“Between Bea knowing her brother’s tricks and me basically being one of her brothers in my youth, we were on to him,” Daph agrees.
“And Digger’s a barker who poops in cars,” I add.
Daph nods. “If you didn’t hear him, you would’ve smelled him.”
“You said we could get a dog but we don’t have a dog,” Eddie says. “It’s never going to happen if Charlie and me don’t make it happen.”
“You don’t steal someone else’s pet.”
Whoa.
Simon’s actually pissed.
This is new.
No smiling or anything.
“She already lectured me,” Eddie grumbles.
“Especiallyafter they welcome you into their home and serve you good food and let you run loose and wild and pet their other animals.”
Eddie scowls at him.
Simon’s chest is heaving, and I don’t think it’s the running.
Pretty sure that’s anger.
“Bea, please thank your brother for a lovely evening. I must return home with my hooligans.”
“Simon?”
“Yes?”
Yep.
He’s pissed. Fuming pissed. And clearly uncomfortable with anyone seeing him this way.
“Remember their brains won’t be fully developed for another decade.”
“Even people without fully developed brains shouldn’t be booking secret parties and destroying the landscaping bydigging for imaginary treasures and attempting to steal other people’s pets.”
“The man has a point,” Daph murmurs. “But my brain’s fully developed and I’d honestly go digging for imaginary treasures too, for the record.”
Simon squeezes his eyes together.
Tank and Pinky stroll past with Charlie between them.
I let Simon’s arm go. “I promise it gets better eventually.”
He doesn’t answer.
“Digger?” Ryker calls from behind us.
The dog barks once and takes off running for him.
Simon stares his boys down as they load into the back seat of the SUV.
“Good dinner,” Pinky says to me.
