The spring sunshine was sneaking through the curtains in Jessie’s room when she heard a loud whisper from outside her bedroom door.
Kyle was scolding the girls, “Shhh…Mama said be qui-et y’all.”
Jessie smiled as she rolled over at the sound of the girls’ giggles. She managed to open one eye at the clock as her alarm came on. This morning she was greeted to the chorus of Kelly Clarkson’s Miss Independent. Buck, however, wasn’t at the bedside to greet her with a sloppy kiss. Rather, he was sniffing at the door. As she sat up in bed she saw a little set of fingers sneak under the door for Buck to lick.
She quietly tiptoed to the door behind Buck and nudged him aside with her foot. Just as the little fingers retracted she pulled open the door with a big, “Boo!”
Kaylie and Kris both fell back on their butts squealing with laughter and were promptly overrun by Buck and his wagging tail. All the commotion had Kyle bursting from the bathroom with soap still on his hands and Kat hollering up from the bottom of the stairs, “Girls! Did you wake Aunt Jessie?”
“Yup!” Jessie hollered back down.
“Sorry J,” Kat called, “could you make sure they’re washed up for breakfast?”
Jessie picked up the girls, one under each arm and hauled them towards the bathroom. Kyle promptly showed her clean hands as he headed downstairs, singing, “I’m done, I’m done. I get dibbs on waffles!”
“I washed too!” cried Kaylie.
“Yeah, well Buck’s kisses don’t count as clean you giggle monsters,” Jessie said as she helped them turn on the water.
When they were done and heading down to the kitchen, Jessie wondered what she’d find. Kat’s restlessness at night was manifesting in any manner of cakes, pies and savory treats. This morning they were greeted with huge Belgian waffles with a seemingly endless buffet of fixins.
“I swear Kat, I’m gonna put on thirty pounds with you here,” Jessie said.
“No swear,” said Kaylie as she launched herself onto the bench at the breakfast table.
Kat walked a fresh plate of waffles to the table and ruffled Kaylie’s hair, “That’s right, no swearing.”
