Page 46 of The Leaves In Autumn
“Make sure we told the same lie?”
“And then we’d question each other trying to find the weak part! The one Mom would figure out!”
Layla almost spits her lemonade out, and it makes a few of us laugh too. Especially Dad.
“I one hundred percent believe that! Wouldn’t put it past either of you. I mean that as a compliment.”
“Oh yeah Dad, that’s a great one,” Van says, dripping sarcasm.
“It is. They are only showing sisterly loyalty. It may be at the parents’ expense, but it isn’t such an unexpected move.” His attention goes to the cars. “Oh! They have decided to join us.”
“Okay, act normal!”
Scarlett’s instructions to Parrish make him chuckle.
“Don’t I usually?”
The three couples get within range, and we pretend we were not in any way talking about them.
CHAPTER 16
Barbra
Aurora stands and puts the red cloth napkin down.
“Did everyone get enough?”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
“Chloe, want more pie?”
“No thank you, Mrs. Lyon.”
“Aurora. We aren’t formal here.”
The girl has nodded whenever an answer is not required. Sam’s girl is quiet in the extreme. When spoken to, a look of panic passes over her eyes. She has sat silently through dinner, and barely said two words beforehand. She communicates just fine when they are alone. She’s got it going on in the body department. Those boobs have their own zip code. Wish I could laugh right now. Or tell Aargon. He would love that one.
“Alright,” Gaston says. “Let’s fill the girls in on our game. It’s about that time, isn’t it?”
“Yeah. It’s getting dark.”
We can reliably count on Aargon’s father to lead the way. These girls don’t know what they are in for. Hope the boys filled them in a little. Teddy must have.
“So this is how it goes. After our Fourth of July feast, and before the fireworks, it’s tradition in the Lyon family to have a water-pistol fight. Wait. I misspoke. Not fight. War.”
“We told them,” David says looking at Brianna, his date.
This one looks completely disinterested, which for some reason is comical. I can picture her twenty years from now, making some man miserable. For now, it’s David. I catch his eye, and he lifts the corner of his mouth in disgust.
“I’d rather not get wet. I’ll just watch.”
Her declaration stuns Gaston. He looks a bit pissed at David’s choice of companions.
“Watch? Don’t you want to join in the fun?”
He doesn’t wait for an answer, but just waves the idea away.
“A little water never hurt anyone. Besides, we have Hefty bags that protect our clothes.”
