CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND THREE – STUCK IN THE TREE

Jasmine's laughter at her sister-in-law's comical misadventure quickly turned to concern as she rushed closer to the base of the oak. "Claire? Claire, are you hurt?" "No, no I'm not hurt!" Claire called down, clinging tightly to the branch like a barnacle to a ship. "I've just...well, I seem to have gotten myself stuck up here!" Tears of mirth ran down Jasmine's cheeks as she tried valiantly to keep her giggles at bay. The sight of the normally poised, put-together Claire awkwardly straddling a branch 15 feet off the ground, leaves tangled in her hair, was just too much. "I'm so sorry, I shouldn't laugh," she gasped out between peals of laughter. "But you just look so...adorably pathetic up there!" Claire huffed out a defeated chuckle of her own. "Yeah, I probably deserve that after my overzealous attempts to play tree-climbing searchdog." She cautiously shifted positions, wincing as a twig jabbed her thigh. "Um, any chance you could call the fire department to give me a hand dow