Thump!
Jesse woke with a start at the sound of someone body slamming the bed, causing it to bounce a little up and down.
“Wake up, sleepy head!” A girl’s teasing voice came from behind him. He turned over in the bed to see Jordyn laying on her stomach beside him, her smiling face half hidden behind blankets.
“Hey,” Jesse said, voice thick with sleep as he rubbed his eyes. Bright morning light was streaming in through the thin curtains behind Jordyn’s side of the bed. Laughing softly, she reached over and ran her hand through his hair, pushing it back from his forehead.
“What time is it?”
“Eleven-thirty,” she told him. “My brother and Laura are cooking. You might want to go down stairs in case there’s a fire.”
Jesse sat up, stretching. “Good point.”
Jordyn leapt up and fairly dragged Jesse out of bed by the hand. They were barely at the door when the fire alarm went off. Jordy rolled her eyes.
“Idiot,” she muttered.
“Who, my brother or your sister?”
“Are you kidding? This is the fifth time since we moved here that Nate’s tripped the fire alarm.” She flew down the flight of stairs and into the kitchen. Jesse got there in time to witness her taking the skillet full of darkened brown eggs from Nate’s hand and bumping him away with a swing of her hip.
“Move,” she said, taking the pan to the sink and stepping back as she turned on the tap.
Nate laughed at his sister’s playful manner, or perhaps at his own stupidity. “My bad,” he said.
“I told him not to light a fire in the pan,” Laura said, shaking her head from the one of the island bar stools.
Jesse threw him a bewildered look. “Did you really do that?”
Jordyn turned her head and narrowed her eyebrows. “Why?”
Nate shrugged innocently. “In those cooking shows they always have a fire in the oan for like a few seconds, and the stuff they make always looks so good.”
“You watch cooking shows?” Laura asked, stifling a laugh.
“You moron!” Jordyn said, giggling. “That’s when they put alcohol on stuff, and you don’t do it with eggs!”
“Oh,” Nate said, turning red. “What do you do it with then?”
“Don’t get any ideas,” Jordyn warned.
Nate sighed deeply. “I guess I’ll never be like Rachael Ray,” he said sadly.
“Nathan,” Jordyn sighed, perching herself on the counter top. “You really are the biggest imbecile I know, but I love you for it.”
“Thank you, thank you,” Nate said with a dramatic bow. “I do try.”
“You succeed,” Laura said.
“What are we gunna do now?” Nate said. “I’m starving!”
“What do you guys want?” Jordyn asked, addressing her guests.
