Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 95008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 95008 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 317(@300wpm)
“What are you guys doing here?” Charlie called from the top of the stairs. “Did your parents’ power go out, too? Never mind, I don’t care. Come help me.”
“Yeah, power’s out at their place, too. What are you doin’?” I asked as I took the stairs two at a time.
“The parents decided we’re leaving. There’s some stuff in the spare room that my mom wants to take with us,” Charlie replied as she led us into a bedroom. “Old school shit and baby books and stuff. I brought your dad’s down already—”
“Dad had one?” Curtis asked in surprise.
“Of course he did,” my Gram replied, flipping her long hair over her shoulder as she came into the room. She was dressed in full out seventies gear with a bandana folded in half covering the top of her head like a kerchief, and I was pretty sure it was all vintage. God, I loved her. She was the coolest woman I’d ever known.
“I mean,” she continued, “he didn’t have a baby book for obvious reasons.” My grandparents had adopted my dad when he was already half-grown. “But we kept all of his school stuff and birthday cards and shit.”
“They had him for only half his childhood,” Charlie said, raising her eyebrows. “Yet his box was the biggest.”
“That’s because he’s my favorite,” Gram replied instantly. “Obviously.”
“Well, I’m Dad’s favorite,” Charlie huffed.
“Lily is your dad’s favorite,” the three of us replied at the same time.
“Nice,” Charlie said, throwing a stuffed animal at me. “Thanks for having my back!”
“Lies don’t make friends, Charlie,” Curt reminded her, ducking as she threw something at him. “Hey, don’t throw shit at me! It’s not my fault that Lily is everyone’s favorite!”
“You’re not making it better,” Charlie snapped, looking around for something else to throw.
“Knock it off and get this stuff packed into the car, would you?” Gram asked, giving my shoulder a squeeze as she turned to leave. “I’m going to pack the rest of my suitcase so we can get out of here.”
“Where are you guys going?” I asked Charlie as we reached for the neatly stacked boxes against the wall.
“We’re going to stay at Aunt Callie’s in town,” she replied with a grunt as she lifted a box.
“The people in town are the smart ones,” Curtis said as we carried shit down the stairs. “Random houses in the middle of nowhere are no big deal, but they’re not gonna let the fire get into the residential neighborhoods.”
“I’d rather have the space outside of town for the ninety-nine percent of time that we don’t have to worry about natural disasters,” I countered. “Too many people in town.”
“You live in our apartment complex,” Charlie pointed out.
“That’s not town,” I argued as we stuffed boxes into the back of Gram’s SUV. The smoke in the air was making my eyes and nose burn. “It’s…town adjacent.”
“I’ll give you that one,” Curtis said with a laugh as we rushed back into the house. “Definitely quieter than any of the other places I’ve lived.”
“Whatever,” Charlie said with a wave of her hand. “The apartments should still be out of the danger zone.”
“Probably,” Curtis agreed.
There was something in her voice that had me searching her face. “She’s still there, isn’t she?” I asked, cursing inwardly.
Charlie didn’t insult either of our intelligence by pretending she didn’t know who I was talking about.
“She’ll go to her parents’ house if it gets bad,” she replied. “She wanted to stay at the apartment.”
“Why?” Curtis asked.
“Would you want to spend an undetermined amount of time with your parents?” Charlie replied. “She’ll go if things start going sideways. She’s fine where she’s at.”
“Fuckin’ stubborn,” I muttered as my gramps came down the stairs with bags in each hand.
“I’ll get those,” I said, reaching for the bags.
Gramps scoffed. “I think I can manage,” he said with a grin. “But you can head up and grab the rest from your gram.” He raised his voice. “She packed the whole damn bathroom.”
“I heard that,” Gram screeched.
“Wasn’t tryin’ to hide it, Ladybug!” he called back.
“Dad,” Charlie scolded as he reached the front door. She hurried toward him and pulled the bandana tied around his neck up and over his mouth and nose.
“Thanks, baby girl,” he said as she opened the front door for him. “You make sure you have everything you want to take?”
Charlie nodded. As soon as he was out the door she turned to us and rolled her eyes. “He’s the sentimental one,” she told us. “Me and mom would let it all burn.”
I was seriously doubting her pronouncement a minute later as I carried one of Gram’s heavy ass bags down the stairs.
“Jesus Christ,” I said as I stumbled down a step. “What the hell did she pack?”
“You know that saying, everything but the kitchen sink?” Curt replied as he followed me. “I think she packed the kitchen sink.”