run over by a car,” Steven pointed out.
“An accident! Haven’t you ever had an accident?”
“Dad—”
“What have the two of you been doing in here—conspiring?” Lou laughed, not even noticing their guilty expressions. “Meanwhile, I was wheeler-dealering. And managing just fine, I might add. I told that boy I’d pay him thirty-five dollars per week and not a penny more.”
He jutted his chin and continued to glower at them for a moment. Then, he turned and thumped back out to the living room.
Grace and Steven slumped in their chairs, frowning in confusion. So while grumbling about Dominic’s demands, Lou had actually offered Dominic more than the kid had asked for.
Maybe his math skills were just faltering.
Grace wondered if there was really a situation at all, or if she was just blowing things out of proportion. “Lots of people make lists,” she said, trying to reconsider.
“And forget things,” Steven agreed.
“It’s probably all . . .” She searched for the right words.
“Much ado about nothing,” he finished for her.
“Exactly.”
They both sat in silence for a moment.
“I’ll talk to him,” he said, getting up. “And I’ll call Dr. Allen and see if we can get him in for a checkup ASAP.”
She stood and smiled at him gratefully. “Thank you!” He endured another of her hugs. “I’m sorry about everything, Steven. About you and Denise, I mean.”
“Don’t be.” He sniffed, and then squared his shoulders. “It’s losing my practice that’s the blow.” But his effort to keep a stiff upper lip was defeated by a sad sigh. “I really loved our imaging equipment.”
9
I F I H AD A NYWHERE E LSE TO G O , I’ D B E T HERE A LREADY
A fter a morning of sitting in her bare room, Jordan was so bored she resorted to going downstairs. She went to the kitchen, foraged until she found the only thing to eat with sugar in it, then breezed into the living room. Unfortunately, Lily was in the comfy chair with the ottoman, reading some book that was thick enough to be an encyclopedia.
On closer inspection, it was an encyclopedia, from their dad’s old set.
Jordan let out a sigh and flopped into the chair opposite, sitting in it sideways so that her knees crooked around the armrest.
Lily glanced up briefly, scrunched her lips, and went back to reading.
“Good book?” Jordan asked her.
Except for a nearly imperceptible shrug, Lily ignored her.
“I know M was always my favorite,” Jordan said. “So much more absorbing than F-G, or” she snorted—“ C! That one is such a bore.”
“Ha. Ha.”
Jordan exhaled on a long slow breath. “You know, you could probably look up anything in there on your computer. Then you wouldn’t have to lug a ginormous book around.”
“I like lugging books around.” Lily peered at her through her glasses. “Are you eating cake icing?” She squinted at the tub in Jordan’s hands. Her face pinched in disgust. “You are!”
“It was the only thing I could find with chocolate in it.” As Lily’s face froze in a scrunch, Jordan said, “I’ve seen you eat cake icing.”
“On cakes . Not spooning it out like it was ice cream! That’s revolting.”
Jordan scooped up an extra large dollop and stuffed it in her mouth. It was sort of revolting. “I’d go to the store to get a Kit-Kat or something, but I’m broke.”
“What about all the money you made selling everything?”
“It’s . . . in a place where I can’t touch it.”
Her sister looked at her mistrustfully. Jordan foresaw a significant portion of Lily’s life today being spent trying to figure out where all the money had gone.
Lily went back to reading. Or seemed to. A few seconds later, she asked, “Didn’t Dad send you money while you were at Granny Kate and Pop Pop’s? I thought he said he gave you enough for the whole summer.”
Lily was a repository for details like that. She could tell you how much people got for their allowance at what age, and what
“An accident! Haven’t you ever had an accident?”
“Dad—”
“What have the two of you been doing in here—conspiring?” Lou laughed, not even noticing their guilty expressions. “Meanwhile, I was wheeler-dealering. And managing just fine, I might add. I told that boy I’d pay him thirty-five dollars per week and not a penny more.”
He jutted his chin and continued to glower at them for a moment. Then, he turned and thumped back out to the living room.
Grace and Steven slumped in their chairs, frowning in confusion. So while grumbling about Dominic’s demands, Lou had actually offered Dominic more than the kid had asked for.
Maybe his math skills were just faltering.
Grace wondered if there was really a situation at all, or if she was just blowing things out of proportion. “Lots of people make lists,” she said, trying to reconsider.
“And forget things,” Steven agreed.
“It’s probably all . . .” She searched for the right words.
“Much ado about nothing,” he finished for her.
“Exactly.”
They both sat in silence for a moment.
“I’ll talk to him,” he said, getting up. “And I’ll call Dr. Allen and see if we can get him in for a checkup ASAP.”
She stood and smiled at him gratefully. “Thank you!” He endured another of her hugs. “I’m sorry about everything, Steven. About you and Denise, I mean.”
“Don’t be.” He sniffed, and then squared his shoulders. “It’s losing my practice that’s the blow.” But his effort to keep a stiff upper lip was defeated by a sad sigh. “I really loved our imaging equipment.”
9
I F I H AD A NYWHERE E LSE TO G O , I’ D B E T HERE A LREADY
A fter a morning of sitting in her bare room, Jordan was so bored she resorted to going downstairs. She went to the kitchen, foraged until she found the only thing to eat with sugar in it, then breezed into the living room. Unfortunately, Lily was in the comfy chair with the ottoman, reading some book that was thick enough to be an encyclopedia.
On closer inspection, it was an encyclopedia, from their dad’s old set.
Jordan let out a sigh and flopped into the chair opposite, sitting in it sideways so that her knees crooked around the armrest.
Lily glanced up briefly, scrunched her lips, and went back to reading.
“Good book?” Jordan asked her.
Except for a nearly imperceptible shrug, Lily ignored her.
“I know M was always my favorite,” Jordan said. “So much more absorbing than F-G, or” she snorted—“ C! That one is such a bore.”
“Ha. Ha.”
Jordan exhaled on a long slow breath. “You know, you could probably look up anything in there on your computer. Then you wouldn’t have to lug a ginormous book around.”
“I like lugging books around.” Lily peered at her through her glasses. “Are you eating cake icing?” She squinted at the tub in Jordan’s hands. Her face pinched in disgust. “You are!”
“It was the only thing I could find with chocolate in it.” As Lily’s face froze in a scrunch, Jordan said, “I’ve seen you eat cake icing.”
“On cakes . Not spooning it out like it was ice cream! That’s revolting.”
Jordan scooped up an extra large dollop and stuffed it in her mouth. It was sort of revolting. “I’d go to the store to get a Kit-Kat or something, but I’m broke.”
“What about all the money you made selling everything?”
“It’s . . . in a place where I can’t touch it.”
Her sister looked at her mistrustfully. Jordan foresaw a significant portion of Lily’s life today being spent trying to figure out where all the money had gone.
Lily went back to reading. Or seemed to. A few seconds later, she asked, “Didn’t Dad send you money while you were at Granny Kate and Pop Pop’s? I thought he said he gave you enough for the whole summer.”
Lily was a repository for details like that. She could tell you how much people got for their allowance at what age, and what
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