“No need to explain. Just don’t do it around me.”
“I know better. No woman wants to fall into the toilet in the middle of the night.”
“Eww,” Archer yelled. “Have you done that, Mom?”
“That’s my cue to leave. Have a wonderful day, boys.”
The minute she pulled out of the driveway, she asked herself why it was so hard to find something like that in her life and if it was even possible to get it.
13
GREAT AT EVERYTHING
“Oh my God,” Jayce said at the end of the day. “My body hurts.”
“It was so cool,” Archer said, carrying the last word until he ran out of breath. “I want to do it again. Do you think we can go this weekend with Mom?”
He wasn’t sure he could get off the damn couch where he had just flopped down.
Was he trying to show off for the kid who had his mother staring at his arms this morning? The one who was excited and encouraging him to go faster, climb higher, and do the next big course?
Yeah, he was.
He’d had no one look up to him before. But it wasn’t just that. He had a blast.
Not just doing the courses himself, but helping Archer through them.
The kid had some serious athletic ability and he hoped Farrah was honing in on it.
“We can ask,” he said. Though he hoped she said no. He might need a few weeks for him to not feel the muscles in his body he hadn’t known existed.
Even his fingers ached.
“Can I have a snack?”
“Sure,” he said. “We need to replenish.”
Four pancakes and chicken and waffles hadn’t filled the kid up. He was thinking Archerdidhave a hidden third leg he was storing food in.
He heaved himself up from the couch, bit back a groan, and felt a pop in his back.
He wasn’t old enough to feel this way.
“Can I have ice cream?” Archer asked.
“Do you have ice cream here?”
“I think so. If not can we go get some?”
He looked at his watch. “Your mom will be home in an hour and then start dinner, so not today. Maybe tomorrow.”
He opened the freezer, saw the carton of chocolate chip cookie dough in there and pulled it out.
“I want hot fudge too,” Archer said, opening the fridge.
Of course he did.
“Did you eat the last of the chocolate chip cookies?” he asked, looking for the container. “We could have had cookie sundaes.”
