“Mom, me and Maddie’s chores are done. Can we go out in the woods. I found something cool I want to show her.”

  “Wait, you want to take Maddie?” Angie asked. “Okay you two what’s going on?”

  “Nothing, momma. I think I found some fossils and I know how much Madison like all that science stuff.”

  “Hm, sounds fishy to me.” Angie retorted.

  “No, it’s not fish, I think it may be a dinosaur fossil.”

  “That is not what I meant, and you know it, young man.” A rare smile flashed across Angie’s face. “You think you found an actual dinosaur fossil. Maybe I should come with y’all to verify your findings.”

  “You can if you want, but it’s pretty far out. It’ll take us at least thirty minutes to get there.” Ethan hoped she wouldn’t call his bluff.

  “So, just the two of you out by the pits?”

  “No, Noah is going too.”

  “What about Hanna and Chloe? Who will help me with them?”

  “We don’t plan on leaving till after breakfast and we will be back before lunch. I’ll help Madison make lunch when you get back. The little girls usually take a nap before lunch. There shouldn’t be much to do.”

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  Ethan could tell his mom was about to say no, she did not like the idea of her helper being gone and her having to watch the girls, but he had one more trick up his sleeve.

  “Oh, I almost forgot.” Ethan said as he was running out of the room heading back to his room.

  “Ethan, where are you going,” his mother yelled.

  “Just a second, Mom.” Ethan returned to the kitchen with a bouquet of flowers he picked on his way back home the day before. “These are for you. I saw them in the pits yesterday and picked them for you. Look it has your favorite.” Ethan pointed to the daffodils as he handed his mom the bouquet. “I’ll get you a jar to put them in,” Ethan said as he reached into the cabinet to pull out a mason jar.

  “Thank you, Ethan.” Angie started crying and left the room.

  “Does that mean I can go?” asked Madison.

  Ethan replied, “Let’s get cleaned up from breakfast and put the girls down for nap. When we are done, we will go ask again.” Ethan was confused why his mom had started crying. He had given her flowers plenty of time before and they always made her happy.

  “I don’t think mom likes your flowers, Ethan.”

  “I noticed. I’m not sure what’s going on.” Ethan racked his brain trying to remember what all flowers where in the bouquet. He was quite certain he had given his mom all the flowers in the bouquet before. The daffodils were her favorite, they reminded her of own grandmother, the bluebells he had used many times in the flowers he gave his mom. The only one he could remember if he had used before was the bleeding heart.

  “Well, I hope that doesn’t ruin our chances of going out. Are you really gonna help me make lunch?”

  “Of course, I am. I don’t really have a choice not that I’ve told momma I was going to.”

  “Do you even know how to cook? I’ve never seen you cook anything other than scrambled eggs, and last time you did that they looked horrible.”

  “Who do you think had to cook before you got tall enough to see over the stove?”