Eve’s house always smelled like something baking—sugar, spice, and just a hint of chaos.
I barely stepped through the door when a blur of motion streaked past my legs and a rubber dinosaur bounced off the wall beside me.
“INCOMING!” yelled Toby, Eve’s little brother, as he skidded around the corner in socks and Spider-Man pajamas. “The lizard army is upon us!”
“Toby!” Mrs. Badmus called from the kitchen. “Stop using our guests for target practice!”
I ducked, laughing, as Toby launched himself into a couch pillow fortress, dinosaur in one hand, juice box in the other. “It’s fine,” I said, brushing a curl from my face. “Adds excitement to the day.”
“Toby’s currently leading a rebellion against bedtime,” Eve said as she strolled in, arms crossed and eyebrow arched. “He’s been up since six and is operating entirely on sugar, spite, and cartoon logic.”
Toby popped his head up from the couch fort. “SPITE IS MY FUEL!”