"Now that was delicious!"
"Thank you," Ginny's mother said, smiling at Michael. She turned to the twins and added, "I'm so glad you all decided to come for dinner."
"Us too," Heidi said, and then frowned slightly and added, "Sorry again about being late. We were having so much fun that we lost track of the time."
"That's okay," the minister's wife said. "I'm just happy Samuel and Sadie got a chance to meet some of Ginny's friends."
Hillary noticed that Ginny's was blushing and smiled to herself. She found it hard not to laugh outright at the expression on Samuel's face. He didn't seem all that happy they were there despite his aunt's words.
"I won't be able to eat for days!" Michael moaned as he rubbed his belly, causing everyone to laugh.
The conversation drifted from topic to topic for a time. Hillary watched and smiled. The minister and his wife were actually very good hosts. They made sure no one felt left out without forcing everyone to actually participate in the conversation. That wasn't an easy skill to come by.
"Michael, you can't possible be reaching for another piece of pie?" Hillary cried as she noticed her cousin doing exactly that.
"But it's so good!" he replied. Everyone laughed again.
They finished dinner and ended up playing charades for a while. It was a corny game, but everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. The twins ended up winning despite fierce competition from the minister and his wife.
"Don't feel bad," Hillary and Heidi's father said to his friends as he took his wife's hand. "It's the twins thing."
"We haven't been able to beat them in years," their mother added. "Sometimes it's like they can read each other's minds."
"Oh well," the minister said good-naturedly. "We'll get them next time!"
"Yes dear," his wife said with a slight smile, and then whispered loudly to the twins' mother, "For a minister, he's awfully competitive!" There was laughter from a number of the people, but none louder than the minister's.
The conversation continued as the 'adults' had something to drink. Hillary noticed that Michael and Sadie kept glancing at each other. Samuel noticed it as well and didn't look happy. Ginny's eyes occasionally met Hillary's and each time the twin smiled and nodded, causing the minister's daughter to quickly look away.
"I have an idea," Hillary said suddenly. "We haven't taken Michael camping up on Harkem Ridge yet and since it's such a beautiful night, why don't we go now?"
"Now?" her mother asked.
"Not everyone," Hillary grinned. "Just us 'kids'."
"Don't you think it's a little late to plan a camping trip?" her father asked.
"No!" Heidi answered for her sister. "We've already eaten. All we have to do is grab the tents, some clothes and go!"
"And maybe something for breakfast," Michael put in, but then quickly added when he received some odd looks, "I'm not hungry now! But the morning is a long way away!"
"You can't blame them," the minister sighed. "It is a beautiful night." The twin's parents waffled and Hillary smiled to herself.
"We were hoping that Ginny, Samuel and Sadie would come with us," she added. "That would give you 'adults' a night without the 'kids' around."
"That sounds like fun," Ginny said tentatively, meeting Hillary's gaze. The twin just smiled. The minister's daughter quickly looked away and added, "That's if Samuel and Sadie would like to go?"
"I don't think..." Samuel began, but Sadie surprised many of them when she interrupted.
"I want to go!" she said. "I've never been camping before." Samuel frowned.
"It will be fun," Heidi said, drawing his attention to her. After the altercation earlier in the day, Samuel didn't much like Hillary and certainly not Michael, but Heidi was another story altogether. She looked directly at him and added, "We have two tents. We can do boys in one and girls in the other, or maybe you and your kin in one."
Hillary fought back a smile as Samuel looked around and considered. She realized that the thought of being in a tent with his sister and cousin excited him. Poor Samuel. It was pretty obvious to Hillary that at least subconsciously he wanted his sister and probably his cousin as well.
"Thanks, but no," he finally said, causing Hillary to lose her smile. "I'm not one for camping."
"Well, I'm going," Sadie said firmly.
"No you're not!" Samuel barked.
"Samuel, don't be silly," his mother said with a frown. "Sadie can go with them if she wants."
"But mother..." he began.
"In fact, it will probably do her good to get some time away from the rest of the family," his mother interjected. Hillary looked at Samuel and Sadie's mother and realized that the woman was at least subconsciously aware of her son's fixation with his sister.
"I'm not sure..." Sadie's father began, but his wife cut him off.
"Ginny will be there," she said. "And so will the twins and Michael. They're all good kids. I say let her go." Her husband frowned, but didn't want to argue in front of everyone.
"Thanks, mom!" Sadie said, smiling.
"Well, in that case we better start packing," Ginny said, quickly leaving the table and taking Sadie with her.
"We'll meet back here in an hour," Hillary said. "Heidi, come with me to help finish the packing." Her twin nodded and stood.
They went home and packed in record time. They even stopped to pick up some beer and wine coolers. They only arrived ten minutes late.
"We ready?" Michael asked. All the girls nodded.
"Michael, are you sure you want to go up there with all these girls?" Sadie's father asked. Michael shrugged, not sure what to say.
"Of course he does!" Hillary quickly put in. "Poor Michael is a city slicker. He's been dying to go camping all summer!" Michael smiled in thanks at his cousin.
"Samuel, why don't you go with them?" the preacher's brother asked his son. Samuel shook his head.
"I don't want to go," he insisted. "And I still think it's a mistake for Sadie to go."
"Nonsense!" his mother put in. "You kids go and have fun!"
The trip up took about an hour. Michael drove. Hillary sat in the front with him. Heidi, Ginny and Sadie were in the back. The twins spent the time talking about some of their other camping trips. They had some funny stories.
"We're here," Michael said once they arrived. "Let's go find a place to set up camp." There was an awful lot of stuff in the trunk despite the fact that they were only staying the night. Everyone carried something and none of it was particularly light. Poor Michael carried more than his share.
"How about here?" Michael asked when they passed one likely spot.
"No," Hillary said. "I have a place in mind. You'll love it!"
"If my arms don't fall off before we get there!" Michael grumbled, causing the girls to laugh.
"Quit your whining," Heidi grinned. She noticed that Sadie was walking close to Michael and Ginny was still giving her twin the eye. Heidi's smile faded. This might be an interesting night, but she was beginning to feel like a fifth wheel. Then again, she knew for a fact that both Hillary and Michael were willing to share. Her smile returned.
"We're almost there," Hillary put in. They arrived a few minutes later. The campsite she picked was a bit off the normal trails, but it was a beautiful spot. They set up and got a fire started, which was a good thing because the night was turning surprisingly cold considering how hot it was during the day.
