Free The Best Laid Plans by Amy Vastine

attention was due to the birth of Becca and Candice, the twins. They were five years older than Charlie and the sisters with whom he got along the best.
    “Did you forget that Kristin declared she would not talk to me until I apologized for throwing popcorn at her the day after Christmas?”
    The memory of his sisters fighting over what movie to watch and Kristin packing up and leaving in the middle of the night came rushing back. Grown-ups could sure act like children sometimes. “Why is our family so messed up?”
    There was more yelling from Mandy’s end. Someone was crying. Mandy didn’t bother to cover the phone as she shouted at the kids to knock it off or she’d sit them on the curb with a “free to a good home” sign.
    “Some of us are completely normal,” she said as if none of that had happened. Charlie laughed. Mandy’s life was anything but normal. She had two boys from her first marriage, two stepsons and a daughter. With all those kids running amok, her house was in constant chaos.
    “Yeah, I’ve managed to keep the crazy at bay. You, on the other hand...”
    “What are you talking about? I am one of the few sane ones.”
    “Whatever you say, Carol Brady. Please tell the kids they can come live with their uncle Charlie if their mean mom kicks them out.”
    “Don’t tempt me to drop them on your doorstep, little brother, because I can and I will. I can be there in forty-five minutes, give or take a few, depending on traffic.”
    Mandy was the only sister to settle down in the Chicago area. The rest of them were sprinkled all over the country. Kristin lived in Indianapolis with her husband and three teenage boys. Becca and her husband were just outside Denver, and Candice had married a millionaire stockbroker and lived with him and their two children in a condo overlooking Central Park in New York City.
    They’d all managed to make plans to come to Chicago for their dad’s retirement celebration. Given the drama that was destined to come in with them, Charlie wondered if he shouldn’t have suggested sending their parents on a relaxing vacation in the Bahamas instead of throwing a party.
    “When I talked to Kristin two days ago, she was absolutely coming.”
    “Is she bringing the boys? Because that will be a factor in where she stays.”
    Charlie tried not to let all the questions annoy him. “I don’t know. I didn’t know I was supposed to ask.”
    “Dad will be disappointed if all the grandkids aren’t here.”
    “Her boys have gotten so big. She’ll need to take two cars.”
    “The woman has a minivan. There’s always room in a minivan,” Mandy informed him. “I manage to fit my five kids, the dog, a bag of soccer balls and two more kids when it’s my turn in the carpool for soccer practice. Those things hold more than you can imagine.”
    There would come a day when Charlie would know the “joys” of parenthood. Even after witnessing some of his nieces’ and nephews’ most insane temper tantrums, he still wanted a big family of his own. It made him wonder how Emma felt about kids. He’d have to find a way to work it into his conversation with her later today. She seemed to enjoy hanging out with her nephew and was so good with him. She had excellent motherly instincts.
    Charlie promised to text Kristin and find out who all was coming to the party. He’d leave the dirty work to his mom, though. She was the only one who could convince Kristin to behave despite her feud with Mandy. His mother should have a degree in psychology. She was a master at the guilt trip.
    He hung up with Mandy and accepted there was no going back to sleep. He had a date to get ready for, anyway. His whiskers tickled his palms as he rubbed his face. A shower and shave were definitely on the agenda. He didn’t want to show up at the Triple C looking like Max. No one wanted to date a guy who looked like her sister’s husband.
    Charlie spent the rest of the morning doing a little internet research on