Dedicating Every Day to You

Chapter Thirty-Nine

I dangle upside down on my bed, playing with a new filter on SnapChat. I didn't know the deer filter existed until I got a message from Harriet, who was ranting at me in the high-voice function.

"Hey, Kat and Theo!" Harriet's voice sounds like she sucked up the contents of one of those balloon tanks. "Okay, so, I'm on my way to New Jersey for theatre camp. I'm really excited, but I'm going to miss you two. It's like the best theatre camp in the country!"

"Kathryn, can you come downstairs, please?" I hear John call up to me, followed by, "Alex, I got your last six videos of you with the deer filter on. Please stop!"

I drop my phone on the squishy carpet, then roll off the bed and meet it on the floor. Summer has made me a little lazy, so much so that climbing out of my bed like a normal person is no longer a viable option. I've been trying to stay active, going for runs, going to the beach with Harriet or Vanessa, and doing ballet in the hall, but for the most part I've been doing my summer reading and keeping up on SnapChat.

Downstairs, John and Alex are sitting at the kitchen table with cups of coffee. There's a glass of lemonade for me, and a giant plate of assorted cookies in the middle of the table. Alex is gleefully tapping away on his phone, no doubt spamming John with yet another series of memes.

One of those deadly yellow legal pads is on the table in the center, along with a pen and a calculator. I sit down apprehensively. "Please tell me I don't have to help you guys do taxes or anything. It's summer- my brain is closed to math."

John laughs at me and ruffles my hair. "No, no, nothing like that. We're having a family board meeting."

I pretend to snore, resting my cheek on the table. "What exactly does that mean?"

Alex sets his phone down and grins. "It means we have stuff to figure out. In this case, we have to figure out what we're doing with the rest of the summer, and because we make decisions as a family in this house, we have this." He grabs a snickerdoodle from the plate on the table and breaks it in half, sending crumbs flying everywhere.

John presses his hand against his face, a gesture I've grown used to as the 'why-did-I-marry-this-lunatic' sign. It's versatile, and can also be used as 'is-this-really-my-daughter' or 'Peggy-I-swear-so-help-me'.

I grab my own cookie and take a bite. "Anyway, what do we have to talk about?"

"One thing is what you're going to do with yourself all summer. You've finished your summer reading books three times in a row, and you can't go to the beach every day. You're probably tired of hanging around the house." Alex stirs his coffee thoughtfully.

"I'm too young to get a job, if that's what you're implying." I take a sip of lemonade. "I am a little bored, though."

John laughs. "What did you have in mind, then, Miss Bored?"

I roll my eyes, laughing. "Could I go to ballet camp? My school is running one, and it's going to be awesome." It's a five-week intensive dance program, each day and class designed to test skills to the very limit. If I were to do this, I might have a shot at landing a lead in the next school ballet.

"How much is it?" John looks up with interest. I pull up the flyer on my phone and hand it over. He whistles and sets the phone down. "I'm sorry, honey, but with your school expenses and all, we just can't afford it. Maybe next year."

"Please, Daddy?" I make my face very sad. "This is like the only thing I want!"

He laughs. "You said that about the brand-new phone case last week. And the new iPhone after you dropped yours off of the Ferris wheel in Coney Island. I'm afraid it's just-"

"Not in the budget!" Alex shrieks, and I can only infer that he is woefully overcaffeinated. As if to prove my unspoken point, he pours more coffee into his mug.

"Yes." John sighs and runs a hand through his hair. "Your father is right. Not in the budget."

I slump a little, feeling despondent- but not too despondent to grab another cookie. "Well, what am I supposed to do with the rest of my summer, then?" My attitude is easily improved by sugar.

"You could come and help out at the diner," Alex suggests. "John would love your company."

I tip my chair back on two legs. "Nah, New York child labor laws are a buzzkill. Besides, all I do at the diner is spill ketchup and sneak milkshakes."

John laughs. "Yes, you do. I think Lafayette needs a babysitter for the whole summer..."

"I babysit for him once a week as it is." I shake my head vehemently- I don't think I could take too much more of the hyper little Filles de Lafayette.

Alex adds a heaping spoon of sugar to his cup. "Well, I don't feel comfortable with you staying home alone all day every day, and your father and I have to go back to work soon. We have to come up with something."

"Why doesn't she go to work with you, Alex?" John steals a piece of my Thin Mint. "Doesn't President Washington take interns sometimes? Kathryn could learn about politics and law and stuff, and you'll get to take a little off of your own shoulders."

He sits back in his chair to think, pushing mine down back to all four legs. "That's actually a good idea. What do you say, child of mine?"

I drop onto the floor, sending bits of cookie everywhere. "Sure, I guess. I'm down for a fancy internship."

"It's hardly fancy." Alex sips his coffee. "You'll mostly be running drinks and filing papers for a bunch of pompous politician types. But, you might get to play receptionist once or twice. Mine and Burr's law practice has been incorporated into the White House, and it's very busy, so..."

I shrug and climb back up onto my chair. "Why not? I'll do it."