“Oh, what I did?” Hailey laughed.
“Yes, what you did,” Grant snapped. “I was the best player at that camp,” he huffed. “And you threw me off my game.”
“Excuse me,” Hailey shook her head. “You might have been the most talented guy at camp, but you weren’t the best player there. Besides, I’ve dreamed of playing at the University of Tennessee since I was a little girl, and, thanks to you, I could have blown my opportunity,” she snapped back. “You almost ruined my career.”
“Nobody’s career is ruined here, guys,” Jack intervened again. “Now would someone please clue the rest of us in?”
“Go ahead, Hailey,” Grant smiled with a cruel wink. “Tell Daddy what you did.”
“Shut up, Grant,” Hailey insisted.
“Should I tell him?” Grant harassed her.
“You wouldn’t,” Hailey glared.
“Oh, I would,” Grant nodded.
“You would, wouldn’t you?” Hailey gulped. “You’re just that heartless.”
“Precisely,” Gant nodded.
“Go ahead,” Hailey shrugged.
Grant smiled. “It all started when Hailey decided to sneak…”
With one quick motion, the remaining contents of Hailey’s glass of orange juice splashed onto Grant’s face.
“Hailey Nelson!” Jack said exasperatedly, and Nora could hear the embarrassment in his voice.
Grant wiped his face with his hand. “You little…”
“Grant!” Nora shouted, waving her hands, before covering her mouth and praying that Grant would bite his loose tongue, which, to her dismay and embarrassment, he didn’t.
Jessica and Emily glanced at each other, both feeling a little uncomfortable but exchanging giggles none the less.
“Hailey, what do you have to say for yourself?” Jack asked angrily.
Hailey mumbled something as she handed her father her empty glass. She made a beeline out the front door, reaching down and scooping up her basketball as she went.
“Oh no,” Nora sighed, very sympathetic to the fact that this move would be as difficult on Jack’s girls as it was on her kids. “Go, Jack,” she insisted, “you should go after her. I’ll clean up this mess!”
“She’ll be back,” Jack shook his head. “Her bark is worse than her bite!”
Grant bolted out the door after Hailey. “Did you have enough ice in that glass?” the others heard him scream. “That hurt!”
“Oh, boohoo!” Hailey hollered back.
Nora seemed uncertain about the prospect of the two of them being alone after the display she had just witnessed.
“It’s okay,” Jack smiled, and he rubbed Nora’s shoulder as he snuck a peek out the window.
Nora nodded. “Jack, he can be mean and relentless…but he would never…you know… hit a girl or anything,” she gulped.
Jack smiled. “It’s alright,” he chuckled, “that one hits back!”
Jessica and Emily grinned at each other. “That was interesting to say the least,” Jessica laughed.
“Jessica, did your sister say anything to you this summer when she got back from camp?” Jack inquired.
“Dad, you know I tend to tune out the basketball babble,” Jessica admitted, “but if she had mentioned him…I would certainly remember!”
“Emily?” Nora asked curiously.
“No,” Emily shrugged, “but wasn’t it after camp that Grant went MIA?”
Nora covered her face with her hand. “Long story,” she shook her head at Jack.
Jack raised an eyebrow. “I think it might be a longer story than we know,” he laughed as he stared out the window.
Jessica put her arm around Emily. “Now that we have established that I am the normal one in the family, what do you say I show you our room?”
“Cool,” Emily nodded.
“Here, I’ll grab a suitcase,” Jessica offered before the girls scampered down the hall with luggage in tow.
Jack smiled as he watched them go. “They seem to have become fast friends,” he said with a pleased nod.
Nora hardly noticed as she stared out the window. “Do you think we should intervene?” she sighed.
