Needing 13 - Johnny Kavanagh

SILLY LAUGHS AND STRAWBERRY-FLAVOURED KISSES

JOHNNY

"Where's Tara?"

"She'll be back later. She had a meeting and rang to say not to expect her for dinner."

"A meeting?" Joey repeated, suspicion laced in his voice as his brows furrowed.

Dad met his gaze, unperturbed. "Your sister's a busy woman, Joey. Don't worry. She's okay."

He didn't look convinced. His mouth opened to argue, but Aoife, seated beside him, gently laid her hand over his.

"She's fine."

Joey's jaw tightened. "That's what Da said too," he muttered, his voice heavy with distrust. "Forgive me if I don't believe it when he says it now."

"Joey, love," Mam interjected, her voice warm. "I swear, Tara's fine. She's been working all week to sort out a hurling coach for Tommen—for Tadhg, and for you too, if you're still mad enough to play."

Tadhg's eyes lit up, and a grin stretched wide across his face. "Score!" he exclaimed, almost bouncing in his seat. "I'm definitely getting new hurling gear this Christmas!"

"Don't go overboard, Tadhg," Shannon warned from across the table, her midnight-blue eyes narrowing in warning.

"Like you don't raid Tara's wardrobe every chance you get."

"That's different, and you know it."

"I want a phone," Ollie chimed in suddenly, his small voice cutting through the bickering. All eyes turned to him.

"Not a chance, kid," Joey said with a snort."

"You're dreaming if you think you'll get one before me," Tadhg added with a shake of his head.

"I was—what? Fifteen when I got my first phone," Shannon added with a pointed look. "No phone for you, Ollie."

"But Tara promised!"

Joey's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Tara promised you a phone?"

Ollie nodded solemnly. "We watched a spy movie, and I liked the phones they used. She said if I kept my grades up, she'd get me one."

"That's a walkie-talkie, ya eejit," Tadhg quipped.

"Tadhg, shut your mouth," Joey growled, his glare sharp. "Apologize, or you'll be waiting for a phone until you're eighty."

"Sorry," he grumbled reluctantly. Then, in a hopeful tone, he added, "Can we eat now? I'm starved."

Mam chuckled. "Go on, dig in," she said, gesturing to the spread of food.

The room erupted into a familiar chorus of chatter as everyone piled their plates high, settling into a rhythm of laughter and conversation. Across the table, Mam and Shannon chatted quietly while Sean, perched in his high chair, happily munched on tiny pieces of chicken Mam had cut for him. Beside them, Aoife entertained Ollie, laughing at his animated retelling of a school story.

To my right, Joey and Tadhg were deeply engrossed in a hurling conversation, their earlier tension replaced with excitement over the prospect of a new coach.

In the living room, baby AJ slept peacefully in his portable cot—Mam's insistence so Aoife and Joey could relax without hauling half the baby's things back and forth.

"You're quiet," Da said suddenly, pulling me from my thoughts. His sharp blue eyes fixed on me. "Is something wrong, son?"

I hesitated before answering, my gaze drifting back to Tara's empty chair. "She didn't tell me she wasn't coming to dinner," I said, frowning as I toyed with the edge of my napkin.