“Seriously.” Caitie nodded vehemently in response to that comment. “You know I've always been crappy at being bored.” And he also knew that when she was bored, she was known to make way more trouble than anyone wanted. That, she suspected, was why people hated her and Maddie so much. “He likes you,” she said with a little grin as Chicklet made himself comfortable in her brother's lap. “He's sweet. Scratch him a little!”
At his suggestion, Caitie's eyes widened. “No you don't,” she shook her head. “You don't need to do anything. No, scratch that. You do need to stay here, because if you go off then you might not come back.” Her eyes narrowed. He'd just gotten here. And he wasn't going to go back out there again. Not any time soon, and especially not so close to Christmas. “What the heck, Everett?”