“I make a bad mom, but I can pull off a crazy aunt.”

“I'm a substitute mom.""You're more like a crazy aunt who only gets called when somebody needs bailing out of jail.”

“This it the hand that slapped Aunt B, here you can touch it since you're my best friend”

“Shave that jaw, brush that hair, tone down the crazy in the eyes, and he would have to fight women off with that crossbow.”

“William leaned forward and pointed at the river. “I don’t know why you rolled in spaghetti sauce,” he said in a confidential voice. “I don’t really care. But that water over there won’t hurt you. Try washing it off.”She stuck her tongue out.“Maybe after you’re clean,” he said.Her eyes widened. She stared at him for a long moment. A little crazy spark lit up in her dark irises.She raised her finger, licked it, and rubbed some dirt off her forehead.Now what?The girl showed him her stained finger and reached toward him slowly, aiming for his face.“No,” William said. “Bad hobo.”

“Yes I can,” Curran snarled. “Listen: this is me telling you what you will not do.”I raised the cookbook and tapped him on the nose. Bad cat.”

“A rolled-up newspaper landed on my head and then on Jim’s. “None of that in my house!”Oh my gods. The alpha of Clan Cat just got smacked with a rolled-up newspaper. “Mom!”She pointed at me with the newspaper. “Do not shame me.”I clamped my mouth shut. When she pulled out the shame card, it was all over.”