“If I would have accepted your invitation to stay overnight,” Kayla asks with interest, “where would I have slept?”

E

lla’s room is large, bigger than any of their bedrooms, but with the high riser’s second bed pulled out and two extra mattresses on the floor, it’s starting to feel crowded.

“If I would have accepted your invitation to stay overnight,” Kayla asks with interest, “where would I have slept?”

“Oh, we would have figured it out,” Ella says easily.

“When there’s room in the heart…” Tzippy sings out. She’s sitting cross-legged on the floor, holding her head very still while Shoshana irons her curls.

Kayla looks confused. “Are you referring to the heart, as in the cardiovascular muscle, or something else?”

Mimi has an urge to laugh, but Shoshana, bless her, explains what Tzippy meant, and Kayla nods seriously.

“In any case, I will have to leave shortly, in order to have sufficient sleep,” Kayla tells them. “And you should, too. At our age, research shows that it’s necessary to have eight to ten hours of sleep per night.”

“Eight to ten!” Tzippy sounds horrified. “I mean, that’s like double what I get!”

“That isn’t safe,” Kayla informs her. “Having too little sleep leads to health complications such as—”

“Can you tell us after tonight?” Ella asks, with a mock groan.

Kayla stares at her. “I don’t really see the point of that.”

“Time for a change of subject,” Shoshana says.

Kayla looks at her watch briefly, and shrugs.