Big Family Dinner

“Catch!” Scott tossed the baseball.

Bob caught it easily with one hand. “No ball in the house - you know the rules.” He kicked off his sneakers and nudged them against the wall between Clay and Dan’s shoes, padded toward the kitchen.

“Hey Danny, did you set the table?” he called in the general direction of the stairs.

Shelley said, “Dinner’s all ready as soon as you’ve washed your hands.”

Bob came up short. Scott crashed into his back.

Shelley stood in the doorway of the kitchen. She wore an apron and held a wooden spoon.

Bob blinked. “I didn’t realize you and Dad would be back from your honeymoon so soon.” He scratched his head nervously. “We’d have, uh, cleaned up a little bit if we’d known --”

“It’s fine,” Shelley said. “I have to do my part in the household now too, right?” Her smile was a touch too bright. “Your dad told me you love homemade pizza.”

Scott opened his mouth to ask if she’d used their mother’s recipe, and Bob dug an elbow into his ribs.

“Yeah. We do. Uh...need one of us to set the table? Dad has regular chores for us when we’re off the road,” Bob said.

Again with the too-bright smile. “Nope. I got it. Our first big family dinner, after all.”

“Yeah,” Scott said, tone suspicious.

Bob backed away, tugged Scott with him. “We’ll go wash our hands.”

(237 words)