“Did you family expect him to stand over your shoulder and keep you from buying pixels?”
“That’s what he said. He got chewed out anyway, so now he is paranoid.” Tia raised her head. “What smells so good?”
Something did smell good. Fried and delicious. Where was it coming from… I tugged on my magic, grabbing a silver-blue strand. The world opened like a flower, and the scents flooded in.
“I’m pretty sure it’s those fried mushrooms over there.”
“We should order some!”
“We should!”
Then a familiar scent floated past me.Oh no, you don’t.
I put my fork down and pointed at the chair next to me. “In the chair. Right now.”
Tia raised her eyebrows.
A small shape slipped out from behind an ornamental shrub. Behind her, a raccoon, a cat, and a Doberman popped into view.
I thought so.
Matilda scurried over and sat in the chair, her animals still poised by the bushes.
“Who is this?” Tia asked.
“My little sister,” I told her.
“We are not sisters,” Matilda corrected, a serious expression on her face.
Checked by a little kid. “Thanks, Matilda. That hurts my feelings.”
“Why? It’s true.”
Ouch. “Yes, we are not technically sisters, but I love you and think of you as my sister.”
“I’m sorry,” Matilda said. “I did not mean to hurt your feelings. Would you like to hold Go Min Nam to feel better?”
I glanced at Go Min Nam, who was still sitting by the shrub, looking beyond beautiful with his cream fur and blue eyes. That cat was a prince among all Himalayan felines.
“I would, but I don’t think the restaurant would be okay with it.”
“Do you forgive me?” Matilda asked.
“Yes.”
Matilda turned to Tia. “We do not share biological parents.”
“Aha,” Tia said.
“But our parents are colleagues and friends, and we care about each other. Father says it is called found family.” Matilda reached out and patted my hand. “I also think of you as my sister.”
“Thank you.”
Tia clearly wanted to ask questions. For a second I thought she would, but she stuffed steak into her mouth instead.
“Matilda, how did you get here?”
“I told Calvin I was meeting you for dinner,” she said.
