1
Bex
Bex sat back as her sisters, Kenna, Nikki, and Roxanna, talked over one another, discussing which pet was the one they would never let into their home—a mouse, fish, or a snake. Her viewers loved how lively the discussions got in her Sterling Sisters segments on her YouTube channel. Bex loved it because everyone talking over one another was the sound of home.
A very lively, raucous, crazy-as-a-crate-full-of-kittens home.
Bex turned to her oldest sister. “Let me get this straight, Kenna. You would seriously rather have a snake in your house than a fish? A fish can’t even get out of its tank!”
It didn’t matter what the subject was that they discussed—it could be serious issues, political, world problems, or something as inconsequential or un-serious as which pet they didn’t want, where they’d go on a dream vacation, or favorite fast food restaurant. All five Sterling sisters had reinforced-steel opinions and an even stronger need to share them.
“Yes, but,” Kenna said, holding up a finger, “when I look at a snake, I’m not reminded of sixth grade and Jack Pearson and how I accidentally killed the fish he gave me.”
“Fair enough,” Bex said. “As long as I don’t have to ever have a bird in my house, I’m okay with whatever issues with animals you guys have.”
“Asher wants a bird,” Vivian said.
Bex threw her hands to her cheeks in horror, playing it up for the camera, but still feeling a bit of it anyway. “You aren’t going to let him, are you?”
“Are you kidding?” Vivian sad. “Our house is already too much of a zoo.”
“I forgot about you and birds,” Nikki breathed. “It was a couple of seagulls that stole the bread off your sandwich at the beach that one time, right?”
“It wasn’t a couple,” Bex said, the hairs on her arms lifting just thinking about the terror of that moment again, “it was at least a dozen. A dozen strong-winged, pointy-beaked, claw-footed swooping menaces. And they didn’t just steal my bread—it was my entire sandwich. If stealing my lunch right out of my hands wasn’t enough, they attacked me! Even after I told them they could have my sandwich and ran away, they chased me down, stabbing their beaks into my pockets and squawking at me for being so rude as to not have brought more.”
Her sisters all gave each other knowing looks, and Vivian held up two fingers, mouthing there were two birds, as if Bex couldn’t see. She might be sporting an actual blush across her cheeks right now, but she’d take the razzing because her viewers were probably loving it.
“Whatever. You guys remember it how you want, and I’ll remember it how it actually was.”
At the sound of ten kids bursting through the back door of the inn—which meant they would be in the gathering room where they were filming in about 3.5 seconds—Bex said, “Thank you for joining us for a rousing Sterling Sisters segment. Don’t forget to like the video and subscribe and—”
“And”—her sister, Fiona, cut in—“leave memes and gifs of birds for Bex in the comment section!”
“Don’t do that,” Bex said in her sternest voice, looking straight into the camera, like she was trying to bore straight into the thoughts of every single viewer. And knowing full well that her viewers were going to do exactly what Fiona asked them to do anyway.
She clicked the remote on the camera to turn it off just as her four-year-old nephew, Drew, shot through the room and leaped, plowing into his mom to give her a hug. Bex reached out to grab hold of the back of Vivian’s chair and Nikki reached out to do the same from the other side, keeping it from falling over backward from the force of Drew’s hug.
“Whoa,” Vivian said. “You nearly knocked me over with that one.”
“My love for you is strong,” Drew said, pounding a fist into his chest.
“Make sure you save some for your siblings and your dad. Now run and get on your shoes—it’s time to go.”
“All the rest of you, too,” Bex’s oldest sister, Kenna, called out. “Shoes on and head to the lobby.”
Bex stood, reached out a hand, and pulled her pregnant sister, Nikki, to her feet. Then she pulled all of her sisters into a group hug. “You all are the best. Thank you, once again, for voicing your strong opinions, even when we disagree on things like the facts of certain events.”
Her sister, Fiona, grinned. “Oh, you love us because we disagree and you know it.”
“True. These segments would be boring if you all didn’t have such strong opinions that you’d defend with your dying breath.”
“I don’t know about you guys,” Kenna said, trying to usher her three kids toward the front door, “but, Bex, I’ll happily tell you that you’re wrong any chance I get.”
“As the one who has spent my entire life as the youngest in a houseful of bossy older sisters, believe me, I know.”
Her sisters all started shooing their kids out the door while trying to gather up all their things and make sure each one had shoes on. Ten kids. She wanted to just gather them all together and surround them with hugs.
She didn’t know what look was on her face, but Nikki must’ve seen it. “You’ll find the right guy soon, and you’ll be able to add your own kids to the mix before you know it.”
Bex let out a long breath. “I hope you’re right, but it’s looking rather doubtful.”
Once Kenna, Vivian, Roxanna, and the ten kids made it out the door and into their cars, Bex and Nikki headed back into the gathering room and to the desk she had set up toward the back windows for their weekly planning session. They sat across from each other, and Nikki pulled out the planner that contained the schedule of Bex’s life down to the minute. If it weren’t for that planner, Bex’s life would be like a giant box of beads that burst open, spilling everywhere. That’s why Bex hired her as her detail person—because Nikki took care of all the little details that often got missed when Bex was focusing on the big picture.
“The biggest things we need to discuss,” Nikki said as she absently rubbed her hand on her pregnant belly, “are your plans for the episodes during the judging period for the Eddie Awards.”
Bex tapped her pen on her lips. “For the Sterling Sisters segments, we need a couple of fun and interesting debate topics. Like what one non-electronic device would you want if you were going to be trapped inside an office building for a month, or what the best way is to talk your significant other into choosing to watch the movie you want.”
“Ha! I can already imagine Kenna’s answer. Maybe we could even do one about most embarrassing moments.” She glanced at her phone that sat on the desk, and then picked it up. “Aww!” She turned the phone toward Bex. “How sweet is this?”
Bex leaned in to see her brother-in-law’s text that read This is what’s waiting for you when you get home, along with a selfie of him stirring a pan of chicken tikka masala.
“Is he the greatest, or what?”
“He’s a solid four point five trillion times better than your last husband.” Bex smiled at her sister’s pregnant belly—the belly that held her future nephew—and was so glad that Nikki divorced that jerk before having any kids. She was happy knowing that the little guy who was going to make an appearance in a couple of months was going to get such a good guy for a dad.