Page 15 of Hale Yes
“Sooooo, how is this like science?” Reece asks as she sits atop my gray-and-white marble countertop. She’s wearing a little apron that looks like a lab coat. I had it made for her a couple weeks ago, complete withDr. Reecestitched on the chest.
“Because you have to measure every single ingredient perfectly and add them in the proper order,” I tell her, handing her the measuring cup. “The recipe calls for one cup of cocoa powder, and if you don’t put the exact amount, the brownies will come out gross. Same thing if you forget the eggs or vanilla. Just like if I add the wrong amount of something in my lab, it will mess up the entire project.”
I show her how to make sure the top of the cocoa powder is flat and even before letting her dump it into the mixing bowl. We make a terrible mess adding all the ingredients, but it doesn’t matter. Reece is having fun.
In my best nasally nerd voice, I say, “And now, you need to turn on the conversion device to transform the compound into a semi-liquid state.”
She flicks on the stand mixer and giggles when the ingredients turn into a dark-brown sludge. “It is like science! Can I put them in the oven?”
“I think I’ll do that part, since you’re not qualified for that procedure yet,” I tell her, booping her adorable button nose. “But you can help me scoop batter into the pan and make sure it’s smooth.”
Once the treats are in the oven, we clean up our mess, and then I sit cross-legged on the floor in front of the oven with Reece on my lap. We watch the brownies rise and firm up as they cook.
“Temperature is important in most chemical reactions. See how they’re changing to a solid form with the addition of heat?”
Reece wiggles happily. “Uhh, you mean they’re changing to ayummyform.”
I grin against the top of her dark curls and place a kiss there. I love this kid, and I like teaching her about science in a way that’s relevant and easy for her to understand. Science is everywhere, in every aspect of our daily lives, from the technology we use tothe hormones that are released when we have certain emotions to the simple act of making brownies.
Reece is brimming with energy, so once the pan is out of the oven, I ask, “You want to take a swim while they’re cooling?” She nods vehemently. “Do you need help putting your suit on?”
“Nope, I can do it by myself,” she says smartly, tromping up the staircase to the room I have set up for her. I follow her up and go to my room to change. Less than five minutes later, I hear, “Uncle Helix, I need help!”
Smiling, I make my way down the dark-wood hallway to Reece’s room, a veritable confection of bubblegum pink. That’s the color I sense when I look at my niece. “What’s the deal?”
She frowns and holds up the two straps that are supposed to wrap around her neck. “I can’t tie them.” Her bottom lip trembles, and I kneel down and press a kiss to her forehead.
“That’s okay. Girls’ bathing suits are complicated.” Turning her, I tie the strings into a bow at the nape of her neck.
“Boys sure have it easy,” she sighs like she has the weight of the world on her tiny shoulders. “All you have to do is put your shorts on.”
I stand and hitch her onto my hip before traipsing down to the ground floor. Before we can head out the back door, I hear a knock at the front of the house. Reece’s eyes widen.
“Who do you think it is? An axe murderer?”
I bust out laughing. Where does she come up with this shit?
“We don’t get many of those in this neighborhood, doodle bug,” I tell her wryly, walking across the parquet flooring to the foyer. I live in River Oaks, one of the most exclusive neighborhoods in Houston. Swinging open my navy-blue paneled front door, I find Perri on the brick doorstep.
“Aunt Perri!” Reece shrieks, practically leaping from my arms to my younger sister’s. I stuff my hands into the pockets of my swim trunks and watch the two embrace.
“Hi, sweetie,” Perri coos, her eyes closed as she twists side to side in a rocking motion. “I’ve missed you.”
“I missed you too. When did you get home?”
“Last night, and when I heard you were going to be at Uncle Helix’s house tonight, I decided to come over.” My sister’s blue eyes flash to me. “If that’s okay.”
I grab the back of her blonde head and pull her toward me to kiss her forehead. “Of course it’s okay, sis. I’m glad you’re home.” Perri just graduated from the University of Michigan. We all went to her graduation, but before that, we hadn’t seen her since Christmas.
Perri shares a father with me and my brothers, but she has her mother’s looks, with pale-blonde hair and eyes that are a couple shades darker than mine and my twin’s. Remi inherited our mother’s brown eyes, though he also shares our dark hair.
“We’re going to swim while the brownies cool,” Reece chatters excitedly. “They’respecialbrownies.”
My sister arches a questioning eyebrow in my direction.
“Notthatkind of special,” I assure her with a chuckle. “Your suit is in the pool house, if you want to swim with us.”
“I’ll go with you and tie your straps,” Reece offers. “Uncle Helix said girls’ swimsuits are complicated.”
