Page 52 of Her Big Bad Wolf

“You can toss one of those down to the pigs in the basement.”

“Would you stop calling them that, please? They’re just kids.”

“Kids who take all my food,” he grumbled.

I opened the door to the basement and yelled down.

“Boys, it’s dinner time. Come on up and wash your hands.”

No one came.

“See, they don’t want to come up, so just give them one and leave them down there.”

“It’s pizza,” I added.

Suddenly three sets of feet came racing up the stairs as fast as they could.

“Pizza?” Mason asked, licking his lips.

“Go clean up first.”

I didn’t miss the stench that assaulted my nostrils as they ran to the kitchen sink to wash their hands.

“They stink like pigs, too,” Isaac muttered.

“Food and then baths. Am I clear?”

“What if we refuse?” Noah asked.

“Then you don’t get pizza, just salad.”

“I like salad,” Cam said.

“But still, no bath, no pizza.”

“I like baths, too,” he added. “And pizza.”

“Take a seat.”

I set the pizza on the table and turned to ask Isaac where the plates were. Before the words were out of my mouth, the boys were grabbing slices and shoving them into their mouths. They were eating so fast that Cam choked on some cheese.

“Woah. Slow down and chew your food,” I told them, but they didn’t stop as they each ravished one piece and reached for another.

I grabbed the box away and held it out of reach so they would listen to me.

“We are not animals, certainly not pigs. Am I clear?”

“Yes, Ms. Vanessa,” they said in unison.

“Let’s prove to Mr. Isaac that we do know how to behave.”

“I was just so hungry, and it was so good,” Noah said.

“Yeah, and everyone knows if you don’t grab and scarf it, you’ll be hungry later when there’s none left,” Mason said.

“Or you get hit for sneaking food later,” Cam added.

“You were the one who set the whole pizza down. Normally we just get one slice between the three of us,” Mason told me.