“But that means,” Hailey noted, “that Erin’s an orphan now.”
“Yes,” her father replied, “and that’s why we wanted to talk with you. Erin is going to be living with us.”
For the second time in as many minutes, Hailey was startled. She’d wanted a sister for a while and her parents knew it. She wouldn’t let her parents forget it a few years ago. Now that she was older she had accepted that she would be an only child. But this was good news for her. A cousin wasn’t quite the same as a sister, but it would be cool to have another girl in the house, no matter what the circumstances. She realized that excitement would be inappropriate, though, so she masked her enthusiasm as she asked, “She’s my age, isn’t she?”