Stevie was deep in her writing groove—holed up in her upstairs room with her notebook, her tea, and whatever flicker of inspiration had taken hold of her. When Stevie entered that mode, everyone knew better than to knock unless the house was literally on fire. So, naturally, the band got the day off... at least until their fearless leader reemerged.
What started as a peaceful, slow morning at Stevie's place quickly snowballed into a cascade of chaotic, comically bad luck.
In the kitchen, Sharon stood at the bar sipping her coffee while Jessica leaned against the counter near the coffee pot, her own mug in hand.
"I swear, every time your aunt disappears into creative exile, something ridiculous happens," Sharon mused with a smirk.
Jessica chuckled. "That's what keeps us on our toes."
Marilyn walked in a moment later, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Jessica, ever the hostess, offered her a cup. As she poured it, her mom Lori stepped into the doorway.
"Morning," Lori said groggily, just as Jess glanced at Sharon to make a comment. Distracted mid-pour, Jessica's hand slipped, and the scalding coffee spilled right onto her own hand.
"OW—shit!" she yelped, dropping the pot onto the warming plate.
Lori rushed in just as Jess thrust her hand under cold water. "What happened?" Sharon asked, standing up quickly.
"Hot coffee. My hand. Not ideal," Jess replied with a wince.
"Let me see," Lori said, and Jess held it up. Thankfully, no burn—just a bit of redness. After a few more seconds under the stream, the sting faded. Jess passed the mug to Lori. "It's for Marilyn," she said.
Lori delivered it with a wink. "My daughter risks life and limb for you, Marilyn."
"Best coffee I've ever not made," Marilyn quipped.
Later that morning, Marilyn suggested a swim, and the idea was met with enthusiasm. The four women suited up and dove into Stevie's sparkling pool, enjoying the light breeze and break from their recording grind.
It was all going smoothly—until Sharon decided to climb out of the pool not via the stairs, but the stone edge. As she hoisted herself up, her shin scraped against the harsh stone.
"OW, damn it!" she hissed, slumping onto the ledge.
Marilyn swam over in alarm. "Sharon? What happened?"
"I used my brain for a second and still managed to forget there are *stairs*," she muttered.
Marilyn got out and helped her over to a lounge chair. Lori and Jess followed. "Stay put," Marilyn said firmly, heading inside for the first aid kit. When she returned, she patched Sharon up and made her swear to use the stairs next time.
Once everyone dried off, they went upstairs to change. But as Marilyn came back down the stairs... her foot caught a step, and she slipped, landing hard on her backside with a loud thud.
Jess and Lori heard the crash and rushed over.
"You okay?!" Jess asked.
Marilyn gave them a thumbs-up from the floor. "I'm fine. Just fell down a few ego steps."
By the time everyone was settled downstairs again, Lori seemed to be the only one who hadn't suffered any weird mishap. Feeling lucky, she decided to lay outside with an audiobook.
But after an hour in the chair, when she returned inside, Marilyn took one look at her and said, "Uh, Lori? You're glowing. In the bad way."
"What do you mean glowing?" Lori asked.
Jess stepped into the room, froze, then winced. "Oh no—Mom, you're *baked*."
"Baked?" Lori asked in confusion.
"Baked. Sunburned. Like, *lobster-red*," Jess clarified.
Sure enough, Lori looked down and cursed under her breath. Her arms were red, but her legs were practically neon.
Jess ran to the bathroom to grab aloe but came up empty-handed. So instead, she filled the tub, tossing in some chamomile tea bags, baking soda, and a touch of apple cider vinegar—her go-to sunburn remedy.
She returned downstairs. "Come on, I've got a bath ready for you," Jess said, tugging her mom's hand.
Lori grumbled but followed.
"I put in stuff to soothe the burn," Jess explained. "Old trick from when I got sunburned at Coachella."
Jess gave her mom privacy, waiting in the hall. Sharon came down the hallway and Jess quickly asked her to go to the pharmacy for aloe. "My wallet's on the dresser, twenty bucks in it—"
Sharon waved her off. "Lori's like a sister to me. I've got it. Save your cash for more coffee disasters."
Jess grinned. "Thanks."
Later, Jess sat beside the tub chatting with her mom. A knock came at the door. "Got the aloe!" Sharon called.
Jess cracked the door and took the bottle. "You're a lifesaver."
Once Lori got out and dressed, they returned downstairs to find Marilyn on the couch, Sharon in the recliner with her foot elevated. Lori collapsed beside Marilyn, sighing as Jess opened the aloe.
Jess knelt in front of her mom, rubbing the soothing gel into her arms, then moved to her legs. Lori winced. "Jesus. I feel like a rotisserie chicken."
That's when Stevie finally reemerged from her writing cave. She stopped dead in the doorway.
"You all look like hell," she said flatly. "I take *one* day off and the place turns into a disaster zone."
Jess started, holding up her hand. "Well, it started with me nearly pouring coffee on my entire hand."
Sharon lifted her bandaged leg. "Then pool rocks tried to take my shin out."
Marilyn raised her hand. "Then I fell down the damn stairs."
"And I look like a lobster," Lori added, motioning to her legs. "Seriously. Lobster. Cracked, red, spicy."
Stevie sighed. "Jesus Christ, you all need babysitters."
They all laughed. But the comedy wasn't over. That evening, Stevie tried to cook dinner—and burned it. Badly. The kitchen filled with smoke, and she flailed around trying to fan the alarm.
She poked her head into the living room. "Okay, I burned dinner. Who wants pizza?"
Everyone burst out laughing.
Later, bellies full of greasy comfort, Jess and Lori curled up on the couch, an old 80s movie playing—*Working Girl*, one of Lori's favorites.
"I still don't get why she stayed with him that long," Jess said, pointing at the screen.
"Because he was charming and hot," Lori replied.
"Mom, that's how you end up with trauma."
They bickered good-naturedly until midnight, when they finally headed upstairs. Jess stayed in the bed beside her mom, propping pillows up under Lori's sunburned legs. The aloe helped, but the burn still lingered.
As Lori settled under the blanket, she sighed, voice soft. "What a day."
Jess smiled and kissed her cheek. "Tomorrow will be better."
And for once, everyone hoped she was right.
