Naughty Alysha -

Step three: The Acquisition. The drawer handle was cold brass. She pulled. It squeaked. Kevin didn't flinch. There it was: the red foil-wrapped orb of a dark chocolate cherry. The holy grail of after-dinner contraband.

Step two: The Approach. She tiptoed, not with stealth, but with the exaggerated cartoon sneak of a cat burglar in a silent film. She slid across the linoleum in her socked feet, a tiny wraith with a mission. naughty alysha

Her emergency was now. The babysitter, Kevin, was face-down in his phone, earbuds in, oblivious to the quiet apocalypse unfolding in the kitchen. Step three: The Acquisition