Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79197 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“Something you’d like to share with us, Emma?”
My eyes jerked over to Shannon. Then I jumped when the flash of her camera went off. She instantly started to write in her journal. I could only imagine what she was scribbling in that thing.
“Do I dare even ask if anyone did devotionals?” Patty said.
When no one replied, she sighed. “Okay, well, then we should—”
Before she could go on, Shannon practically fell onto the mat. She stared up at the ceiling and let out a long, dramatic sigh.
No one said a thing as we waited for her to speak. After a couple of minutes, I whispered to Tammy, “Is she okay?”
She nodded. “She’s waiting to get her emotions in check before she talks. She doesn’t want to cry.”
My gaze snapped back Shannon. “Poor thing! What happened?”
Patty leaned toward her. “Do you need a drink, maybe?”
Cara gasped. “Patty, it’s barely noon!”
“I could use one, I’m not going to lie.”
All eyes turned to Erin. She was due any day, so I couldn’t blame her in the least bit.
“Come to think of it, I could use one myself,” Landy stated as she reached into her oversized bag.
“You did not!” Patty exclaimed as she stared wide-eyed at Landy.
Frowning, Landy pulled out her phone and made a show of putting it on silent. “You really think I’d bring booze to our church group?”
Looking embarrassed, Patty sat back and lifted a shoulder.
Shannon sat up. “This morning. I didn’t think it could get worse.”
“Worse than the time Bailey had a blowout in the brand-new car and Belle threw up at the same time?” Rose asked.
Nodding, Shannon said, “Yes.”
“The time Belle cut your hair?” Patty asked.
“Yep,” Shannon nearly sobbed.
I gaped and looked at Tammy, who scrunched her nose. She leaned in and whispered, “Cut Shannon’s ponytail off when she fell asleep on the sofa. She had a pixie cut for months.”
My hand slowly covered my mouth as I whispered back, “Oh my…”
Cara got down on the floor next to Shannon. “Worse than the time Bailey said she saw your dead grandfather sitting at the kitchen table?”
Shannon nodded.
“The time they painted each other?” Rose asked.
Tammy leaned in and whispered, “Their entire bodies…covered in a bright pink paint.”
“Who are these kids?” I asked as I stared at Shannon. I’d met Bailey and Belle once, but only briefly.
Shannon nodded and let out a deep breath. “This morning, Bailey told me she had a tummy ache. Logan said it was most likely from her drinking syrup like she was downing a beer bong.”
Erin gagged, then quickly covered her mouth and looked around. “Sorry.”
“I told her to go potty while I guided Belle into her room for her to get dressed. Meanwhile, Logan was waiting for me in our bathroom.”
“Nice to see the romance is still there between the two of you!” Landy stated. “A quickie before church, nice!”
“Landy!” Patty scowled as the rest of us chuckled.
Shannon smiled. “The romance is for sure still there. When we can find time. Anyway, I headed into the bedroom, and I was only in there for a few minutes when suddenly Bailey started screaming. My heart dropped, and Logan ran past me so fast, I thought he was going to knock me over. Then…then…I heard…”
“You heard what!” we all cried out at the same time.
“Logan started gagging. Then Bailey started throwing up. Then Belle started screaming bloody murder when our lab LouLou chased her through the house.”
“What happened?” I asked, when she paused again.
Shannon swallowed and her voice shook as she said, “Well…Bailey pooped.” She stopped again, covering her mouth with her hand.
“Oh God, I think I should leave,” Erin said, standing up.
“Maybe you should Erin, sweetheart,” Patty replied.
Erin practically ran out the door.
“Go on,” Cara said, as she took Shannon’s hand in hers.
With a nod and another deep breath, Shannon went on. “She didn’t flush and, well, LouLou came in and started to eat it. That’s when Bailey started to scream. Later, Logan told me that he walked in and saw the poop half in and half out of the dog’s mouth, so he started to gag. That’s when Bailey threw up, and Logan gagged some more. Then LouLou, still munching down on poop, went after Belle.
“By the time I got to the scene, I grabbed LouLou, not sure why she was chasing Belle to begin with, and at that point, I still had no idea why Bailey was getting sick. I just saw that LouLou had something in her mouth…”
“Oh no,” Tammy said.
Shannon gagged. “So, of course, I opened her mouth and reached in to grab whatever it was—and got a handful of poop.”
Cara let go of Shannon’s hand and scrambled away, holding up her own hand. “Who has sanitizer? Now!”
“Oh, I do! I do!” Landy said, dumping out the contents of her purse. “Got it!”
Cara grabbed it and started to douse her hands.