Page 139 of Call the Shots
“Commander Teddy!” Jillian shouted through the screen. “Your presence is requested on deck!”
I hunkered down. “Jillian, I?—”
“That’s not my rank!Youmake us use them,youhave to use them!”
My neck burned as June stifled her giggle across the booth. “Lieutenant Jilly-bean, Sergeant AJ, I can’t login?—”
“What?!”
“What about tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow is grandma’s house!”
AJ ran to the camera. “Commander Teddy, you’re not coming?”
“Teddy, you have to come!”
“I’m not in Houston?—”
“What?!” Jillian demanded. “Why?”
“Teddy’s short for Teddy Bear,” June realized.
The embarrassment of June finding out about my family nickname was only matched by my cousins’ mouths falling in sync, gazing with overwhelming interest. Jillian pressed her face so close, the screen fogged up. “Is that agirl?”
I fumbled for an excuse while June inched over. When she came into view, my cousins’ eyes shot wide.
“Hi.” June gave a little wave. “I’m sorry for keeping Bear. I had a medical emergency, he took me to the hospital.”
“Holy crapola,” AJ whispered.
“I’m telling mom you said crap,” Jillian replied, still shocked. “Teddy, who is she?”
I hurried through a quick goodbye, but June smiled. “I’m June. I’ve heard a lot?—”
“You’reJune?!”
Oh, fuck.
“Okapi!” AJ screeched.
June blinked. “O—what?”
“We’ll game tomorrow,” I promised. “We ordered food, so we got to go?—”
Jillian threw me a murderous look. “I want to talk to the okapi!”
“What’s an okapi?” June asked.
AJ took the helm. “Okapis are mammals in the Congo, related to giraffes. They’re endangered and herbivores?—”
“We can game Saturday,” I insisted.
“We have an okapi named after you,” Jillian informed her, smug.
“You do?”
“That’s not—” My face was hot. “We needed a name?—”
