When Coast Guard Adm. Frank Beardsley decides to move his family of eight children back to his old hometown, he encounters handbag designer Helen North, an old flame from high school. Immediately, sparks fly between the two, and marriage is proposed...
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Phoebe and I rush into our chaotic pink house. She bumps into Max who works with her mom. I stop and look around the messy room filled of fabrics. Helen is a fashion designer. And she can only work in a mess. It's so unorganized in this room. But to her it's perfect so I don't ask questions.
"Hello. Excuse me. You want to hear my new song?" Phoebe the seventeen year old asked playing her electric guitar.
I stand there pretending to jam out. I jump around and bop my head. My arms wildly swing around as I air guitar.
"Okay, rock on. Cool" Helen smiles at us. She digs around looking for something.
"Mommy's gonna listen to the rest of this song... when your mom and I are finished with work" Max tells us a little irritated and pulls her cord out of Phoebes amp. I smile as we go stand against a wall.
"Here you go," Helen said handing something to Max. "It was great, Phoebe. And nice moves Kelsey" Helen said laughing.
"Thanks. I do try" I add.
"Helen, I gotta tell you, I think we're set here." Max said with arms full of purses that Helen designed.
"No, just one more, Max. I was thinking about this one. I mean.... I don't know. Lau?" She asked one of her younger sons.
"Yeah?" Lau the ten year old asked drawing in his fashion book. He glance up at his mom and looked at the bag she held in her hands, a slightly judgmental look on his features.
"What do you think of this one, honey?" She points to a yellow and brown purse. The purse was ugly but I wasn't going to say anything.
"Plu-lease! It needs a little swag. A scooch of gucci. Like this, but in gold." Lau suggesting with a little snap of his sassy fingers. He spun his sketch book around and flipped to a page. The picture was a purse design.
"No one will ever doubt you're my son." Helen smiles ruffling his black hair.
"Mom!" Marissa and Bina the beautiful nine year old twins from New Deli shouted. We looked out the window to see them angrily standing there. I snicker when I see the stank faces they are shooting at their brother.
"What?" Helen said sticking her head out of her studio window to the front yard. Phoebe and I share a small grin as we sneak closer to get a better look.
"He's painting our roses again." They said glaring at Dylan. He looked up at his mom innocently.
"It's art." Dylan the sixteen year old teen said spray painting the girls garden. With a shrug of his shoulders he gets back to work on ruining the flowers.
"You can't call it art unless you have talent. That's just tagging it." Jimi the classicly all funny African American sixteen year old teen said. I always loved how sarcastic he was, he promised to teach me.
Helen shakes her head and closes the window. Naoko the fourteen year old smiles and keeps webcasting everything happening.
"Helen, really, I have got to go. I think we're really good. I really should be getting out of here." Max said standing near the door.
"Max, just give me one second. I love this one. Just need one second, okay?" She said moving her hands all around a little stressed.
Joni a thirteen year old comes walking in with her saxophone, "Mom, there's something wrong with my sax."
"What is it, honey?", she asked, Joni shrugs and starts to play her sax.
BLUEMMMMMM.
We all cring at the sound. I slammed my hands over my ears yelling at her to shut up.
"Okay, i'll be right back." Helen said rushing out of the room.
"Sounds the same to me." I tease laughing. Joni sticks her tongue out at me, and unfortunately she starts playing again.
All of the sudden, rainbow, our pretty little white hamster flies out of her sax and lands. Yep you guessed it, right on Maxs fluffy black hair.
I struggle to keep my giggles at bay. While phoebe and Joni are already laughing. He stands there frozen, but I could tell he was freaking out.
"What's on my head? What's on my head? What's on my head?" He shrieks shaking his head.
"Jimi, we found rainbow!" Phoebe shots causing him to come running in.
"Don't let it bite me. Don't let it bite me." Max whines. I dont think a hampster will kill ya dude. What a drama queen!
"Where's rainbow?" Jimi said looking all over.
"Get it off!" Max shouts blindly jumping around. He shakes his head so hard that the hamster goes flying off. I quickly start running around the room with Jimi following the fluffy fur ball around, as we try to catch him.
"Here he is. Come here, rainbow. Come here, rainbow." Jimi said crawling on the floor, since rainbow was running all over.
"Over there." I say pointing to the little fluff ball.
"Hey, Max, thank you for being so incredibly patient." Helen came back in.
"Get back here!" Jimi yelled crawling all over the floor. I give up and go back to Phoebe.
"This is fun." Aldo grinned. The four year old was standing on a sliding ladder hanging by his palms. How did the kid even sneak up there without us noticing.
Then all the kids come running inside chasing each other. The little ones playing tag. Things were getting pushed over, a couple things broke.
"Fiona, come back." Mick an eight year old ran after her his hand pushing the lader as he tried to get past.
"Mom!" Aldo yells out falling onto a box of glitter.
"Aldo, are you okay?" Helen asked picking him up.
"I'm shiny, mommy." He giggles shaking his head. He's too adorable for this world, I can't help but want to protect him at all cost.
"Yes, you are very shiny." She cooed wiping glitter confetti away from his eyes. Then she pats his head and sends him off to play again.
"Max. Max, I am so sorry. It gets a little crazy around here sometimes." She said standing next to him.
"A little?," Max chimed looking at her like she's crazy, "No, helen, this is all terrific. You're very talented, and so are your 10 kids and Kelsey." He stated. Dang treat me like an afterthought. I mentally laugh and just roll my eyes.
"Thank you, Max. Maybe our next meeting will be a contract signing... and maybe it'll be in the city." She suggested with a worried smile at all the chaos.
"Yeah. Sounds good." He said giving her a hug.
"See you, max." She smiled ushering him out the door. She turned around to see me and Phoebe right in front of her. She jumped a little startled.
"Okay. Okay, can you please explain to me," phoebe started, "why you just let that very single guy out of here without even asking for a date?" I finished linking my arm with both of them.
"Kelsey, Phoebe, what guy could possibly deal with all of this?" She asked shaking her head. Probably someone just as crazy as us.
