Much like the Ames cousins, I find myself working hard to manage the full plate life has served me. Almost everything on my plate is good, but it is still… A LOT. Entrepreneurship, kids’ sports schedules, my Word Nerd Collaborative teacher membership, a ghostwriting gig, some self-publishing clients and time on Western’s campus are all keeping me hopping from one task on my to-do list to the next. I guess it’s not hard to understand why I haven’t had time to write the fourth and final book in the Close Quarter series.

Despite the fact that we are reaching yet another holiday season without a new book, I have managed to write a few scenes and I thought I might be able to tide you over a bit if I share them.

The two scenes that follow highlight a couple of the main topics that the cousins will encounter. Hopefully, this sneak peek will whet your appetite for a bit. I also hope that I’ll be able to finagle some more time in the new year to write the rest of the book. Thanks for your patience and continued support. Happy reading!

Chapter 1

Mia

Mia had been crossing off the days on her Taylor Swift wall calendar for weeks. A tidy row of x’s marched one by one, filling row after row; a visual countdown to one of the city’s most highly anticipated events. Mia didn’t care if Harper thought her excitement for the event was dorky, she couldn’t wait to take in all the things, all the options, all the choices. Magazines and websites could only get you so far. Mia wanted to see the flowers, feel the fabric of the dresses and taste the cakes. And on Saturday she could see it all in one place. At Wedding World.

Lindsay

Lindsay opened her google calendar and scanned the week’s events. The squares for the week were a blur of color. Appointments, zoom calls, and kid activities filled almost every available inch of her screen. To top it all off, Dan was traveling for work. She took a deep breath and then let it out slowly. Dan would get home on Friday. She just had to maintain sanity and order until then. Her reward would come on Saturday when she’d get to hang out with her cousins at Wedding World.

Kelly

The first few months after Christmas were slow ones in the retail world. Unless people had a really good reason, they didn’t want to trudge out in the rotten Midwestern winter weather and to do to spend money… just after the expense of the holidays? No thanks. Rather than sulk and worry, Kelly luxuriated in the slower pace. She brought her kids to the bookstore and spent many wonderful, afternoon hours with them reading in the kids corner or in one of the arm chairs up front with her oldest daughter Charlotte, while Ramona directed the three youngest in mini productions of their favorite picture books. Nothing was urgent. She had everything she needed right here in her own little universe. It was often easy to lose track of the hours and even days. But she made sure she set an alarm reminder for Friday night so she wouldn’t forget the outing with her cousins on Saturday morning, Wedding World.

Harper

There were plenty of things Harper would rather do with a Saturday, but it appeared she didn’t have any choice in the matter. All of the cousins were going and so was the auntourage. Even if they gave her a pass, she’d be damned if she was the only one who didn’t go. Her desire NOT to go to go was not as strong as her desire to NOT be left out. Maybe they’d be serving champagne, and she could pass through the event in a lovely morning buzz haze. Yes, she was getting married too, but the thought of selecting the details for her big day alongside a thousand others at Wedding World? No. Thank. You.

* * *

“Second level of the ramp, to the left of the sky bridge,” Beth (Lindsay’s mom) said. “I’m saying it out loud, so we all remember where we parked.”

“We know why you are doing it,” Rachel (Mia’s mom) retorted.

“You’ve been doing it for fifty years,” Cynthia added. And have we ever lost a car? No. So I’ll keep doing it, thank you very much,” Beth said settling the matter.

Lindsay looked at Mia and they shared an eye roll. Then Lindsay looped her are through Mia’s and they follow behind their bickering mothers.

“Are you excited?” Lindsay asked.

“So excited.”

Mia had been to the La Crosse Center dozens of times in her life. As a kid, she was entertained I the space the by the Shriner’s Circus and the local amateur baseball team – the Catbirds. She’d been there for concerts, the annual holiday craft show and even once witness a Presidential visit from Bill Clinton on the sidewalk out in front of the building. While each of those events were fun, she was more excited for today’s event at the La Crosse Center than she’s ever been before. Wedding World.

And today, Mia was going! The cousins, her mother and the rest of the auntourage have all agreed to come too. Harper’s been making a fuss about it, she and Drake are getting married on a cruise ship, obviously, but Kelly must have pulled her aside and told her to “quit her bitchin” – the family motto that assured everyone played nice – because she was here with a smile that doesn’t even look snarky. Perhaps it was a bit dorky to show up with her three-ring-binder and calendar in tow, but Mia didn’t care. She was getting married, and she was excited about it.

Chapter 2

Kelly/January

“When is dad going to be home?”

Kelly was completely surrounded. Various ingredients lay scattered across the counter, each at a different stage of preparation, waiting for her to assemble them into a presentable dinner. Hot Wheels cars littered the kitchen floor – momentarily forgotten by the triplets as they pursued some other form of entertainment in the living room – where she had banished them seven minutes ago. She had no idea where Ramona was, but Charlotte, her newly minted middle schooler, was standing in front of her, a serious expression on her face. Kelly wasn’t worried. Her oldest child had always been a serious creature.

“Say that again, sweetie,” Kelly said reaching for the remote to mute David Muir and his evening news report.

“When is dad going to be home?” Charlotte asked again.

Kelly looked up at the clock. “Any minute.” She turned to put the chicken and rice casserole in the oven and then picked up a towel to wipe her hands. “Why? What’s up?”

“I have something I want to talk to you guys about.”

Kelly picked up her phone, set the timer for 40 minutes and flashed the screen at Charlotte. “We’ve got 40 minutes ‘til we eat. Once dad gets home and I get all this cleaned up, we can do it, okay?”

A trio of delighted screams followed by raucous laughter sounded from the living room. Ramona’s whereabouts were no longer a mystery. Charlotte side-eyed the living room.

“Can we, ah, wait until the other kids go to bed?”

Kelly stopped what she was doing and looked at her daughter. Really looked at her. She had gotten taller in the last six months, and she was letting her hair grow longer than she ever had before. Unlike the wild mane of hair her younger sister sported, Charlotte had taken to wearing hers in a high ponytail – each strand pulled back and put perfectly in place. She was wearing today’s version of what Kelly internally called the “middle school girl uniform”, Black leggings, tall white socks and a baggy sweatshirt. Nothing about her daughter’s appearance was out of the ordinary or alarming except that she was biting her lip, a tell-tale sign that she was nervous.

“Is everything okay?” Kelly asked.

“Oh yeah,” Charlotte breezed, whisking away her worried expression and replacing it with a shy smile. “I just wanna ask you guys something.”

“Okaaaaaaay,” Kelly let the word drag out – letting her daughter know that Kelly knew, something was up.

“Like okay we can talk? The three of us? Tonight? After everyone else goes to bed?”

“Yes,” Kelly said, making direct eye contact with Charlotte. “Absolutely.”

“Great!” Charlotte said. “Gonna go do homework now!” And she dashed out of the kitchen.

Kelly stood stock still for a solid minute. Processing. What did Charlotte want to talk about? Why did she need both Kelly and Joel to be there? Without any potential interruptions? She tried to scan her brain and remember if Charlotte had ever made a request like this before. She came up empty. She reached for her phone again and swiped into the cousin text thread.

Kelly: Charlotte just formally requested to talk with me and Joel, alone. After all the other kids go to bed. Any ideas what this might be about? I don’t want to go in blind.

Lindsay: Her period?

Mia: Not sure I’d want to include my dad on that topic.

Lindsay: Good point.

Harper: Bad grade? Trying to beat her teacher to the punch?

Kelly: Not likely with Charlotte. She freaks out about an A minus.

Harper: So maybe she got a B???

Kelly: Maybe???

Mia: Maybe she wants to talk to you about a boy??!?!?!

Mia: (heart emoji heart emoji heart emoji)

Kelly: Maybe?

Harper: Be open minded if it’s not a boy, but a girl.

Kelly: Obviously, but thanks for the reminder.

Lindsay: No matter what it is. Good luck! And report back! I’ll be not-so-secretly taking parenting notes in the background.

Kelly: Thanks!

Kelly read the messages, put down her phone, picked it back up and read the messages again. None of her cousins’ suggestions felt like the right answer. The way Charlotte had been looking at her was nervous and maybe a touch guilty, but also… buried beneath those two emotions Kelly saw a spark of excitement. Was that puppy love? Kelly didn’t think so, but finding out would have to wait.

The second Joel walked into the house she tried to corner him in the mudroom, but the triplets got to him first. They threw their little bodies around his good leg and waist. They jumped on his back, assaulting him with their physically overflowing love. Joel played his part well, roaring like a grizzly bear and peeling them off one at a time, tossing them one after another onto the couch and then tickling them until they begged him to stop.

“How long until dinner, Kel?” Joel asked when he managed to extricate himself from George, Grant and Will.

Kelly picked up her phone, yet again, this time to check the timer.

“Seven minutes.”

“Perfect. I’m gonna shower super-fast.”

“Seven minutes, super-fast?” Kelly asked skeptically.

“Have a little faith!” Joel called over his shoulder as he made his way up the stairs.

He was smiling, so Kelly let it slide. There was no way her husband and his prosthetic leg would be through the shower and down to the dinner table in seven minutes. She turned off the oven but kept the casserole inside and began pouring milk. Three cups with lids, 4 without. Three plastic plates, four ceramic. Silverware and paper napkins. She knew she should use cloth ones but couldn’t convince herself to commit to one more stitch of laundry each week.

By the time the table was set, and the kids were wrangled into their seats, Joel walked into the kitchen, fresh faced and smelling great. He wrapped Kelly in a hug and kissed her on the neck. “Thanks for dinner, Kel.”

“Ewwwww,” the triplets chorused.

Joel turned around and stalked in their direction, wiggling his fingers. “Enough, you three,” Joel said in mock sternness. “Or I’ll have to tickle-punish you after dinner.”

Kelly set the dinner on the table and slid into her seat. She sighed and then smiled. All of her most important people. Right here. All together for dinner. It was worth it. Whatever it took to get to this moment was worth it.

***

Three hours later—after Joel and Charlotte had done the dishes and she had given the triplets baths, after she had helped Ramona pick out her outfit for school tomorrow and Joel had read her a chapter of A Rover’s Story, their newest nightly choice, and after everyone under the age of twelve was in bed and likely asleep—Charlotte tiptoed into her parents’ bedroom and sat at the edge of their bed.

“What’s up kiddo?” Joel asked.

“Charlotte said she had something she’d like to talk to us about,” Kelly told Joel. “Alone, after the other kids went to bed.” She hoped he’d read between the lines and see that this was important.

Charlotte crossed her legs crisscross applesauce and let her head fall. Kelly and Joel looked at each other and did a bad job of hiding their worried expressions. But Charlotte didn’t’ see. She was too busy staring into her lap.

“Whatever it is Charlotte,” Kelly said gently. “You can tell us.”

Charlotte took a deep breath, but still the words wouldn’t come. Kelly’s mind flashed through all the possible scenarios and even some that weren’t even remotely plausible. Boys. Bullies. Bad grades. Drugs. Sex. She’s only twelve! Her period? Friend drama? Whatever it was, would be better than not knowing. Kelly told herself that over and over while she waited for her daughter to say something. Anything.

Kelly was about to crack, to ask Charlotte again what she wanted to talk about, when she finally opened her mouth and said,

“Basketball. I want to play basketball.” She pulled out a piece of paper from her hoodie pocket and handed it over.

Kelly scooted closer to Joel so they could both see it.

Coulee Region Phoenix Girls Club Basketball

Tryout Sunday, January 10th @ 5 pm

“Basketball?” Kelly said. It came out a little bit like a laugh. All her worrying and nervous energy released in an exhale of relief.

“Don’t laugh,” Charlotte said with a hurt expression. “I’m serious. I want to play basketball.”

“I’m sorry, hunnie,” Kelly said. “I didn’t mean to laugh. I’m just… surprised.”

“Basketball is great,” Joel said. “I love basketball.”

“No, you don’t,” Charlotte shot back. “I’ve never seen you even watch basketball on TV.”

“Well, I’ve been a little busy,” Joel said. “The five of you keep your mom and I hopping. But before we had kids and back when I was a kid, I loved basketball. Your mom and I used to watch games on TV all the time. When we were in college we even used to go to games in person. Now we just watch…” Joel tried and failed to identify a show.

“Bluey?” Charlotte supplied.

Joel snapped his fingers! “Yes! Bluey. No time to watch college hoops when we’ve got to go to work and take care of the house and all you monkeys and watch Bluey. But we love watching hoops. Don’t we Kel?”

Kelly nodded and tried not to cry. Basketball. Basketball! “Yeah Char, we love basketball and if you want to play, we can totally take you to the tryouts.”

Charlotte smiled, but then her face fell again.

“Come here, my little spider,” Joel said putting an arm out. Charlotte crawled over and nestled in between them. “What’s wrong?”

“Well,” Charlotte started, her eyes downcast again. “If I make the team, it costs three-hundred dollars. I don’t have three hundred dollars.”

“Well, I do,” Joel said. “I mean, your mom and I do. If you want to play, and you make the team, we’ll cover you.”

“Really?” Charlotte asked. “Like, really, seriously, I can play basketball?”

“Really and truly,” Kelly said and leaned into her daughter.

Charlotte squealed. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!!” She hugged them both and then bolted from their room.

For the second time that day, Kelly froze in place. She was so relieved. But within moments, her relief was replaced by a terrible dread.

“Joel,” she whispered.

“What?” Joel whispered back. His face was split wide with a grin and Kelly’s fear deepened.

“Have you ever seen Charlotte play basketball?”

“No.”

“Have you ever seen her pick up a ball, of any kind… ever?”

“No.”

“Me neither.”

Kelly lifted the paper Charlotte had worn thin with folding and unfolding. The tryouts were in two days. How on earth were they going to get their book worm of a daughter ready to play competitive basketball in two days? How were they going to help her repair her broken heart when she didn’t make the team? Both seemed like impossible tasks.

Kelly looked over at Joel and could see that the same realizations had bloomed in his mind. She scooted closer to him and lay her head on his shoulder. It had been a long and busy day. Nothing she could do about it right now. Maybe she’d wake up in the morning with a few good ideas.

SOOOOOOO, STAY TUNED! And cross your fingers that I have more time to write in the near future! To stay in the loop, sign up for my insanely sporadic newsletter. I promise, those on it will be the first to know when the book is ready. :)