The twins had taken over the sitting room.
Two large suitcases lay open on the floor, and the couch was buried under an avalanche of toys, clothes, books, and assorted items they had deemed essential for the trip. Lily stood before the pile with her hands on her hips, and Leo sat cross-legged beside her with his tablet in his lap and the whale propped against his knee.
"We need the swimming clothes," Lily announced as she pulled a brightly colored swimsuit from the pile. "Two each, so if one gets wet we have another one."
Leo typed: TWO IS GOOD.
"And the sun cream. The one that doesn't smell funky. And hats. Leo needs his hat."
I DON'T LIKE THE HAT.
"You have to wear it because the sun is very hot at the beach. Aunt Estella said so."
Aunt Estella, seated in the armchair with a cup of tea, nodded. "I did say so."
"We need books for when we're not swimming," Lily continued. "Maybe three books or four, but not too many because books are heavy."
