Re: The Stones
Good. He wasn't leaving. That was very good. She hoped he (and Kori) didn't hear her sigh of relief as she relaxed back in her chair. Keeping Brandon there did have more to do with not wanting to be alone with Kori, but at the heart of it, Leah was truly thankful he was there.
She grinned when Kori patted him on the shoulder, which was followed by a question about whether he was a dog. "You are. But a cute one, so that makes it less insulting," Leah replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
When the youngest Stone spoke up about promising to teach Lilah to knit, Leah drew a long pull from her bottle of water to mask her bitterness. It shouldn't have bothered her, really. Leah hated knitting, and wasn't a huge fan of crafts in general. "See? No worries. Lilah will be here."
She wished Brandon hadn't called attention to the expression on Kori's face. Had Leah not been so adept at hiding her expression, she was sure it would've mirrored her little sister's. You didn't want him to leave either, did you? Setting down her water bottle, she picked up her fork again, turning her attention to the vegetables now that she'd gotten past the torture of the Spam.