688 V2 ch160

Dad showed up after we got settled in our seats around the kitchen table. 

"Cookies before dinner?!" He said in mocked surprise. "Are you really their mother?"

Mom, who was holding a cookie herself looked a little guilty. "It's been a quiet week with all of them gone. Dessert before dinner is fun every once in awhile."

"We should have dessert as an appetizer every day!" Noah grinned as he bit into his second cookie already. 

Mom glared at him. 

"Ha. Ha. Just kidding..." Noah looked down at his cookie and mumbled. 

Dad looked at me. "How was it? Did you boys have fun?"

I nodded. 

"Did you show off your batting skills?" Dave asked. 

I nodded again. 

He laughed. "I bet they all hated you."

"That's not true!" Noah exclaimed. He looked at me and assured me that they didn't hate me. "Don't listen to him. The guys didn't hate you."

I hesitated. "Well...I think some of the guys on my team hated me."