Mandy

Chapter 37

No matter the bumps,
No matter the bruises.
No matter the scars,
The cross has made you flawless.
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   Mandy put her oven mitt and started to pull out the pans of brownies.

   "This chili is almost done. Did you slice up the watermelon yet?" Jason asked her.

   "Not yet. Go ahead and do that, I can watch the chili while these cool." She replied.

   Jason nodded and pulled one of the melons out of the bag. "Who is that little girl anyway?" He asked.

   Mandy paused before answering. "My biological niece." She finally replied.

   "So is her dad your brother?"

   "No. Jonah and his wife adopted Lila when she was born. His wife died when she was only a couple years old." Mandy explained.

   "So you are related to Lila's biological mom or dad?" Jason asked.

   "Mom. Her mom was Caleb and I's older sister."

   "Was?"

   Mandy ignored that question. While she did trust Jason, she didn't want to delve into her family history right now. Or ever. Some things were better left in the past.

   "Mommy do you need help?" Amilee asked as she walked into the kitchen.

   Mandy handed her a spoon. "Why don't you stir the chili for me." She suggested.

   "Sure!" Amilee said, taking the spoon.

   Jonah wiped his hands off on a towel. "I'm going to go help Caleb move furniture." He told Mandy, then left the room.

   "Mommy..." Amilee trailed off.

   Mandy looked at her daughter suspiciously. "Yes..?"

   "Why does that girl look so much like Auntie Liz?"

Mandy sighed. "Well, she is related to Liz." She replied carefully.

"What does related mean?" Amilee fired back.

   Mandy thought for a moment, trying to choose her words carefully. "That means that Liz and Lila have the same blood."

   Amilee frowned. "So like me and Uncle Caleb share blood but he isn't my real dad?"

   "Yes, kinda like that. And we say 'birth' dad, not 'real' dad." Mandy corrected. "Is the chili boiling yet?"

   "I think so."

Mandy laughed. "I'll check."

   The rest of the day flew by and before Mandy could blink, the kids were in bed and Mandy, Caleb and Jason were holding a meeting in the kitchen.

   "So if we get those two rooms up and running before Christmas, are we taking reservations for them?" Caleb asked.

   "Maybe we should leave them open. People are bound to wander in." Mandy suggested.

   "People who need a place to stay? I kinda like that idea." Jason replied.

   Mandy made a note in her book. "And..." She looked over at Caleb.

   Caleb took the hint. "Jason, we were wondering..."

   "Is it possible you could babysit the kids for a day? Caleb and I wanted to take a day off and celebrate our birthday." Mandy finished.

   Jason looked at the two of them. "Umm, sure. I didn't know your birthday was coming up. Or that you shared a birthday."

Mandy laughed. "Yes, it is. December 30th. We're..."

"Twins." Caleb finished.

Jason looked shocked. "I wouldn't have ever guessed. No offense Caleb, but Mandy looks years younger than you."

Mandy gave him a smile. "That is exactly why I ripped my certificate." She told him, then picked up her notebook and stood up. "I'll see you two tomorrow. Goodnight."

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This is the first week in a couple months that I've actually had the chapter written and ready to go! Yay me!