THE BANKE BROTHERS ARE BASTARDS

Jack ran into the kitchen and tightly hugged his Aunt Amelia’s leg. Molly and Oliver followed closely behind.

Amelia reached for Jack and picked him up. He threw his arms around her neck and pushed his face into her cheeks.

Ethan followed his children into the kitchen. “He sure loves his auntie. Doesn’t he?”

“I guess so.” Amelia tickled Jack’s belly and kissed his neck. “Hmm. You smell so good.” She leaned him back and blew raspberries into his stomach.

“The kids love you. You’re their favorite aunt.” Ethan laughed. “It'd be nice if their other aunts also took an interest in them.”

“They probably realize Matt’s wife isn’t a kid person.”

“Okay, Amelia, so Lauren isn’t a kid person, but what about Eliza? She’s my sister too. Shouldn’t she take an interest in my kids?”

“Come on, Ethan. You can’t be serious. I think you can give Eliza a break. She gets a pass since she’s working on the other side of the world. It’s not like she can pop in for a visit. Maybe you should send her a thank you note for putting her life on the line for our country. I’m sure she’d like to be here to get to know her nieces and nephews better.”

“I’m her brother. She could send a text to me once in a while, ya know.” Ethan’s tone was defensive.

“You should try not to turn your communication with Eliza into a competition. She’s swamped with her job and hardly ever writes to me. I text her all the time—I don’t care if she can’t get back to me. I can hardly wait for her to come home so I can hang out with her. You should feel the same way.” Amelia leaned Jack backward and exposed his belly as she continued to tickle him.

“Yeah. Right. Well, you’re still their favorite aunt.” Ethan teased.

“You’re acting too nice. You must need something from me. What is it?” Amelia turned Jack upright, saddled him on her hip, and combed her fingers through his hair.

“I don’t need anything.” Ethan helped himself to a cup of coffee. He walked to the pantry and looked inside. “What? Why don’t you have any sugar?” He turned, scowled at his sister, and then stuck his head back in the pantry as he pushed items around, searching for a sugar container. “I’m glad my children love you so much. I have to leave them here for a while.” He kept his face hidden in the canned goods.

“And there it is! I knew you needed something. What’s your definition of a while?” Amelia took the sugar from the counter and moved it to the table behind her brother. “The sugar’s right here.”

“I’m sorry, my job makes me work on weekends. I have a client meeting in an hour, and I couldn’t find a babysitter. It might run into the early afternoon. I can’t bring them with me. Can you handle them?”

“Are you questioning my ability to handle your children, or are you asking me to babysit?”

“You know what I mean. I need your help. You’re always telling me you can help me out anytime. Are you able to help me today?”

“Ethan, I wish you would call me beforehand as I’ve asked you to do that a million times. It’s hard to be a spontaneous babysitter every weekend. Sometimes I need to work on Saturdays too, or I’m busy doing other things. What would you have done if I hadn’t been home? I don’t mind babysitting, and I love seeing the kids, but could you please just give me a little warning when you need help?”

“Amelia, what else are you doing today?” Ethan’s tone was demanding as well as insulting.

“Ethan, I find that offensive. I work hard, and I work all week. I do laundry, cleaning, shopping, and everything else working adults do on the weekend.”

Sylvie interrupted the siblings’ discussion when she entered the kitchen holding her new puppy. “Hi, Uncle Ethan. How’s it going?” She leaned down to show the puppy to her cousins. “Hey guys, say hi to Charlie.” Oliver and Molly ran to examine the little tan and white dog. “Be gentle when you touch him because he’s a baby.”