Bailey's car to stand in front of Virginia's town home. Disappointment weighted his voice.
On the solo drive home, Virginia had steeled herself for his reaction, knowing her home would fall woefully short next to the allure of Shenoway. Still, she had to struggle to keep her voice cheerful. "This is it."
Bailey obviously heard the disparaging remark because he frowned at Chad when he walked up. "You haven't even seen it."
"Can't I stay at the farm with you?"
Bailey glanced at Ginny, then back to Chad. "I don't live at the farm, I have an apartment downtown."
Chad wheeled and headed back to Bailey's car. "Great, I'll stay there!"
Catching him by the shoulder with one arm, Bailey said, "No, you're staying here with Ginny."
"You don't want me to live with you?" The same hurt she felt colored her son's voice as he stared at Bailey.
"Sure I do..." Bailey began, then sighed. "Look, my apartment is no place for a kid to be, okay? Your mother and I agreed you'd be better off here."
"But when will I see you?" Chad whined.
Bailey looked to her for help.
"All the time," she said brightly, fighting her rising panic.
"When?" her son demanded.
"Tomorrow?" Bailey asked, his eyebrows raised for her confirmation.
She nodded, relieved.
"Tomorrow afternoon," Bailey continued, "we'll go shopping for things you need."
A spark of interest flashed in Chad's eyes. "A new bike?"
Again Bailey looked to Virginia.
"Sure," Virginia said, glad to be able to give the boy something he wanted.
"And a motorcycle?"
"Whoa," Bailey said, laughing, "we'll talk about that when you're older, okay?" He steered their son toward the front door.
The early evening air blew warm against her moist neck as she led the way into the house. Bailey brought up the rear, carrying Chad's duffel bag.
Chad circled the entryway and scanned the contents of the rooms with a telling frown. "Do you have a TV?"
She pointed into the living room. "In that cabinet. Why don't you turn it on and I'll get us all something to drink."
"I want a Coke," Chad said.
From behind, Bailey placed a hand on his shoulder. "But we'll take whatever you have, right, Chad?"
Chad worked his mouth and shrugged. "Whatever." He shuffled into the living room.
Bailey rolled his eyes heavenward, then set the duffel on the bottom step. Somehow she knew he would follow her into the kitchen, and he did. He walked to the refrigerator, opened the door, and bent over to rummage around, whistling under his breath. With hands on hips, she watched him with no small amount of amusement. Apart for eight years, back together for two days, and he'd hardly missed a beat. For a few seconds her perception of time dissolved. She half expected him to emerge wearing boxers and lifting a milk carton to his mouth.
He turned his head. "Hey, Ginny, do we have any—" He stopped and straightened.
She said nothing, eyebrows raised.
He laughed awkwardly. "That is, do you have any salsa?"
"Second shelf."
"Uh, right." He withdrew the jar, and glanced around the kitchen, looking sheepish.
"The bowls are over the sink, right cabinet."
"I assume you have chips."
"I'll get them," she offered with a wry smile.
Emptying the red sauce into a bowl, he said, "I didn't mean to come in and take over—"
"Yes, you did," she said, but then laughed and added, "I'll let it slide." With having to maneuver around Bailey, her neat kitchen suddenly seemed cluttered and close. She put the iced drinks and a platter of chips on a tray, then headed toward the living room, feeling Bailey uncomfortably close at her heels.
At the doorway of the living room she came up short, and Bailey jostled her from behind.
"What—" Bailey's sentence ended when he saw the scene of the movie Chad was watching. A half-clothed man and woman were making love against a wall, their moans reverberating from the stereo speakers. Bailey strode over and snatched the channel changer, finding a nature documentary in two clicks.
"Hey!" Chad yelled. "I was
On the solo drive home, Virginia had steeled herself for his reaction, knowing her home would fall woefully short next to the allure of Shenoway. Still, she had to struggle to keep her voice cheerful. "This is it."
Bailey obviously heard the disparaging remark because he frowned at Chad when he walked up. "You haven't even seen it."
"Can't I stay at the farm with you?"
Bailey glanced at Ginny, then back to Chad. "I don't live at the farm, I have an apartment downtown."
Chad wheeled and headed back to Bailey's car. "Great, I'll stay there!"
Catching him by the shoulder with one arm, Bailey said, "No, you're staying here with Ginny."
"You don't want me to live with you?" The same hurt she felt colored her son's voice as he stared at Bailey.
"Sure I do..." Bailey began, then sighed. "Look, my apartment is no place for a kid to be, okay? Your mother and I agreed you'd be better off here."
"But when will I see you?" Chad whined.
Bailey looked to her for help.
"All the time," she said brightly, fighting her rising panic.
"When?" her son demanded.
"Tomorrow?" Bailey asked, his eyebrows raised for her confirmation.
She nodded, relieved.
"Tomorrow afternoon," Bailey continued, "we'll go shopping for things you need."
A spark of interest flashed in Chad's eyes. "A new bike?"
Again Bailey looked to Virginia.
"Sure," Virginia said, glad to be able to give the boy something he wanted.
"And a motorcycle?"
"Whoa," Bailey said, laughing, "we'll talk about that when you're older, okay?" He steered their son toward the front door.
The early evening air blew warm against her moist neck as she led the way into the house. Bailey brought up the rear, carrying Chad's duffel bag.
Chad circled the entryway and scanned the contents of the rooms with a telling frown. "Do you have a TV?"
She pointed into the living room. "In that cabinet. Why don't you turn it on and I'll get us all something to drink."
"I want a Coke," Chad said.
From behind, Bailey placed a hand on his shoulder. "But we'll take whatever you have, right, Chad?"
Chad worked his mouth and shrugged. "Whatever." He shuffled into the living room.
Bailey rolled his eyes heavenward, then set the duffel on the bottom step. Somehow she knew he would follow her into the kitchen, and he did. He walked to the refrigerator, opened the door, and bent over to rummage around, whistling under his breath. With hands on hips, she watched him with no small amount of amusement. Apart for eight years, back together for two days, and he'd hardly missed a beat. For a few seconds her perception of time dissolved. She half expected him to emerge wearing boxers and lifting a milk carton to his mouth.
He turned his head. "Hey, Ginny, do we have any—" He stopped and straightened.
She said nothing, eyebrows raised.
He laughed awkwardly. "That is, do you have any salsa?"
"Second shelf."
"Uh, right." He withdrew the jar, and glanced around the kitchen, looking sheepish.
"The bowls are over the sink, right cabinet."
"I assume you have chips."
"I'll get them," she offered with a wry smile.
Emptying the red sauce into a bowl, he said, "I didn't mean to come in and take over—"
"Yes, you did," she said, but then laughed and added, "I'll let it slide." With having to maneuver around Bailey, her neat kitchen suddenly seemed cluttered and close. She put the iced drinks and a platter of chips on a tray, then headed toward the living room, feeling Bailey uncomfortably close at her heels.
At the doorway of the living room she came up short, and Bailey jostled her from behind.
"What—" Bailey's sentence ended when he saw the scene of the movie Chad was watching. A half-clothed man and woman were making love against a wall, their moans reverberating from the stereo speakers. Bailey strode over and snatched the channel changer, finding a nature documentary in two clicks.
"Hey!" Chad yelled. "I was
Similar Books
