Lacey came bursting through the door, with two toe-headed girls in tow. One was obviously around Lacey's age, but a little taller, and the other appeared to be about 8.
"This is Jessica and Avery, Kate!" she had a light in her eyes I hadn't seen in months.
We're going to play here for a while if thats okay with you?"
"Sure, hon, when do they have to be home...?" they were already gone, pounding up the stairs.
I heard an exclamation, as they went into her room.
"Oh, Gosh" said one of the girls, "can't even get away from them at someone elses house!"
She must have been referring to the poster in Laceys room, I hadn't even noticed she had it until the other day after I had looked at their pictures on the album. I still didn't think they looked like that in person

After making a few phone calls to settle details for a job I had this next week. I heard footsteps on the stairs,
"Kate, we're hungry" came Laceys voice, I looked up and saw them all perched across the railing. I smiled to myself, it was really nice to see Lacey with friends her own age.
"Well, come on down and lets raid the fridge." I headed toward the kitchen with the trio close behind.

While we were all sitting at the table snacking on assorted items we had found, the doorbell rang. Getting up to answer it, I found the middle boy at the door. I never noticed how blue his eyes were before.
"Hey, I need to bring my sisters home, it's getting close to dinner"
"Oops", I thought to myself, I guess I just ruined their dinner...
"Umm, come on in, we were just snacking, I hope I didn't ruin their dinner" I looked at him as we walked in the kitchen.
"Are you kidding, they eat as much as us--you can never fill a Hanson up.." he laughed
As we went into the kitchen, all three girls groaned, although Laceys came out with a stifled grin.
"We don't wanna.." started Jessica
"go home" ended Avery, "we were just having fun!"
"Not my decision" Taylor said shaking his head, "Mom sent me and said that dinner will be ready in a half hour.
I cleared the mess on the table, and the girls ran out to go get thier projects they had been working on.I went into the living room and sat down motioning for Taylor to do the same.
"They make take a bit to get their mess cleared up" .....
I heard a shout ..
"Hey Taylor, come here...." the end was muffled and the I heard laughing and a door slamming.
Taylor started to get up,
"You don't need to go up there, they're just messing around." I told him knowing full well they were teasing her about the poster..
They were all headed down the stairs at that point, and Taylor got up to head for the door, he paused as he saw the album sitting on top of the stereo. He smiled and picked it up.
"So you have it, huh?" he held it up in my direction. I blushed a little,
"Lacey borrowed it from one of her school friends, I hadn't heard a full album before, so she brought for me to listen to. ...You guys did a great job, it's really amazing". I smiled, then realizing there were three other sets of eye on me as well.
"Thanks!" He smiled brightly, you could tell how proud he was.
"Ok, girls lets go"
"See you again soon", I said as they walked out the door.

As soon as the door shut, Lacey's mouth was going a thousand miles an hour...
"They are so nice!, oh my gosh, Taylor Hanson was in my house, I was so embarrassed, they were going to show him my poster, when can they come over again?" she was fairly bursting at the seams, she was going to have a hard time sleeping tonight.
"Go take a bath, we'll have a late dinner since we just snacked" I laughed and swatted her as she ran up the stairs.
I settled back down on the sofa, singing to myself...'if your e-ver lon-ly, you can call on me'....then I smiled realizing what I was singing.

Chapter 22

I couldn't wait to go home and let Ike find out where I had been. A small smirk crept up on my face while trying to figure out the best way to spring the news on him. When my mom told me to go get the girls, I wondered if she had lost her touch, normally she would have sought Ike out to do a task like this.

"Hey Ike" I said to him, as I walked in the room.
"I was just looking for you a minute ago, mom wouldn't tell me where you were, she just said you'd be right back" Ike turned around in his chair and looked at me quizzically.
"Oh, I just went...tokatestogetthegirls" I ran all the words together, to get a reaction out of him.
"Wha-What?" he stuttered.
"Yeah, mom sent me to get the girls, I went inside , talked with her....."
"--and?" his eyes were big, waiting for me to finish.
"she has the CD, she listened to it, said it was really good" I said, and Ikes smile went to a huge grin.
"Did you get a look around?" he was now up and out of his chair.
"I can't believe mom sent you, "
"Yeah, well, not any big deal--she sure seems nice.though"

Ike was pacing when I left the room, hopping down the stairs, I rounded the corner into the kitchen. There stood my mom.
"Did you tell him?" she asked, smiling.
"Ha,yeah" I laughed "He just about had a cow--she had our new CD, cool, huh?"
"Why'd you send me instead of him?" I said looking at her from behind the refrigerator door.
" I just wanted him to wake up and smell the coffee--he wants to get to know her, but he's denying it, hiding it" she looked almost concerned.
"Well, he's hiding it from you guys, It's all Zac and I hear--Kate this, Kate that-- I don't even want to know what's in his journal" I started to walk out of the kitchen, but her voice stopped me.
"So how old do you think she is?"
"Not sure, but she sure doesn't look very old, she could easily pass for my age" I said shaking my head.
"Zac and I are working on a plan though, we're not sure how much more of his muttering and spying we can take."

Chapter 23

I stayed up thinking late the nite before, well actually I couldn't sleep. This girl was getting to me, and I was going to have to just do something about it.
I woke up the next morning late, and realized I had missed her departure to school that day, but if I hurried, I could catch her coming back. Throwing on sweats, I ran downstairs and flew into the kitchen. She should be coming back any second, I surmised.

Minutes passed, and she wasn't coming, then I noticed that the blue car was missing.
"Shoot, I missed her" I thought to myself as I sauntered in the living room. I had thought I heard my mom talking to someone else besides the kids, and my dad wasn't there. I was right, Mom was with the cable guy, and Zac was watching patiently, I had forgotton, that the box wasn't working the nite before. At that moment, he got up and turned the set on.
"There, all fixed," Zac jumped with glee and flew onto the couch.
"No T.V till school is finished" mom prompted Zac. Then he turned around, it was Kate's mystery man, Rob!
The tag on his shirt confirmed it. Okay so he's the cable guy, what else? I thought to myself.
"Oh hey" he held his hand out
"You live here?, didn't realize you were so close--Ike right?"
"Yeah, um, just across the street--she can probably hear us practice everyday" His face turned to recognition.
"Hey, you are those guys Lacey listens to..sorry if I don't know the name, I'm not very up on music"
"Hanson" I told him. "Tay and Zac met her on the street the other day, said she was really nice."
"Wow, you probably made her day, she always tries to play her CD's for me--she really likes the music"
He was smiling now, he always looked so serious.
"You know, I worry about Kate and Lacey, do me a favor and keep an eye on them and the house for me?"
Zac snorted a laugh and walked out of the room. I looked at my mom and saw that she was hiding a smile too. I was desperately trying to figure out a way to find out who he was before he left.
"I see her out with Lacey alot, walking to and from school everyday" I shot my mom a look that insinuated silence on her part.
"She seems like a smart woman, she shouldn't have any problems taking care of her and Lacey" I walked over to where he was looking out the window at her house.
"Well, if you had sisters, you'd know why I worry" he chuckled.
"AHHHHHHHHHHHH" my brain woke up--the realization now hit me, if I had looked closely, they looked just like each other.
"Oh, I have just a few sisters" I laughed out loud.
"Oh, you have sisters too?" he questioned "How many?"
"Three" I replied. "Jess and Avie played with Lacey yesterday. I heard they had a really good time.
"Oh, man and I thought I had it hard with two!" he said shaking his head.
" You have another sister beside Kate?" I asked, wondering why I never saw her around the house. His face looked confused.
"Yeah,--Lacey?" he said as sort of a question, comment. I was so glad the cable box broke, I could almost cheer. Lacey and Kate were sisters!!!!
"What about Lacey?", Taylor said walking into the room. His face registered confusion as to why Rob was in the living room, then he realized and looked at me.
"Oh, this is Rob, Kate and Laceys brother......" I looked pointedly at him, motioning toward Rob.
"Oh, hey, nice to meet you, I'm Taylor"
"How many more of you are there?", he laughed straining his neck toward the hall "Three boys, three girls, any more hiding?"
Taylor laughed, we were used to this.
"Yeah, one more boy, Mac. He's younger though"
"Wow, seven kids, Lacey should have fun in this house, she's always complaing she has no one to play with. Well I gotta get movin', Full day ahead." He nodded and picked up his clipboard, heading out the door.

As the door shut, I felt all the eyes in the room on me.
"They're sisters!" I exclaimed quietly, since Rob wasn't all the way back to his truck yet.
"I wonder where their parents are?" my mom joined my little pow-wow with Taylor."Why she is raising Lacey?"
I felt like I had surge in confidence now, I had a few answers to questions, but now another popped up.
"Now, I wonder how old she really is" I said to Taylor with a smirk. "She could be as young as me..." My voice trailed off as I headed up to get dressed for the day. Moments later I heard a knock on my door,
"Ike, could I have you run to the market for me before you start your work this morning?" I was in such a good mood, I would have gone to the dump if she asked.
"Sure, just write me a list, and be specific this time, I'm not a mind reader." Last time I had gone for her, half of what I brought home was wrong.

chapter 24

After dropping Lacey at school that morning, I headed on to the grocery store. I had driven, because I needed to stock the house, it seemed we were out of everything. I picked my way through the isles, and rounded the corner with my cart, just about running the guy standing at in the magazine section over.
"Oh, sorry, S'cuse me" he turned towards me and I realized it was Ike. My heart skipped a beat.
"Wow, you're out early this morning," I said to him just to have something to say.
"My mom sent me, I got sidetracked", he held up a guitar magazine. His smile was bigger, and he was more relaxed than he'd seemed before. I noticed that he had braces on his bottom teeth, but not on top.
There was a short silence.
"Well, I guess I'd better get my mom's stuff and get home" he put down the magazine he was reading and then picked it back up and put it in his basket. I wanted to talk to him more.
"Your sisters came over to play with Lacey yesterday." I said, as a ploy to make conversation." I'd like to have them back again soon, Lacey had a really good time."
"My mom was thrilled that they had a friend to play with, they don't have anyone else in the neighborhood to play with, and were gone so much, It's hard for them to make friends, they tend to just play with each other mostly." It was obvious to me now that he was the singer of that song, his voice sounded similar when he talked.
"Taylor said you had the new CD" if I didn't know better, I would think he wanted to stay and talk also.
"Yeah, wow, I was really impressed--you guys did a great job!" His smile brighted too, just like Taylor's had when I told him. Ike's was much warmer though.
"Thanks, Thanks alot, you hear it alot, but it means alot more somehow, when it comes from someone you know--sort of.." He pulled his cap down closer to his eyes as another person stopped to look through the magazine rack.
"Well, I gotta get goin, they're going to think I died" he walked along side my cart as we made our way down the isle. He pulled the list from his pocket, scanned it, I could tell he wanted to say something more....
"What's for lunch today?" he peered into my cart.
"Lunch is usually a boring affair for me, I just eat whatever is in the fridg.., I'm always experimenting with new recipes and stuff for the business, so there's always something around" I always eat pretty healthy, but Lacey and I had a bad addiction to Ho-ho's, I was praying he didn't see them hiding under all the better food.
"So you like to cook" his voice pulled me from my Ho-Ho thoughts.
"Uh-yeah, I'd better, since I cater for a living..."
"With as busy as we are, that's something I've never learned to do, left it all to my mom--I'd like to learn someday, though" he looked at his watch quickly, then fairly jumped.
"Ah-man, I'm busted...I have to get this stuff and get going"..with that, he was off around the corner of the next isle with a slight wave.

Chapter 25

Walking through the door at home, I was greeted with my mom looking at me with a smile. The smile seemed devious, however, it was Taylors 'I know somthing you don't know smile'. What was up her sleeve?
"What took you so long, I was beginning to think you fell in..." the smirk got bigger.
"If I didn't know any better, I'd think you had no need for any of this unusual assortment of items I was sent to get!?" I had caught on to her,
"How'd you know she'd be there?" now I had the smirk too.
""Caught in the act," she turned around shaking her head."Taylor saw her putting the glass milk bottles and grocery bags in the car when she was leaving this morning before you got up" she had such a triumphant. look on her face as she described her ploy.
"He was the one who suggested I send you to the store, he said you were upset I didn't send you to get the girls last nite."
"Was not!" I mutterd--how dare Taylor betray me to mom!
"Sooooo?" she was looking at me waiting for me to say what had happened.
So, nothing, I ran into her in the store, we chatted for a few minutes, and went on our merry way" I left the kitchen in a flurry to grab my books and get on with my day.

Days turned to a week, and as I passed in the front door, late in the afternoon, the doorbell rang, and I yanked it open scaring the person behing it half to death. It was Lacey, I guess she had braved the security system by herself.
"HH-Hi, is Jessica or Avery here?" she had a slight blush of pink on her cheeks, Taylor was right, she did look just like Kate.
"Come on in..." I said pulling the door open further, she started in and at that moment Taylor and Zac burst out of the garage door that was right next to where I was standing, making me jump.
"Jeez, Zac, give us a heart attack!" I glanced over at Lacey, she looked like she was trying to act normal, but we had been around so many fans, we all knew better.
"Breath, Lacey" Zac gave her an all to hard whack on the back and almost knocked her over. That just about sent her over the edge, but she was doing a good job.
"Jess and Avie are in the kitchen" I directed her through the dining room door toward the kitchen.
We waited until she had entered the kitchen.
"She did a pretty good job holding it together, I'm proud of her!" whispered Zac "Now you wanna go have some fun?" Zac and his fan-antics. We all followed him towards the kitchen.
She looked up at me as we entered the kitchen, and then at Taylor and Zac. She went back to what she was saying to Jessie. "Poor Zac" I thought, he wasn't going to be able to get anything out of her. She was as calm and collected as her sister.