Page 71 of Heartbreak Hill

“You can’t mow us!” She placed her hands on her cheeks and dropped her mouth open, making an O.

“Let’s go get some lunch,” Nadia said. “I think nuggies are in order.”

The girls jumped up and down, cheering.

They ran inside, bumping into Reuben.

“Hey, where’s the fire?” he asked as he caught Lynnea in his arms.

“We’re going to get nuggies!” she said in jubilation.

“Do you want to come with us?” Nadia asked.

“Nah, you ladies go. I’m going to finish the backyard.” He set Lynnea down, hugged Gemma, and then went to his sister. “I told you I’d mow.”

“I know, but it’s something I needed to do today.”

Reuben nodded as if he understood. “Make a honey-do list,” he told her. “We’ll tackle projects together. First thing: clean the refrigerator.”

Nadia’s eyes went wide. “What? Why?” She sidestepped and went to the refrigerator, tugging on the door. When it opened, she gasped. “Lynnea,” she muttered under her breath.

“That’s my guess, but I didn’t want to accuse either of them or ask them.”

“I’ll clean it when I get back,” she told Reuben. “I promised them nuggets; besides, they didn’t mean it. They were trying to be helpful and brought me lemonade, Reuben. You should’ve seen them, coming out onto the porch like they were the parents and I was the teenager doing Saturday chores. I can’t be mad at them.”

“Nope, but we can teach them some responsibility.”

Laughter erupted from her. Being the only boy in the family, Reuben had gotten away with everything. One “Mom” from him, and Sienna and Nadia were in trouble, even when they hadn’t done anything to warrant it. She patted her brother on his shoulder. “You’re hilarious. Leave the mess—we’ll clean it when we get back.”

She found the girls waiting for her on the front porch. After getting them situated in the car, they drove to the nearest McDonald’s. As much as she hated going in, she parked, and they made their way inside. After they ordered, Gemma led them to a booth.

“I miss the playground,” Gemma said with a sigh.

Nadia didn’t. It was a mecca of germs, filth, and who knew what. Parents had rejoiced when the establishment changed its branding, remodeled, and removed the PlayPlace.

After lunch, they went to the gardening store, and the girls picked out a wide color array of annuals. Nadia gravitated toward purples, while Lynnea opted for yellows, and Gemma went with blues. Nadia didn’t care if there was any cohesiveness to her flower beds this season, because knowing the girls had done all the work would make them the most beautiful ever.

“Can we buy a birdbath?” Gemma asked as they walked around the store.

“Birds don’t take baths, you silly goose,” Lynnea said, laughing.

“Uh-huh, don’t they, Mommy?”

“They do.” Nadia directed their cart toward the section with birdbaths. They came in all shapes, sizes, and materials. Some were ornate. Some had houses attached to them. Others were a basic oval tub with a pedestal base made of plastic.

“Which color do you like?” Nadia asked the girls. Giving them each a choice was never the best option. They would undoubtedly pick two different colors.

“I like the white one,” Lynnea said.

“Me too,” Gemma added, shocking Nadia. She stared at them. “White will look good with all the flowers we bought.”

Who was Nadia to argue with that logic? She set the top of the birdbath under the cart and then placed the pedestal in the front, where she had her purse. Both girls held on to the cart while Nadia navigated to the next aisle over to get more birdseed. Ever since she’d put in the feeder last year, she’d grown fond of having birds around.

At the checkout, they saw two metal crates stacked on top of each other, each holding a cat. Nadia groaned as soon as the girls saw the friendly felines.

“Can we get a cat?” Gemma asked, already crouched low with her fingers pushing through the slats to pet the animal.

“Not right now.” She hadn’t said no because that often led to a tantrum, and their day had been going really well. She didn’t want to hear how she was mean or how Daddy would’ve let them get one if he were there. The girls would never know how hurtful their words were sometimes.

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