“Iwantedto.” Every square inch of the entire kitchen island is covered with bowls. “I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I have some of everything. There’s some fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, and a few other odds and ends.”
“No Hot Tamales?”
“No. Definitely not.”
“Why would Minerva want to trythose?” Celine wrinkles her nose. “Onlyyoulike those nasty candies.”
“More for me. You have no idea what you ladies are missing out on,” Sam jokes.
“There are plates and utensils over there. Feel free to eat as much as you guys want,” I offer. “And if there’s not enough, I can make more pancakes.”
“I only need one or two, but my brother eats like all the boys at school. They’re always hungry.” Celine helps herself to the top two pancakes from the stack and eyes the toppings. She decides to have a few strawberries, bananas, and blueberries.
“Well, Iama boy. A boy I am.”
Celine rolls her eyes. “You’re so weird.”
Sam and I laugh.
“He’s quoting Dr. Seuss. One of his nicknames is Sam I Am from the bookGreen Eggs and Ham.”
“Oh, I like that.” Celine walks over to the folding table I’ve set out for them to eat at. She sets her plate down and looks to her brother. “Maybe Sarah and I should call you that too,” she muses.
“If you’d like.” Sam rustles her hair.
“Ugh. Sam, you’re messing up my hair.” Celine pulls away.
“You’ve never minded that before.” His face falls.
“Well, I do now.” She pouts.
Somebody is on their way to becoming a teenager. I remember being sensitive about my hair too. I’ll have to mention it to him later.
“Don’t wait for me, poppet. Tuck in.” Sam ensures Celine has everything she needs before he helps himself to a pancake. Approaching the far side of the kitchen island, opposite Celine, he says in a soft tone, “Thank you again, Min. Um... this is for you.”
From his pocket, he hands me a small teddy bear in a cavalry uniform that is holding a bar of chocolate, and a travel-sized set of oil paints. There’s a yellow Post-it note on top of it with a scribbled “forgive me” written on it. I know this brand. It’s a high-quality, expensive one. He must’ve gone to a specialty store to find these.
“Sam, I’m grateful you recognize you made some mistakes, and I accept your apologies, but I’m not ready to forgive you yet.”
“I understand. If you don’t want anything to do with me after this gets sorted out, I’ll give you as much time andspace as you need”—Sam places his plate down—“or leave you alone if that’s what you want.
“I might still be hurting, but I’m not ready to give up on a relationship with you just yet.” I hear him exhale. “We need time to talk and discuss our problems communicating with one another. If this is going to work, there has to be a middle ground between showering me with gifts and ghosting me. I understand you’ve been busy. I have been too, but I’ve found time to message you. I expected you to at leasttry.”
“Brother, Minerva... are you two fighting?” Celine asks in a concerned tone. “Is it because I showed up in London?” Her eyes are wide and fearful. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to run away.” I’m struck by how young she appears.
“No, poppet. We’re not fighting. And none of this is about you.” Sam crosses the room and kneels down next to his sister. He places a hand on top of hers and makes eye contact with her. “Min and I are just going through a rough patch. We have a lot of things we need to talk out, like me not being a stupid-head.”
My throat constricts at seeing Sam acting like a young father. He’s so gentle and reassuring with Celine.
She looks at me with eyes as wide as an owl’s. “Minerva, I’m sorry if my brother said something bad. Please don’t be mad at him forever. I don’t want him to be sad anymore. I promise, most of the time he’s a brilliant brother.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Celine, but I’m not always brilliant. I make mistakes just like everybody else.” He glances at me, then back to her. “But what I want you to remember is that even if we were fighting, it would never turn into the type of fight that Mum and your dad used to have.” Sam squeezes her hand. “Don’t forget the promise I made you and Sarah. There will always besomeone here to protect you. You’ll never have to live with them again.”
Celine stiffens. “What if the army decides you need to be sent away? Then youhaveto go.”
“Iwould, but I’ve made sure thatifsomething like that were to happen, you’d go to Grandad Baker’s home, just like we talked about when I joined up.”
“You’re sure?”
