“Yeah, sure,” he said, checking his messages.
Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it, I reminded myself. Luke and Charlie were waiting.
Luke was still visibly angry as he sat in the driver’s seat. I put my hand on his arm. “That’s Charlie’s dad,” I reminded him softly, and he nodded. It wasn’t any good to make Charlie feel worse about having Mike as a father.
Luke picked up my arm, and laid it across his chest. His fingers skimmed the bandage he had wrapped himself the night before. “Does this hurt?”
I shrugged. “Not too much. It’s my left arm. I can carry my tray with my right instead.”
He looked at me, shocked. “You can’t go back there!”
“I work there,” I said quietly. “I’m going to miss a ton of time at the NGS next week getting Cassie to her chemo. I can’t quit Roy’s.” I swallowed. “Nicholas Barnes is not allowed back in. I’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, Nick Barnes.” He let go of my arm, and clamped both hands on the wheel.
“Hey.” He didn’t turn. “Hey!” Luke glanced at me, face taut. “I’m fine. I fell, but it was an accident. I was upset but,” I took a breath, “you were there, so I’m ok.” I admitted it.
“Put yourself in my place.” Luke adjusted his hands, squeezing the wheel. “What would you do if someone hurt me? Or Charlie?”
“I would find that person and eviscerate him with my bare hands.”
Luke let go of his death grip on the steering wheel. “Now we understand each other.” He took my hand and held it to his chest. “I’m not going to hurt him, but I want to.”
“Emmy, I’m really hungry. Did you bring a snack?” Charlie chimed from the back seat.
I turned and smiled at him. “Try to hang on for a few more miles. By the way, just another note about last night: your sister is a menace behind the wheel,” I mentioned to Luke.
“Is she really that bad?”
“Let her take you out for a spin,” I urged. “But put on a motion-sickness patch first.”
Luke insisted on walking us into the NGS, then kissed me full on the mouth. Martha’s eyes almost bugged out of her head. “I’ll pick you up later to take you to Roy’s,” he told me.
“Well, well, well,” Martha said, the second Luke left. “Looks like you have been keeping a little something close to the vest! Frankie and Charlie, head out over to the playground. I’m ready to hear you dish, honey!”
Martha fussed over my arm when she saw the bandage, but I didn’t tell her how it had happened. Just an accident. She drove me home after my shift, and she and Charlie put together an overnight bag so he could have a sleepover with Frankie. The kitchen cupboards were still bare, and Mike was gone. I crossed my fingers that he had actually headed to Costco, but it was a long-shot. Cassie was lying in bed, listlessly thumbing through library magazines.
“Hey,” I greeted her. “How are you feeling? Have you eaten today?”
She turned another page, then responded, “I’m not hungry.”
I set down a stack of new magazines and books we had checked out for her. “Where’s Mike?”
“Out.”
I huffed impatiently. “I can see that. I asked him to get us some groceries this morning.”
“Why can’t you do it?” Cassie asked me. “Isn’t that your job?”
That made me mad. “You mean, because I work at the NGS, or because I’m the responsible adult around here?” I responded, trying to keep my voice even.
“You do work at that horrible grocery store.” she said angrily, now sitting up and slapping the magazine shut. “I mean, why would you stick him with the shopping?”
“It’s cheaper to go to Costco. And it doesn’t seem like he’s so busy that he can’t get some food. He has eaten us out of house and home. And he has the only car around here.”
“He has it when you don’t take it. You know, I’m really sick of the way you’re treating Mike. You’re driving him away!” she snapped.
“What?” I was amazed. “You think I’m trying to make him leave? I’ve gone out of my way to be nice to him. He took my room and I didn’t even yell at him, for goodness sake!”
