author note: I had accidentally repeated a few chapter back their as some one has pointed out! So sorry, this is all new to me. I fixed them so you may want to go back to Chapter 15 and re-read. I hope you are enjoying the story! I know some things aren't accurate, a little far fetched, or kind of strange, but it's just the vision in my head. We're almost there!
My parents thought they were so slick.
They tried to hide their concerned glances toward each other, but they still silently argued during dinner. Then they kept yawning and pretending they were tired and even went to their rooms. But it was pretty obvious to me that they left at 11, thinking me and Pane were asleep. But what teenager goes to sleep at 11? You'd think they would realize that.
After they left, I went downstairs and sat on the couch watching TV. I had too much to think about to sleep.
So we're meeting Gale on Sunday. Everybody agreed to it. I should be excited- I was getting what I wanted. But of course I was a little worried. What if he was mean? What if he made everything worse and Dad had an episode? Or what if he was so nice Mom decided she made a mistake and left Dad and us and went to go live in 2 or something?
Okay, that last one was a little farfetched. Mom loved Dad, she did. But still, meeting Gale might be a mistake. Too late to change that now, though.
I was flipping through the channels when I hear a noise behind me. I see Pane coming down the stairs, rubbing his eyes.
"Ivy, where's Daddy?" he asked.
"How am I supposed to know? I think they went out. What do you need him for anyway?"
"I'm missing one of my dinosaurs" he said as he sat down on the couch. Pane was super into dinosaurs, and he had a collection of dinosaur toys and stuffed animals that he kept in his room.
"Oh, well I guess you have to wait for tomorrow or until they come home." I said.
He nodded and looked at the TV and then back at me. "Ivy?" he asked timidly. I turned my head and he continued. "You don't think Gale will steal Mommy away right?"
"I," I started. But that was exactly what I was thinking. I knew it was just paranoia. And I couldn't let Pane know that, especially since I was pretty sure nothing was going to happen. "I don't think he will. Mom loves Daddy a lot. And she loves us a lot, and we're the Mellarks. Gale can never change that."
Pane smiled a little and said "Yah, she does love Daddy. She's always hugging him and giving him the best piece of chicken."
I laughed. "Yah it's true. Even when it's like, her birthday or something."
Pane chuckled. "I think I wanna start going out with Mommy more to go hunting. I still want to go to the bakery, but I dunno, I want to try something new."
"Actually, I was thinking of asking Dad if I could work at the bakery", I said. "Like, a paid job. He only has 3 employees and you, so it could work. Right?"
"Really? You're going to come back to the bakery?" Pane asked happily. "But I thought you hated being there with me!"
A year ago before Pane started helping Dad at the shop, I always went. I loved icing and decorating cakes and cookies, and I wasn't bad at the baking part either. But then Pane went, and Dad barely paid any attention to me, and I had to teach Pane all the easy things which was SO boring, so I stopped.
But now? Pane already knew what to do, and he was growing up, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Then again maybe it would, but if Dad started paying me at least I'd get something out of it.
"Yah, really. I miss the smell of royal icing on my hands. Now they just smell like the woods." I told Pane.
"Yah you do" Pane said crinkling his nose.
"Get outta here!" I said and pushed his shoulder.
We laughed and I picked up the remote and flipped through channels until I found a dinosaur special on. He leaned his head on my shoulder as we watched, until somehow we both drifted into sleep.