Josh reached over and took Alanna’s hand in his as they drove east on Highway 192, a giddiness filling him as he headed for the party store in Melbourne. He had finally worn her down with all his talk about the upcoming Fourth of July celebration and everything he had planned, and she agreed to head to town to pick up some decorations for his festival. In the backseat sat Dimitri and Adira, who Alanna forced to join them as sort of a buffer for Josh’s enthusiasm. Or to keep him from going too far overboard, like he did at Halloween.
He wished she had left them back in Bull Creek, however, with Dimitri’s sour mood. She hoped by bringing them along, it would give Dimitri a chance to get past Maureen’s power play, but so far, all it did was give him an audience for his whining.
“I’m telling
