Eric opened his eyes to the smell of bacon frying and buttery biscuits baking. For a second he pictured his Grandma Isabel standing over her antique, almond colored stove, waiting for him to join her for breakfast before he took the buckets of sweet feed to the horses and then got ready for school. He shook the image from his mind and slid from under his blankets. He slipped on a pair of black half slippers and followed his nose toward the kitchen. He stopped at the opening of the hallway to take in the scene, uncertain if he was awake or not. Mira stood in front of the window over the counter, laughing quietly as she watched Chip racing around the back yard barking happily as he chased squirrels into the trees. Her ebony hair looked like strands of polished onyx hanging below her narrow waist. Two thin braids draped from the sides of her forehead, joined in the back by a white clip. Her full lips were painted a shade of deep mauve to match her shirt and her ivory cheeks were brushed with a soft earthy brown. Long black lashes, glossed with thin coating of mascara brushed below her deep set sapphire eyes whenever she would blink. He almost forgot to breathe as he watched her smiling, the morning sun making her gem-like eyes shimmer and dance as it streamed through the glass. He stood leaning against the wall, gazing intently, for at least ten minutes until Chip came bounding back inside, causing Mira to turn her attention from the window. She shrieked and jumped backward, nearly tripping herself, when she noticed Eric standing there. “I thought you were still asleep” she gasped.

  “I got lost in some old memories” he lied. “It’s been a long time since I got up and found warm biscuits in the oven. I didn’t mean to startle you. The way you jumped, my bed head must be terrifying. Maybe I should have used the hair dryer before I went to sleep.”