The rain poured down so heavily that it was even starting to reach us in the covered deck. Elva dove to cover her precious coloring book pages.
“Everyone, inside!” Nicholas said.
We grabbed our things and hurried inside. I helped Elva with her crayons and coloring pages, careful not to get them any damper than they already were.
The moment we were inside, the storm truly began outside. Lightning struck and wind howled.
“So much for volleyball,” Jessica grumbled.
A particularly loud thunderclap made Elva jump. She cuddled closer to me, hugging my thigh.
As we were standing around there, watching the storm outside the windowed sliding glass door, Selma came out from the kitchen. When she saw us – or rather, when she saw Elva crying, she came forward, leaned down, and asked her, “How
