MAX PELTED his way to his sister's room, his miniature Hummer Jeep under one arm and an eager Squid scampering behind. "Hi, Nora!" Nora's expression sparkled. "Hi, Maxie!" Max leaped onto her bed as well as Squid. "I was thinking... Since it's a no-school day, how about we do something much more fun." Nora and Max were supposed to be at school but due to a routine inspection of the fire alarms and sprinkler system, the school administration had declared the school closed for a day. And all of the students and teachers were instructed, the day before, to remain home while the contractors worked on the safety systems. "Like what?" Nora asked in excitement. "Hmm... Like playing outside the house." His eyes glowed, equally as excited. "Let's go to the neighborhood playground." Nora's face scrunched up in an expression of skepticism. "Uh... I don't know, Maxie," she drawled, lifting a shoulder. "The neighborhood playground is just not my thing. Besides, we hav

WITH A deep breath, Doris prepared herself for what was sure to be an adventure. For the first time, she was about to take an eight-year-old shopping, not just for clothes, but for an experience that would help her find confidence in her own style. It was a daunting task, but one she felt was worth the effort. She had to strike the perfect balance between letting the girl choose what she liked and guiding her towards pieces that would flatter her figure and make her feel like a million bucks. It was time to put her fashion expertise to the test. She had brought Nora to Evelyn Rodriguez's boutiques. 'Cause yeah, her best friend's line was THE BEST. Doris had become something of a connoisseur of her best friend's boutiques. She'd been to all of them back in Paris. Every single one. And that wasn't an exaggeration. She'd spent many an afternoon exploring her stores in Paris, and she'd become enchanted by the impeccable attention to detail and the bold yet sophisticated

BRAD'S OFFICE door sprang open with no warning. "Dad! Why did you scold Doris for what happened to me?" Nora demanded as she surged towards him. "How could you? So you're the reason she didn't come for dinner." Brad raised his head from his laptop to glance at his little lady seething and scowling intensely at him. He sighed heavily. "How did you find out?" He murmured impassively. "Maxie told me. He overheard you yelling at her. But that isn't important right now!" Nora launched at him with an anger she could not conceal. "Dad! You're not being nice to Doris and I don't like it!" "Sweetie. . .?" "Don't sweetie me," Nora retorted, lifting her hand. "If you keep this up, I'm going park my things, leave this house, and go live with her." Brad dwindled his eyes, glanced left, right, and then back at her. "Her house is just next door." "Exactly!" She said instantly. "So I wouldn't even need anyone driving me there." "Honey, it's not nice to threaten people," h

IS EVERYONE READY TO HAVE SOME FUN?! Doris singsonged loudly. "YAY!" The kids shouted from the back seat, bouncing on their butts. Nora and Matt were seated at the back along with their new friends: Ethan, and his little sister, Laura. "Where did you say we are going again?" Brad asked from the passenger's seat of the car. "I'm not telling," Doris said. His curiosity was cute, but if she told him that, he would be so offended. Ever since she'd told him to clear his schedule for this day, he'd asked her where they were going with every single opportunity he got. And she'd given him the same answer still. "You'll know when we get there," Doris added flippantly. Brad insisted. "Can you not just tell me?" "And ruin the whole fun? Absolutely not. It's a surprise, Brad!" Doris said, getting excited by just the thought of it. "I hate surprises," Brad grumbled under his breath. "Well, this day isn't about you, Brad!" She replied in a sassy rejoinder. "Right, Ma

THE NEXT day afternoon, NORA COULDN'T stop tossing and turning on her bed. She couldn't sleep, she couldn't do her home projects, she couldn't even count to ten without getting distracted. She just couldn't shake off the feeling of acknowledgment that was buzzing inside her. She needed to talk to someone. Nora straightened abruptly from her bed and reached for the walkie-talkie she and Max shared. The walkie-talkie was one of the many presents Max had gotten on his birthday which they'd turned into their personal medium of communication. And they took practicing their walkie-talkie lingo seriously. Like, VERY SERIOUSLY. "Alpha-Two-Zero, this is Bravo-One-One. Are you on the horn? Over!" Nora spoke into the walkie-talkie impatiently. When she didn't get a response in five seconds, she pressed the PTT button again. "I repeat, Alpha-Two-Zero, are you on the rubber duck? Over!" She had the click from the other end and then Max's voice followed, "Loud and clear, Bravo-O