Austin loved his boys, and he loved that they liked to tell him about their day, but they sure were loud sometimes.
“You bought pudding!” Seven-year-old Cody jumped up and down hugging the pudding cups to his chest. “Can we have one tonight pleassse?”
“Please, Dad.” Dallas’s pleas joined his younger brother. He was two years older than Cody, but they were like peas in a pod.
There were a lot of things Austin couldn’t afford to give his kids, and he didn’t keep a lot of sweets in the house. But he made it a point to make sure they got dessert occasionally.
Leaning against the counter, he folded his arms. He pretended to glare at the boys while watching Savannah out of the corner of his eye. “That depends. Did you guys do your homework?”
“Yes,” they chorused, heads nodding, while Savvy gave a thumbs up.
“Did you do your chores?”
More nods and another thumbs up.
“Did you eat all your dinner?”
“Uh huh.”
“Were you good for Savvy?”
The nods this time were more hesitant, and Savvy waved her hand with the palm down in a so-so motion.
Even though the boys already knew he’d say yes, he leaned forward and stared them down. They stared back. They loved this game. He leaned a little closer and narrowed his eyes. They held his gaze, unblinking. His eyes began to burn, begging him to blink.
The boys were getting better at these staring contests. Pretty soon, they were going to beat him.
Cody blinked first. He groaned and rubbed his eyes, and Austin focused on Dallas’s hazel ones, so like his mother’s. Both boys got their mom’s copper-colored hair too. Savvy’s hair was lighter like Austin’s mom’s strawberry blond hair.
His thoughts turned to the pretty redhead he met tonight. Debbie had sparked something in him. An attraction he hadn’t felt in a long time. Not since he first fell in love with Cheyenne. Apparently, he had a thing for wealthy redheads. He resisted the urge to frown since his kids were watching him. The last thing he needed was to fall for another spoiled-rich female.
Austin’s eyes stung, and just when he was sure Dallas was about to give in, the punk smiled.
Could he see his dad wavering?
“Fine. You win,” Austin said, squeezing his eyes closed.
The smile that lit up Dallas’s face was worth admitting defeat. He was usually a serious child, so it was always nice to see him smile. The boys gave each other high fives and opened the pudding cups.
Austin heated the plate of food Savvy left in the fridge for him and joined the kids at the table. Macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets–one of his least favorite meals nowadays. His boys loved it, and it was a good staple to keep on hand to tide them over until payday, but he’d love a juicy steak or hamburger once in a while.
They’d eaten cheap meals like this for far too long, but he tried to keep things simple for Savannah’s sake. At sixteen, she carried a lot of responsibility, filling the role of mother to her younger brothers for the past five years.
He thumbed through the mail as he ate, spotting all the usual bills plus a statement from the hospital. He still owed six thousand dollars for Savvy’s emergency appendectomy last fall and Cody’s bout with pneumonia in December.
Thanks to Cheyenne maxing out not one but two credit cards before she left, he’d had to put the medical bills on a payment plan. He’d be paying them for some time still. He couldn’t wait for the day he was debt free. Then he’d be able to give his kids some of the things they wanted.
He sent the boys off to brush their teeth while he finished his dinner, then he joined them for a story and prayers. When he returned to the kitchen, Savvy had just finished her homework.
She pushed the laptop toward him, knowing he’d need it to pay bills. A pink paper fell to the table as she tucked her books into her backpack and deposited it near the front door. Returning to the table, she picked up the paper, chewed on the inside of her cheek for a moment before frowning, then turned and dropped it into the trash can.
“Hey, Savvy, what was that?” Austin asked.
“Nothing. It’s just some information about a summer art camp at Washington State University.”
“And you weren’t going to show it to me?”
“What’s the point? I know we can’t afford it, so…” She shrugged and started loading the dishwasher.
