A D Tier's Breaking Point

Chapter 16

As soon as the door to the backyard closed on the siblings Janice broke the conversation with Alex and sighed in relief, 'Thank goodness for that! Hopefully they can actually talk now.'

Alex looked to the door in concern, 'Will they be okay?'

Janice nodded, 'I imagine so. Katie seems like a good girl, she's the only one of Morgan's family they really talk to anymore. And you can tell she cares about them. I imagine some space, fresh air, and good old Daisy will smooth the rest of the creases.' No one mentioned that her calm and confident tone sat at odds with her new spot hovering by the kitchen window. Or when Alex slid over to join her.

From here the two of them could see Morgan and Katie by the feed shed, before Katie was turned around and squealed at the sight of the small pony. Alex smirked at that, but could understand her reaction. Daisy was lovely after all.

'Do you actually hate the new lemonade recipe dear?' Janice asked.

Alex shrugged, 'I mean, it's alright.' Which roughly translated to, "It's delicious but I refuse to admit that you're right at the expense of me being wrong." And Janice would quite gladly take that in the circumstances.

Bernard pottered around behind the two of them as they watched Katie fuss over the small pony and Morgan carried the bucket over to her feeding trough. They did the usual checks over the water and hay before adding the new feed to the trough with a confidence that spoke to experience. Morgan had done this before. This was a routine for Morgan. When did that happen? Alex wanted to ask, but before he could Morgan was looking up at the house and caught the two of them in the kitchen window. Alex had to try hard not to flinch as he made eye contact, but Morgan only smirked and rolled their eyes before sticking their tongue out at the two spies. Alex snorted, Janice chuckled, and then Morgan was turned back to Katie and Daisy. Daisy, who was immediately snuffling up to Morgan, nosing at their hands and slowly inching the pair over to the bench to sit down.

'Good girl,' Janice whispered, and Alex glanced at his mother. Her attention was fixed on Morgan, of course it was. Alex turned back, wondering what Janice saw in them that he didn't. What she was able to parse out of their subdued smile as they fussed over Daisy, or the tension in their shoulders as they began to show Katie how to brush Daisy's mane.

'They doing alright out there?' Bernard asked from the stove.

'Katie's in love,' Janice said, and then gestured to Alex to move to the counter next to the window as she whispered, 'Might be best if you stay here dear.'

'Of course she is,' Bernard said as Alex manoeuvred around his mother, 'No one can resist Daisy's charms.'

'She might be the most powerful of all of us,' Alex smirked, still watching the two siblings as Daisy began fuss with the brush. 'And a good mediator apparently.'

'How long for dinner dear?' Janice asked Bernard.

He shut the oven door with a grin, 'Depends. How crispy do you want the topping?'

Alex sniffed, mouth already watering from how good it smelled, 'You do not want me to answer that question, I'll eat the whole thing now.'

Janice laughed at Bernard's look of mock offence, 'You want me to serve undercooked casserole? The nerve! The audacity your son has!' Janice only cackled again as she went to the fridge and pulled out a series of ingredients for a side salad. 'You laugh now, wait until you bake your chocolate mud cake and he tries to pull this trick. What will you do then?'

'I know better than to let him in my kitchen when making his favourite foods,' Janice said with a smirk.

Alex snorted, 'All of your food is my favourite food.'