Page 52 of Holly versus Mr. Ivy
He grinned. “Aunt Dee understands me just fine.”
Noah had won because Mom had guessed what he’d drawn. Although she must have telekinesis or seen his word because it still baffled me how she had guessed ‘movie reel’ based on his drawing of a pair of sparkling eyeglasses and two people standing side by side.
“I think you cheat.” I left the living room and walked to the kitchen.
Noah trailed behind, protesting. “I do not! You’re just jealous no one understood your prison escape drawing.”
I’d clearly drawn a broken cell door and a guy running away with a police officer chasing him. Trevor had guessed bank robbery. “We’ll see who wins today.” I pulled plates down from the cupboard. “Let’s eat.”
Mom spun in her seat at the dining table, looking at me. “What about Rhett?”
I shrugged, pretending I didn’t care if he came or not. I cared. More than I should. “Haven’t heard from him yet. But I’m starving.”
Mom’s lips pursed. “It’s rude to start before a guest arrives.”
I agreed. But there was no sense in wasting time when we had a strict schedule to adhere to. “Trust me, Rhett won’t mind.”
“Mom,” Trevor said, “what can I get you?”
I eyed my brother. He’d been uncharacteristically quiet about Rhett so far. Did he have something up his sleeve? Was something else bothering him? I moved right behind him, getting myself a plate.
“A waffle and a banana will be plenty,” Mom said.
“You got it.” Trevor forked a waffle off the platter, setting it onto Mom’s plate.
“What’s wrong?” I whispered to his back.
“What are you talking about?” he mumbled back.
“You haven’t said one thing about Rhett. It’s not like you to be so quiet.”
He snatched a banana from the fruit bowl in the center of the island and peeled the fruit by the stem. “Not everything revolves around you.”
I eyed him suspiciously.
“Will you two stop whispering? Some of us are hungry, and you’re holding up the line.”
I peered over my shoulder at Noah, thumbing to Trevor. “What’s wrong with him?”
The three of us were close. Growing up a few blocks away from each other, and with Noah being smack dab in between Trevor and me age-wise, we’d naturally bonded and hung out all the time. Noah had the advantage, though. As we got older, he split his time between Trevor and me when Trev’s interests no longer aligned with mine. Trev and I both claimed Noah as our best friend.
“Girl problems,” Noah mouthed.
“Will you stop talking about me like I’m not standing a foot away from you?” Trev barked.
Yikes. Whatever was going on with him was bad. “Do you want to talk about it?” I offered Trev.
He tossed the banana peel in the garbage. “There’s nothing to say.”
Riiigght. I snorted. “When you’re ready, I’m all ears.”
Noah bumped into my back, reaching for the platter of bacon. “I already told him that. He declined my offer as well. I think we need to wait a few days, sugar him up with donuts, and pounce his feelings out of him.”
Trevor poured syrup over Mom’s waffle. “Again,” he said with a bite in his tone, “I’m RIGHT here.”
I wrinkled my nose. “Agreed. Sugar and an intervention. How many days until he’s ready? Three? Four?”
Noah studied Trevor. “Based on the flared nostrils, we’d better say four.”
