“I come bearing gifts,” she exclaimed gleefully as she burst through the front door. “Michael, thank you for letting Maddy into our fortress,” Olivia called down the stairs. James and Luke smelled the food and came rushing out into the kitchen. “Yippee! Yes!” The boys were thrilled with the bucket of fried chicken and biscuits that graced the kitchen counter. Maddy smiled as she asked James and Luke, “Is your Mom upstairs getting ready for her big date?” “Yeah, dates are gross,” Luke muttered as he tried to get a peek of the food. “We’ll eat once your Mom leaves,” she informed the hungry boys and then completed a hasty scan of the family room. “Where’s Tommy? “Oh, he’s upstairs talking to Mom,” Michael mumbled, his reply virtually unheard. Anxious to return to his video game, he raced back into the family room in order to lay claim to his favorite controller.
