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list.”
    â€œOkay,” Zinnie said. She sat there awkwardly for a minute before she realized that Marigold was waiting for her to write stuff down. “Oh,” she said, tapping her laptop awake. Last year in school she had learned how to use a slide show presentation program, and she’d gotten pretty good at it. Mr. Herrera, her fifth-grade teacher, told her he thought she had a real talent for presentations. She opened a new project and wrote on the first slide: “July Options for Silver Sisters.”
    â€œWe could get Grammy to stay with us,” Marigold said. “It would be easy and convenient.”
    â€œEasy and convenient,” Zinnie repeated as she typed, then added the sparkle dust effect, so that the words would appear as if sprinkled there by a very accurate fairy. “Also, we would be spending quality time with Grammy, which is good because she’s so old.”
    â€œYeah, that’s good,” Marigold said. “Write that. Now for option two.” Marigold began as Zinnie dutifully opened a fresh slide, her fingers poised above the keyboard in anticipation of Marigold’s next idea.“Um, let’s see here, we could stay with friends. Right? I mean, why not?”
    â€œGot it,” Zinnie said, switching fonts to “jaunty Milan,” her favorite. “Because . . . ,” Zinnie prompted, anxious to add bullet points that could speed in like rockets.
    â€œBecause it would be fun for us and . . . it would save them the cost of the plane tickets! Yeah, write that. Save money.”
    â€œOkay,” Zinnie said after she’d typed “save money” and added rockets with flaming tails. “We need another. Mr. Herrera says three is the magic number.”
    â€œHmm,” Marigold said, taking a seat on Zinnie’s bed.
    Lily wandered in, carrying Benny, whose nose had all but disappeared. She believed rubbing his nose brought good luck, though no one was sure how she’d decided this. “What are you doing?” she asked.
    â€œWell,” Marigold said, and lifted Lily onto her lap, “we’re thinking of ways we can stay here for the three weeks Mom and Dad will be gone, instead of going to Pruet.”
    â€œMaybe Berta’s mommy can come stay with us,” Lily said. “And Berta will be in charge of all of us.”
    â€œHey,” Zinnie said as she searched images on her computer to find a good backdrop for the final slide, “that’s actually a great idea.”
    â€œIt is?” Lily asked, smiling.
    â€œYes, it is,” Marigold said, and kissed her head, taking a good long whiff of her golden, fruity-scented curls while she was at it. “Because it’s realistic.”
    Zinnie typed it in, then consulted her sisters on the final image. “What do you guys think? Chairs on a beach or a tropical waterfall?”
    â€œCan I make something on the computer now?” Lily asked.
    â€œThis is my computer,” Zinnie said, deciding on the waterfall and clicking it into place. “You can use Mom’s.”
    â€œBut Mom’s computer doesn’t have this game,” Lily said. She reached over and touched the keyboard, accidentally erasing the last slide.
    â€œLily, stop,” Zinnie said. She sighed and clicked Undo until the waterfall reappeared.
    â€œNot fair.” Lily pouted. “I want a turn.”
    â€œDon’t yell at her, Zinnie,” Marigold said, and scooped Lily up.
    â€œYou would kill me if I touched your computer, Marigold,” Zinnie said. “But if Lily does something annoying, you don’t care. No one ever gets mad at Lily.”
    â€œBecause Lily’s so cute and little,” Marigold said.
    â€œI’m not little,” Lily said. “I’m big.”
    â€œHurry up, Zinnie,” Marigold said. “I want to get Mom while she’s in the bathtub.”
    â€œGood point,” Zinnie said, saving her work