Page 128 of Drop Shot
I snort. “Let’s not talk about a next time yet, buddy.”
He grins in a self-satisfied sort of way. “We’ll see.”
CHAPTER 42
ELIAS
“Elias!”
Juniper barrels into me the moment we enter her parents’ house. Whimsy watches us with an amused smile.
“I’ve been replaced,” she says as I hug her sister.
“Never,” I mouth back at her.
“Come on, Elias.” Junie takes my hand, giving it a sharp tug. “I want to show you my room.”
“You showed him your room last time,” John calls out.
“And I’ve moved things around since then,” Junie argues back. “Do you want to make some bracelets with me while you’re here?” she asks, tugging me toward the stairs.
“I’d love to make bracelets.”
Whimsy laughs and kisses her sister on top of the head as she passes. “I’m going to go see if my mom needs help in the kitchen. Have fun with Junie.”
I let her little sister lead me to her room, where she proceeds to give me the run down on everything she’s changed since I last saw the space—which isn’t much, but she’s thorough, I’ll give her that.
When she’s finished her long-winded spiel, she takes me back downstairs to make bracelets.
“We’ll see how many we can make before dinner’s ready.” She pulls out a chair and sits.
“It won’t be many,” Jules calls out, and even though I can’t see her, I can hear the smile in her voice.
“You’re going to have to show me how to do this again,” I tell her as she slides the box of beads nearer to us.
“You forgot already?” she huffs out with an eye roll. “I expected more of you.”
“I’m so sorry to disappoint you, Junie.”
She gives my hand a pat. “You better remember for next time. I won’t show you a third time.”
A soft snicker has my head swinging in that direction and I find Whimsy peeking around the corner from the kitchen. Her lips are upturned in an amused smile.
“You’re in trouble,” she mouths.
“Your sister is a terror,” I mouth back, and she laughs again before heading back into the kitchen.
“Hey.” Junie snaps her fingers in front of my face. “Are you going to pay attention or not?”
“Sorry. I’m all yours.”
She purses her lips in doubt. I listen intently to her instructions, though, but struggle to create a bracelet. My fingers are far too big for this, but I keep at it, because it seems to make Junie happy. She makes the bracelets in record speed, getting four done in the time it takes me to do one and a half.
“You really need to work on your technique,” she tells me animatedly, hands flying as she speaks on the way to help carry food outside to eat dinner. “You’re way too slow.”
I press a hand to my heart, faking offense. “Hey, I’m new at this. You have to give me time to get better. How long have you been making bracelets?”
She gives a dramatic, bone rattling sigh. “A long time.”
