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"I don't care what he is." Lachlan still struggled with the dog. "Can someone help me with Scout?"

Military training kicked in. Grab the objective, secure the perimeter. The dog's collar was warm under my fingers. Scout immediately sat, tongue out, tail wagging.

"Of course he listens to you." Bonnie shook her head. "Amber, please help your brother fix the robot."

"No." Those crossed arms didn't budge. "He hasn't done any of the work. He was supposed to unpack the kit the school provided and inventory all the parts, and he didn't. He was supposed to test the battery connections, and he didn't. Why should I do everything?"

"Because it's due Monday," Bonnie said.

"I don't care."

"You're cutting off your nose to spite your face."

"I don't care."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

Lachlan picked up the robot's detached arm. "I checked over the parts! I even put some of it together!"

"You did it wrong, I had to fix it.”

"The robot works fine now!"

"It waves backwards!" Amber’s voice rose an octave.

"Kids." Jase stepped forward.

"And you." Amber turned on her father like a tiny prosecutor. "You said you'd help us last weekend, but then Mr. Clark called and you went to help him with his deck."

"That was an emergency."

"Staining a deck is not an emergency." Bonnie's voice stayed quiet but carried weight.

"It’s important to stain it right after it’s built, otherwise the sun will fade it."

"Dave was already helping him."

My hand stayed on Scout's collar while my cousin's household management crumbled. Twenty years of leading SEAL teams, useless against nine-year-old twins and a broken robot.

"Look." Bonnie took a deep breath, closed her eyes, opened them. "Code just got here. The house is a disaster. We have no food prepared. And this project needs to get done. So here's what's going to happen. Jase, you're taking Code to Maverick's for a snack. Kids, you're going to work together on that robot, and if I hear one more argument, nobody's getting screen time for a week."

"But Mom—" both kids started.

"One. Week."

They exchanged glances. Robot. Mother. Robot again.

"Fine," Amber muttered.

"Fine," Lachlan echoed.

"Good. Jase, go. Now. Before something else breaks."

Jase grabbed his keys. "Come on, let's get you a beer and some food."

Scout launched himself at the robot the second my grip loosened, but Lachlan managed to intercept this time.