Calder swiped his hat off his head. “I have training for this kind of thing.”
“I had ten years of gymnastics. I think my balance is better.”
A shadow moved across the ground, and I looked up to see Hayes. “Are they always like this?”
He rolled his eyes heavenward. “They fight like cats and dogs. I mean, don’t get me wrong, they would do anything for each other, but it’s a battle of wills every time they’re in the same room.”
“Hadley,” Calder growled as she did some sort of pirouette thing on the lip of the dumpster.
“Don’t mess around up there. You could hurt yourself,” Julia called.
Hadley’s expression tightened. “I guess I’ll just get down, then.” Instead of heading back for the ladder, she moved to the far end of the dumpster.
“What the hell—?”
Calder’s words cut off as Hadley hurled herself into the air, tucking neatly into a backflip. The air froze in my lungs as she rotated. She landed with a thud. But it wasn’t exactly clean, and she went from feet to butt pretty quickly, laughing.
“Are you kidding me right now?” Calder hurried over to her, but she waved him off.
“I’m fine. But I gotta work on that landing.”
Birdie rushed over. “I wanna try.”
Calder sent a look in Hadley’s direction that could’ve melted ice in Antarctica. But she wasn’t cowed. She simply got to her feet and took Birdie’s hand. “Why don’t we start with cartwheels?”
Calder’s glare didn’t leave Hadley’s back as he watched her walk away with his daughter in tow. Julia squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’ll have a word. She really shouldn’t be doing that kind of thing in front of the girls. Or at all.”
“Mom,” Hayes warned, “leave it.”
I watched as Hadley led Birdie over to a patch of grass that looked a little worse for wear. She demonstrated a cartwheel and then walked Birdie through it, spotting her as she went.
The sound of the girl’s giggle, carefree and light on the air, took me back.
“I can balance longer,” Addie said, her hair flipping upside down as she balanced on her hands.
“Nuh-uh. I can.” I kicked up into a handstand but wobbled until I fell over.
Addie collapsed next to me in a fit of giggles. “Told you.”
“I’m going again.” I kicked up harder this time, but my force was too great, and I went cascading into the fence. I cried out in pain as I crashed.
Addie rushed over. “What is it? What’d you hurt?”
I gripped my forearm. Pain sliced through it in hot waves as tears filled my eyes. “My arm.”
Mom appeared on the porch. “What’s going on, girls?”
“Evie hurt her arm,” Addie called, louder than she would’ve normally.
Mom started down the steps, hurrying across the drive. “Oh, baby girl. Show me where.”
I held up my arm, but as I lifted it, I cried out in pain.
“That’s okay. Try not to move it too much. I’m going to help you up, all right?”
I nodded, tears streaming down my face.
On the count of three, Mom helped me to my feet. The tears came faster and harder as we walked to the house. The steps groaned as we walked up them, and my mom hurried to hold the door.