Dree moved out to the porch with a glass of pink lemonade and glanced out toward the water for a moment as she settled on the porch swing. Just as she sat, Dree's eyes and head shot up and she looked back to the beach. Yards away, a horse was rolling around in the sand, clearly entertained with itself.
Pushing up, she set down the drink and picked up the phone, dialing quickly.
"Are you missing something? About the size of a horse?"
"How did you know?" her son asked.
She couldn't not smile. "Seems Wildfire learned a new trick."
"How in the hell did he get there on his own?" Max asked, the sound of him moving through the house and outside evident to Dree.
"I didn't know he even knew where I lived," Dree said with a smile as she moved off the porch and started across the yard. "I'll corral him and have him home for dinner."
"How? You gonna carry him, Mom?" Dree smiled as the horse noticed her and stood up. The pony lumbered over, his tail swishing and head bobbing.
"No, I'll ride him. You can figure out how to get me home later."
Dree moved across the road and onto the beach, ending the call to Max and sticking her phone into her pocket. Wildfire had started moving toward her, with the look of a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar. And, that look, coming from a horse... well, it was about as hard to chide as a puppy.
"All right, mister," she said quietly, reaching a hand up to his cheek. Wildfire pushed against her hand, saying hello and - she guessed - apologizing for his misdeed. Dree smiled and leaned against him.
Dree glanced up at the suns and let out a sigh. "All right, you," she told the horse in a child-like voice, "let's get you home, okay?" Dree kept a hand on Wildfire's neck and nodded for him to follow her. She let the horse back to the house and stopped at the fence.
"You stay right here. And-" she said, pointing at him in a menacing manner, "-don't you dare eat my flowers." Dree gave him a light pat and hurried inside. She pulled a blanket from the hall closet, grabbed her sweater and locked the door behind her.
Trey Donovan smirked as his fingers slowly trailed up Dree's arm. The sun was setting and the party was in full swing, back on the beach. She was still watching him, trying to focus on anything but the distance between her and the water. He'd dared her out onto the leaning palm tree and she'd had a burst of courage.
Of course, once she was out there, panic set in and she was doing everything she could to not think about the height. At the feathery touch, her eyes moved from his then to his hand and, slowly, she smiled.
"Hey, hot stuff," El said, wrapping her arms around Dree's waist. Dree looked up from the dishes in the sink and raised an eyebrow before reaching a suds-covered hand up to El's nose.
"No," she said, barely smiling, and turned back to the dishes.
El pouted and gave Dree a shake. "You don't even know what I was gonna say."
Dree rolled her eyes and scrubbed at the dirty plate. "You started with 'hot stuff', El. You want something." Her eyes lifted as Trey moved into the living room, dressed for the party Dree turned down.
Trey pulled on a jacket and nodded to El. "Leave her alone, woman," he said sternly, giving Dree a wink. "She said she didn't want to go." Dree ducked her chin to hide the smile and focused again on the dirty plates.
"And I think she should go!" El snapped. Pressing against Dree, El let her hands roam and growled. "She needs to get out. Show off those legs... Get toasted..." El sucked in a breath and pulled on Dree's hips.
"Come on, Dee. Let loose. Live a little." El squeezed between her wife and the counter and pouted. "Please?"
"Where is he?" Wyatt asked, glancing over his shoulder. "He's gonna miss the show."
"Don't worry," Dree said, giving the bag in her hand a shake. She reached for another piece of the caramel corn and glanced up toward the stage. "Found him," she said, mid-chew. Garrett was down at the foot of the stage, whispering to someone - Dree assumed it was Max - and held the bag over El for Rebecca and Andy, mindful of Maddy's reach.
"So, you really don't know what we're about to see?" Dree shook her head. Max wanted to surprise them.
"Only Doctor Chapel knows."
[Wyatt, Maddy, Andy, Garrett and Rebecca used with gatechic's permission]
The crowd had started to settle, seeing the adults milling on stage, checking over their shoulders a few times to ensure everyone was ready. Garrett came back to the seats and sat with a relaxed groan, but said nothing to any of them.
Up on stage, the speaker crackled and the man on stage spoke to the crowd. "Welcome..."
"How did we get out of having to sit in the royal box?" El asked, nodding to where Deb and Shar were sitting.
"Because this is the Laethrielian New Year and we're not Laethrielian," Dree whispered, eyes still on the stage.
"Mahalo nui loa na ho'olaule'a me la kaua," the man said, bowing to the crowd and then turning to face Deb and Shar, giving them a deeper bow. He stepped back and nodded just off-stage. A moment later, a line of about twenty children in cultural dress filed on stage. They lined up, the shorter ones in front, and Dree smiled, seeing Max third from the end.
"Look at your brother," she heard El say to Leora. TJ was in Wyatt's lap, eyes fixed on the bright colors on stage. Suddenly, the man chanted and the children started dancing together.
Comments 19
Dree moved out to the porch with a glass of pink lemonade and glanced out toward the water for a moment as she settled on the porch swing. Just as she sat, Dree's eyes and head shot up and she looked back to the beach. Yards away, a horse was rolling around in the sand, clearly entertained with itself.
Pushing up, she set down the drink and picked up the phone, dialing quickly.
"Are you missing something? About the size of a horse?"
"How did you know?" her son asked.
She couldn't not smile. "Seems Wildfire learned a new trick."
Reply
"How in the hell did he get there on his own?" Max asked, the sound of him moving through the house and outside evident to Dree.
"I didn't know he even knew where I lived," Dree said with a smile as she moved off the porch and started across the yard. "I'll corral him and have him home for dinner."
"How? You gonna carry him, Mom?" Dree smiled as the horse noticed her and stood up. The pony lumbered over, his tail swishing and head bobbing.
"No, I'll ride him. You can figure out how to get me home later."
Reply
Dree moved across the road and onto the beach, ending the call to Max and sticking her phone into her pocket. Wildfire had started moving toward her, with the look of a child caught with a hand in the cookie jar. And, that look, coming from a horse... well, it was about as hard to chide as a puppy.
"All right, mister," she said quietly, reaching a hand up to his cheek. Wildfire pushed against her hand, saying hello and - she guessed - apologizing for his misdeed. Dree smiled and leaned against him.
"You're just lucky I love you..."
Reply
Dree glanced up at the suns and let out a sigh. "All right, you," she told the horse in a child-like voice, "let's get you home, okay?" Dree kept a hand on Wildfire's neck and nodded for him to follow her. She let the horse back to the house and stopped at the fence.
"You stay right here. And-" she said, pointing at him in a menacing manner, "-don't you dare eat my flowers." Dree gave him a light pat and hurried inside. She pulled a blanket from the hall closet, grabbed her sweater and locked the door behind her.
Reply
Trey Donovan smirked as his fingers slowly trailed up Dree's arm. The sun was setting and the party was in full swing, back on the beach. She was still watching him, trying to focus on anything but the distance between her and the water. He'd dared her out onto the leaning palm tree and she'd had a burst of courage.
Of course, once she was out there, panic set in and she was doing everything she could to not think about the height. At the feathery touch, her eyes moved from his then to his hand and, slowly, she smiled.
Reply
[I'm too lazy to log out]
Reply
Reply
"Hey, hot stuff," El said, wrapping her arms around Dree's waist. Dree looked up from the dishes in the sink and raised an eyebrow before reaching a suds-covered hand up to El's nose.
"No," she said, barely smiling, and turned back to the dishes.
El pouted and gave Dree a shake. "You don't even know what I was gonna say."
Dree rolled her eyes and scrubbed at the dirty plate. "You started with 'hot stuff', El. You want something." Her eyes lifted as Trey moved into the living room, dressed for the party Dree turned down.
"We goin' or what?"
Reply
Trey pulled on a jacket and nodded to El. "Leave her alone, woman," he said sternly, giving Dree a wink. "She said she didn't want to go." Dree ducked her chin to hide the smile and focused again on the dirty plates.
"And I think she should go!" El snapped. Pressing against Dree, El let her hands roam and growled. "She needs to get out. Show off those legs... Get toasted..." El sucked in a breath and pulled on Dree's hips.
"Come on, Dee. Let loose. Live a little." El squeezed between her wife and the counter and pouted. "Please?"
Reply
"Where is he?" Wyatt asked, glancing over his shoulder. "He's gonna miss the show."
"Don't worry," Dree said, giving the bag in her hand a shake. She reached for another piece of the caramel corn and glanced up toward the stage. "Found him," she said, mid-chew. Garrett was down at the foot of the stage, whispering to someone - Dree assumed it was Max - and held the bag over El for Rebecca and Andy, mindful of Maddy's reach.
"So, you really don't know what we're about to see?" Dree shook her head. Max wanted to surprise them.
"Only Doctor Chapel knows."
[Wyatt, Maddy, Andy, Garrett and Rebecca used with gatechic's permission]
Reply
The crowd had started to settle, seeing the adults milling on stage, checking over their shoulders a few times to ensure everyone was ready. Garrett came back to the seats and sat with a relaxed groan, but said nothing to any of them.
Up on stage, the speaker crackled and the man on stage spoke to the crowd. "Welcome..."
"How did we get out of having to sit in the royal box?" El asked, nodding to where Deb and Shar were sitting.
"Because this is the Laethrielian New Year and we're not Laethrielian," Dree whispered, eyes still on the stage.
Reply
"Mahalo nui loa na ho'olaule'a me la kaua," the man said, bowing to the crowd and then turning to face Deb and Shar, giving them a deeper bow. He stepped back and nodded just off-stage. A moment later, a line of about twenty children in cultural dress filed on stage. They lined up, the shorter ones in front, and Dree smiled, seeing Max third from the end.
"Look at your brother," she heard El say to Leora. TJ was in Wyatt's lap, eyes fixed on the bright colors on stage. Suddenly, the man chanted and the children started dancing together.
[Translation: Thank you for celebrating with us]
Reply
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