“Come on downstairs. Mrs. Winter stopped by yesterday with a cherry pie.”
“Hah! I knew she wouldn’t be able to hold out,” Cait said. “She talked to Grace the other day but said she’d wait until you were feeling better and could stop by.”
“I’m not sick, you know,” Meg grumbled. “It’s just hard since I didn’t have morning sickness with the twins.”
Cait nodded. “Maybe God gave you a break because he knew you’d need your strength to take care of those little hooligans.”
Meg chuckled. “They are, aren’t they?”
If her soft smile was any indication, her sister loved every minute of it. Cait walked over to her toolbox and started to clean up. “Can I take a rain check on that pie? I’ve got to head out. Gracie is keeping me busy these days.”
“I’m hoping to be back up to speed—”
“You need to get plenty of rest and take it slowly so that the precious little Eagan growing inside of you is healthy…and so you are too. I don’t envy you riding herd on three boys.”
“Who said it would be another boy?”
“Is it a girl?”
Meg’s expressive face had Cait sending up a silent prayer that it would be. “I want to be surprised this time.”
Cait laughed. “Danny and Joey weren’t a surprise?”
Meg teared up. “They’re the light of my life—so is Dan.”
Cait watched her sister’s eyes fill. She groaned and handed Meg a tissue. Her sister wiped her tears and blew her nose. “Sorry, but lately everything seems to make me cry.”
A sound from the other room caught Meg’s attention. “Let me check on the boys. They never sleep for very long.” Pregnancy softened Meg’s attitude and her tongue, but Cait and Grace were still taking bets that this new baby’s first word would be a four-letter one, just like his—or her—older brothers’.
Which reminded her of the bet going over at the diner. “Hey, Meg,” she called out walking to the boys’ room. “Have you talked to Peggy or Kate lately?”
“No,” she said, walking out of her bedroom. “Why?” Meg picked up Danny while Cait picked up Joey and held him close and kissed his cheeks, then traded with Meg so she could kiss Danny too. “Funny thing, that you and your best friend would be expecting right around the same time—again.” She wasn’t ready to tell her about the bet…yet.
“What’s so funny about it?”
“Never mind that, it’s what’s going on at the diner that you’ll probably find out about if you’re going to be visiting with your pal Honey B. today.”
“I am and I need to change these two before we go downstairs.”
“I’ll help.” Cait put off telling her sister until the boys were changed and running toward the top step.
“Wait for mommy!” Meg beat Cait to the stairs and scolded. “Mommy goes first.” She shook her finger at her toddlers. “Now, turn around and climb down.” They did as they were told and as soon as their little sneakers touched the bottom, they were laughing and running toward the kitchen.
“Juice!” Danny hollered.
“Cookies!” Joey echoed.
“Soooo,” Meg said, settling her sons at the table with their snack.
Cait paused to marvel at the ease with which her sister cared for her twins and kept them from squabbling. Finally she said, “I think it was actually old man Sweeney talking to Mr. Weatherbee who started the betting.”
Cait could feel the heat of her sister’s glare and the sharp edge of Meg’s temper when she asked, “Betting?”
“Yep,” Cait said as cheerfully as possible. “Seems he’s not the only one in town who decided it would be a good thing to bet on who delivered first…you or Honey B.”
Meg’s mouth opened and closed twice before any sound came out. “Is he crazy?”
“No, but he sure does have an affection for you, Sis.”
As the boys finished, Meg and Cait wiped their hands and faces and set them down. “Play nice,” their mother warned. The boys ran to the playroom and were chatting in their own dialect—a mix of English and twin-speak. Meg watched her darlings playing. “How’s the betting going?”
Caitlin followed and told her, “I haven’t talked to Peggy in a few days—”
Meg laid her hand on Cait’s cheek. “You don’t feel feverish.”
Cait chuckled. “I’m not.”
“Did you and Peggy have an argument?”
“No.”
“Then why haven’t you talked to her yet today?” Meg asked.