Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 71843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71843 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 359(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
I didn’t yell anything stupid to Wes, like “take care of him,” because why would he not? I didn’t know the man well, but Sam thought highly of him, so that told me who he was.
Watching the SUV roll backwards out of the driveway, I took a breath as Hannah and Kola were both suddenly there, close to me, my daughter leaning into my side, and my son with his arm draped around my shoulders.
“Okay,” I said after a moment, taking a breath. “We need to eat, and then you guys need to get to gaming.”
Hannah shook her head, smiling at me. “We decided to make it a board game night instead. It’s supposed to rain later, and you don’t want to be online if the weather messes with the power.”
I nodded.
Hannah went to talk to Kayden as Kola called Jake and Harper to help him get the candles to the basement.
“Excuse me, ladies,” Kola said softly, going to one end of the picnic table, Harper at the other, as Jake knelt to fiddle with sliding bolts underneath.
Anne and Heather leaned back, and Jake said, “Good,” and Harper and Kola lifted together as Jake ran to hold the door open.
“I can help you stack them downstairs,” Jeremy offered kindly.
“I would say yes,” Jake answered him, “but you know, because of everything, you can’t come in the house ’cause you don’t live here.”
“You don’t live here either,” Jeremy countered.
Jake shrugged. “I kinda do. I’ve been coming in and out of this house since I was four, five––” He leaned sideways to look at me. “Five?”
“Yes, five,” I clarified. He had started kindergarten at five, so had Harper. Kola was the only one who was four, being the autumn baby.
“Yeah, so I––”
“Jake!” Kola and Harper both yelled.
“Shit,” he gasped as he let the screen door bang shut. Seconds later he was back, leaning out the door, looking at me. “Sorry about saying shit.”
I waved at him dismissively as his name was yelled a second time.
Turning, I faced the two women now standing near the base of a picnic table and the connected benches.
“You’re welcome to stay and eat.”
“Oh no, Jory, we don’t want to intrude or––”
“No, really, we’d love it,” I said, because they were all very nice and the distraction of learning more about them would be helpful.
The boys were back with the top of the table, and Jake bolted it back into the base.
“This one is teal,” Anne said, smoothing her hand over the surface.
“Yeah, we have two,” Kola explained, his voice not like it had been, no longer warm, but tight now, clipped. “One out here and one in the basement. They both lock into either base, so that way we can just rotate them.”
“How clever.”
“My dad got tired of carrying a million candles up and down the stairs.”
“Well, I know you must be worried about him, but I’m sure he’ll be fine. He certainly looked like he could take on the world.”
He opened his mouth to say something, but he stopped himself, strode to the edge of the deck and put a hand down on the railing. Harper was there seconds later, slipping his hands around Kola’s hips, leaning from side to side until Kola met his gaze. He then started talking, his fingers curled into the belt loops of Kola’s shorts as my son nodded.
This was new.
Turning, I saw Hannah come up the stairs at the same time Jake turned. She looked at him forlornly, and he strode forward, swept her up in his arms, spun her until she laughed, and then hugged her tight. Her arms were around his neck as he bent close and spoke in her ear.
This was also new.
Kola went to finish the grilling, and Harper was right beside him. As the sides were prepared, Hannah had Jake with her to make sure everything went into serving bowls.
After we all ate, Anne, Brad, and Heather, and their kids, left us.
“I thought Kay came over to visit,” I said to Hannah as I washed dishes, Kola and Harper drying, Jake putting things away.
“Yeah,” she said with a sigh, “but I told him I wouldn’t be that great of company because of Dad, and I’m not up to showing him how to play Monopoly. I just want to do it, you know?”
“You wouldn’t have to teach anyone how to play if you played it like normal,” I pointed out, baiting her.
“Yeah, but regular Monopoly is a snore,” she said, grinning at me.
“Jeremy didn’t want to stay?” I asked Kola.
“What?”
“Jeremy?” I repeated. “It seemed like you guys were getting along.”
“But he couldn’t have come in the house,” Harper said quickly, shaking his head. “I mean, that wouldn’t have been any fun for him.”
“He and Kay will come over next weekend,” Kola told me. “They can bring their PCs and we can all play something together. I know Harp’s going to the cabin with his whole big extended family, and Jake and his dad are finally building a gazebo for his mom.”