A Piece of Haven

4 - "You have got to be kidding me"

     "Bailee, don't do that," Piper scolded, taking the salt and pepper shakers away from her small fists.  She thought it would be fun to add half the containers onto what was left of the fries on her plate.  Bailee gave Piper her best mad face yet.  Golden eyebrows drawn together, eyes narrowed on her target of momentary dislike, and a frown curved so low it looked like a semi-circle.

     "Now, don't give Auntie P that look.  You know that was wrong to play with.  What will happen when the next round of customers run out of salt for their food because you wasted it all?" I intervened, saving my sister from her stubborn silence later on.  

     She now looked at me with that unhappy expression and pointed to the booth adjacent to us with two clearly full containers.

     She is seriously too young to be this much of a smart ass.

     I sighed and shook my head at her.  "It still isn't nice, Bailee.  Now if you want any chance of going to the play pen you better finish eating and be a good girl."

     That, of course, snapped her out of it.  She blinked in surprise, like she never thought that I would keep her from her favorite place on earth, before picking up a fry to nibble on and sneaking glances at me for any sign of lenience.

     Piper silently laughed from beside her while continuing her own meal.  I was already finished, waiting impatiently for my brother and his fiancé to arrive.  It had been a few months since I last saw either of them.  I also told Bailee she could go play after they got here and she was getting antsy.

     Kid's Korner wasn't much different from your typical fast food restaurant except it was designed more for children than anybody else.  This particular one had light yellow walls with a mural on one side to which I was currently facing.  Nothing but a happy collage of smiling faces with a flower here or a rabbit there adorned it.  The one back home was very similar to this one, but had more paintings of animals than kids.

     "So when do you start that new job of yours?" Piper asked as she sucked the remnants of her drink from the styrofoam cup.

     "Monday, but I won't be doing much work yet.  It will basically be an orientation to get familiarized with their system.  The owner is walking me through it."

     "I still can't believe he just offered the job to you because you organized a few books," she shook her head slowly to herself, "That's just insane."

     I shrugged in response.  It wasn't like I was about to complain.  I remember staring at him for a full minute to see if he was joking.  He just stared right back.

     Bailee herself was doing her own staring at the play pen filled with kids.  Like she was watching TV, but her face was too determined.  A glance at her plate found it empty.  Now if Charlie would just hurry up.

     The moment the thought passed my mind, I saw a head of dark blond hair coming our way.  A grin broke over his face a millisecond before Bailee launched herself at him, the play pen forgotten.  Charlie scooped her right up and squeezed her small body to his chest.  Taking the rear was Lilah.  Her hair had grown out, thick red waves now coming to her shoulders.  It was my turn to launch myself at her, hugging our thin bodies together.

     Me and Lilah grew super close since she started dating Charlie.  I loved the girl to death and couldn't wait for us to be sisters.  It simultaneously made me sad though, that my brother was embarking on the next segment of his life with someone and I still could only offer myself to Bailee.

     "It will happen," Lilah whispered in my ear.  It was the same thing she has whispered to me ever since I told her how I felt.  I just squeezed her harder before letting go to look at her properly.  Her dark blue eyes settled kindly on me, a small smile resting on her lips.  But even with all of the hair she had curled around her face, I could still make out the thin white scar on the right side of her face.  Coming from her temple down to jaggedly curve around her ear.