention to Pippi. “You need bath bombs to go to the hot tub?” That hadn’t been on any of the “Don’t Forget To Bring” lists she’d found about going to a resort. Could you even use bath bombs in a hot tub?

Wren grinned. “We do.”

When that was all Wren had to say, Hayleigh took over. “We wanted to go to the hot tub together, and Pippi wondered what would happen if we put a few bath bombs in the water.”

Pippi nodded. “But it was Wren who wondered what it would look like if we used either red, white, or blue ones, but then Sadie had an even better idea.”

Sadie picked up the story. “Curious minds want to know if using all three will create a new sort of Fourth of July celebration. It might not be as thrilling as fireworks bursting, but we thought sitting in the midst of red, white, and blue bubbles popping would be amazeballs!”

The effortless way the girls slid easily into explaining their parts of the story told Gabi they were very comfortable together. Gabi nodded like she did experiments like that all the time. She wasn’t a bath bomb connoisseur, but she didn’t think bath bombs made anything except white foam. Not wanting to be the one who rained on their parade, she said, “I didn’t bring any bath bombs with me, but maybe I can find some.” Turning to Pippi, she added, “If I do, I’ll get enough for you to have some, too.”

Pippi gasped. “Oh, wow! That’s so sweet. Thank you.”

“I knew we’d be besties!” Sadie said. “Even if you don’t find any, you have to come, too. You’re one of us now. We’ll swing by your room and pick you up on our way.”

Wow. Sadie worked fast. From meeting to besties in three sentences. Gabi grinned. “That sounds great. I packed kind of fast, but I’m sure I remembered to pack a swimsuit. Um, just curious, what did you all get grounded for?”

Wren growled. “Our Daddies are the meanest Daddies in the universe, that’s why.”

Pippi gasped. “Don’t say that. We played a prank and got punished. It stinks, but you do the crime, you pay the time. Besides, you haven’t met all the Daddies in the universe.”

Gabi could tell she’d found a fellow logistician in Pippi. Smiling, she repeated her questions. “Sounds rough, but what did you get in trouble for?”

The girls exchanged glances, and then all began to speak at once.

Wren: “They made a big deal out of nothing!”

Hayleigh: “It was National Prank a Daddy Day. You can make up holidays if you want to.”

Sadie: “I don’t know why they got so upset over a few bathroom pranks. Tape on the faucet nozzles and salt on their toothbrushes. Those aren’t spankable offenses, right?”

They looked to Gabi to render a decision. “I wouldn’t think so. There are precedents about these things.”

Pippi shook her head. “Don’t forget about the fake poop smear on the potty and the hairspray that stuck the toilet paper together. Those are spankable offenses for sure.”

Gabi burst out laughing. “You girls have got to get your Daddies to bring you to Darling. You’ll fit right in.”

Wren plopped down in a chair and then winced. “I think it should have been either a spanking or getting grounded, not both.”

Gabi stopped laughing. “I agree. Those were over-the-top consequences for the innocent celebration of a national holiday. Was it a religious holiday?”

---