looked like he’d just
come home from work. Apparently, he worked all the time, because
today was Saturday, and he’d already put in some long hours during
the workweek, coming home after 7:00 p.m. every day.
Sandra stepped forward and
threw her thumb over her shoulder. “Go on in, Roscoe. Marissa is in
there already; you could keep her company.” The subtle shift in
Sandra’s tone had me looking at her with suspicion.
Roscoe’s eyes brightened.
“Really?”
Billy scowled. “What’s she
doing here? I thought she only worked during the week.”
“ She was training the
weekend nurse,” Elizabeth said, shimmying past my brothers on her
way to the kitchen. “We’ve invited her to stay for
dinner.”
Billy grumbled something
then turned, and walked down the hall toward the living room, but
Roscoe stood a little straighter, his eyes moving to the
den.
“ Go on in, handsome,”
Sandra said, giving him a little grin.
He nodded once then walked
past us to the door, tapping lightly before entering.
I watched Billy walk away, feeling a wistful
sense of regret. He made me feel a bit like a usurper, like I was
down here playing a role. Or maybe his frosty attitude toward me
magnified my own feelings on the subject.
I caught Sandra eyeing me up and down, so I
returned her assessing stare.
“ What?” I said.
“ What?” she
retorted.
I narrowed my eyes further
as we walked into the kitchen. “Want to tell me what’s going
on?”
Elizabeth was already
bustling about the kitchen, pulling out pots and pans and
vegetables.
“ Oh, nothing,” Sandra said
breezily, and I noticed she was rinsing the glasses with more vigor
than necessary. “By the way, did you see that you have a summer
garden in the backyard?” she continued. “I asked your mother about
it this morning during our one-on-one Sandra-and-Bethany coffee
time. She planted the seeds a few weeks ago, but forgot about it.
You have tomato plants, squash, lettuce, and green beans coming
up.”
“ Okay….”
“ Where’s the good Dr.
Runous? He’s been scarce these last few days.” Sandra’s topic
change gave me whiplash, and I blinked in confusion, trying to keep
up.
“ I…don’t know.”
“ You probably scared him
away.” Elizabeth’s eyes flickered to Sandra’s and her voice was
low. It sounded like a warning.
I’d definitely noticed
Drew’s absence. I’d seen him twice over the last three days and
only in passing when he, Jethro, Billy, and Roscoe returned from
some sort of exercise. They’d all walked in, hot and sweaty, both
times. Drew had stopped to talk with Momma for a bit, but then he’d
disappeared, and I’d been left with the image of a hot and sweaty
Drew imprinted on my brain.
I didn’t like that I’d
noticed how very, very nice Drew looked after a period of heavy
exertion. Therefore, I redoubled my efforts to push him from my
mind. I wasn’t in Tennessee to ogle Drew-flavored eye-candy. I was
here to take care of my mother. Besides, more and more—as he seemed
to be going out of his way to avoid me—I got the impression that he
had mixed feelings toward me as well.
Sandra nodded to confirm
Elizabeth’s warning. “You also have eight roosters,” she said, back
on the topic of random farm observations.
I blinked, startled by the
number, and—again—the new subject. “Eight? What do we need eight
roosters for?”
“ I don’t know. Bethany
said she was planning on butchering all of them but one, but never
got around to it. You really only need one rooster to keep the hens
in line, and the hens are strictly for laying eggs. Can you imagine
how frustrating it must be for all those roosters, hanging around,
crowing up a storm, picking fights with each other? I’m surprised
one of them hasn’t flown the coop. That’s why there’s that constant
ruckus outside. You need to eat some of those cocks before you end
up with a rooster situation.”
I blinked at her with a
deadpan expression, refusing to take
come home from work. Apparently, he worked all the time, because
today was Saturday, and he’d already put in some long hours during
the workweek, coming home after 7:00 p.m. every day.
Sandra stepped forward and
threw her thumb over her shoulder. “Go on in, Roscoe. Marissa is in
there already; you could keep her company.” The subtle shift in
Sandra’s tone had me looking at her with suspicion.
Roscoe’s eyes brightened.
“Really?”
Billy scowled. “What’s she
doing here? I thought she only worked during the week.”
“ She was training the
weekend nurse,” Elizabeth said, shimmying past my brothers on her
way to the kitchen. “We’ve invited her to stay for
dinner.”
Billy grumbled something
then turned, and walked down the hall toward the living room, but
Roscoe stood a little straighter, his eyes moving to the
den.
“ Go on in, handsome,”
Sandra said, giving him a little grin.
He nodded once then walked
past us to the door, tapping lightly before entering.
I watched Billy walk away, feeling a wistful
sense of regret. He made me feel a bit like a usurper, like I was
down here playing a role. Or maybe his frosty attitude toward me
magnified my own feelings on the subject.
I caught Sandra eyeing me up and down, so I
returned her assessing stare.
“ What?” I said.
“ What?” she
retorted.
I narrowed my eyes further
as we walked into the kitchen. “Want to tell me what’s going
on?”
Elizabeth was already
bustling about the kitchen, pulling out pots and pans and
vegetables.
“ Oh, nothing,” Sandra said
breezily, and I noticed she was rinsing the glasses with more vigor
than necessary. “By the way, did you see that you have a summer
garden in the backyard?” she continued. “I asked your mother about
it this morning during our one-on-one Sandra-and-Bethany coffee
time. She planted the seeds a few weeks ago, but forgot about it.
You have tomato plants, squash, lettuce, and green beans coming
up.”
“ Okay….”
“ Where’s the good Dr.
Runous? He’s been scarce these last few days.” Sandra’s topic
change gave me whiplash, and I blinked in confusion, trying to keep
up.
“ I…don’t know.”
“ You probably scared him
away.” Elizabeth’s eyes flickered to Sandra’s and her voice was
low. It sounded like a warning.
I’d definitely noticed
Drew’s absence. I’d seen him twice over the last three days and
only in passing when he, Jethro, Billy, and Roscoe returned from
some sort of exercise. They’d all walked in, hot and sweaty, both
times. Drew had stopped to talk with Momma for a bit, but then he’d
disappeared, and I’d been left with the image of a hot and sweaty
Drew imprinted on my brain.
I didn’t like that I’d
noticed how very, very nice Drew looked after a period of heavy
exertion. Therefore, I redoubled my efforts to push him from my
mind. I wasn’t in Tennessee to ogle Drew-flavored eye-candy. I was
here to take care of my mother. Besides, more and more—as he seemed
to be going out of his way to avoid me—I got the impression that he
had mixed feelings toward me as well.
Sandra nodded to confirm
Elizabeth’s warning. “You also have eight roosters,” she said, back
on the topic of random farm observations.
I blinked, startled by the
number, and—again—the new subject. “Eight? What do we need eight
roosters for?”
“ I don’t know. Bethany
said she was planning on butchering all of them but one, but never
got around to it. You really only need one rooster to keep the hens
in line, and the hens are strictly for laying eggs. Can you imagine
how frustrating it must be for all those roosters, hanging around,
crowing up a storm, picking fights with each other? I’m surprised
one of them hasn’t flown the coop. That’s why there’s that constant
ruckus outside. You need to eat some of those cocks before you end
up with a rooster situation.”
I blinked at her with a
deadpan expression, refusing to take
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