AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’ll come, but I’m not making any promises. Right now, I’m trying to get my shit together with this shit going on here.” He told her that his family was on her side, so she had nothing to worry about. “Yeah, says the man that has his shit together. Ivy told me you were a pessimist. You don’t seem to be.”
“I used to be, then I met some very wonderful people, and now I’m getting my shit together. And the best part is that I’m having fun being a stay-at-home dad, too. I’ve missed a great deal by working twenty-four/seven, and I’m learning to relax and enjoy life again.” She rolled her eyes, and he laughed. “I can read your mind, Georgie. And I can also tell that you don’t believe me. You’ll come to see that there are more important things in life than work.”
“Nah, it’s not the work that bothers me. It’s the being able to fill my belly that concerns me the most.”
Going back to the table, she noticed that Ange was gone, and there was a burger and fries being sat down in front of her. Ivy was eating the rest of the olives when her burger was sat in front of her. With her smiling at her, she had a feeling that she’d missed a great deal while talking to Hudson.
“No worries. It’s all taken care of. Ange is being arrested as we speak. Now eat. You look like a small breeze could knock you over.” George ate one of the still piping hot fries and decided that she wasn’t going to spoil her lunch with questions. All of a sudden, she was starving.
They talked mostly about her children. Even being the typical mom, she brought out her phone to show off pictures. George knew that she’d get around to telling her what had happened and wasn’t worried if she wasn’t. Things were beginning to look up for her. She just hoped that with her brother’s kids, she didn’t have another mess on her hands to deal with. It was too much stress.
Chapter 2
Ethan was wandering around the floor like he was hunting for eggs on a hunt. He was no longer taking notes, but that was all right with him. Lance had figured that by the time he tossed the pen out for lack of ink, he’d made notes on just about everything there was around. But it was his new building to be working in, and he didn’t doubt one bit that he was very excited to get started as he was.
He loved all his brothers, but it was Ethan that he was the closest to. Ethan had a way about him when he spoke to you that you had to remain on your toes with him or be confused. He could and would jump from subject to subject seamlessly and expect you to be able to keep up. Lance could and sometimes had to translate to his family as to what he was going on about if he was on a roll.
“I can’t believe that he’s going to prison. Do you?” Fifth time he’d answered this question about Abbott, and this time, he didn’t bother answering him. Lance didn’t know what he thought was going to happen to the man, but he and the rest of the family were surprised that he’d not gotten the chair for all the shit that he’d been up to. He did ask his brother when he started his new job as head of surgery. “I started yesterday. They’re backdating my pay to reflect all the times that I’ve had to step in where Abbott had fucked up. They’re even going to pay off the student loans that I have. Yesterday, did I tell you that my couch, and table, and chairs arrived? They look better than I remember.”
“That is a perk you didn’t tell me about.” He said that he’d been holding some things off until the family got together for dinner tonight. “I’ll act surprised.” Ethan laughed with him. “Did I tell you that Ivy has taken on the case against her friend, George somebody?”
“Georgeanne Rogers. I thought it was a guy, and Ivy got all over my ass about not asking but assuming. Her boss is going to prison as well. Georgeanne’s boss, not Ivy’s. When you work for the firm like she is, does she have a boss? Ange, the boss, was voiding contracts or something like that with all her workers and putting her name on the sales. Ange, what kind of name is that? Anyway, she’d be in for all kinds of fraud. I spoke to Hudson when he came by to bring one of the girls in for stitches. His second day on the job as daddy, and one of them gets hurt.”
“You didn’t say that to him, did you?” He asked his brother if he looked stupid. “No, but you’re awfully excited, and it might have slipped. What did she do anyway?”
“She was trying her best to out jump her sister. They were jumping from the couch to the cushions that they’d laid out on the floor. She missed. Hudson feels terrible about it, but Ivy told him that it happens with kids. He was just going to have to learn that you can’t take your eyes off of them for a second. She told him that she’d messed up once, too. That got him in a better mood. This is completely off-subject here, but did you happen to get anything done today? You told me yesterday that you were going to go and blow some more of those water globes. I had no idea what you meant until I heard David call out that theirs was empty. Do they really work?”
“Yes. You do remember science class, don’t you? Only so much water can be held in one place at a time? That’s how it works. When there is room in the dirt for more water, it releases it until it’s dried out again. I have lots of plants, and I use it on all of them. How much longer are you going to be here? I do have things to do, and I only came by to pick up some of the empty boxes to use for the family. Especially Hudson and Ivy’s home.”
“Yeah, I’m finished. When the boxes get emptied out, remember to call the recycling number I gave you for the hospital. They get a percentage of what they have crushed for the company that comes by and picks them up.” He said that Ivy had given him the phone number. “Great. What are you doing with all those boxes, anyway? You’re not planning on moving back home, are you? Christ, I hope not.”
“They’ve been going through the kids’ clothing that no longer fits them and are donating them. Everyone has some of their things because they would spend the night with us sometimes, and we have a great many of them because, as you know, we sell them in a huge garage sale to pay for Christmas. We feel like I’m paying it forward by doing it this way instead of selling, just donating them. Also, Hudson and I have to go in and clean out his office in the morning, and after being there for eleven years, he’s accumulated a great deal of things like best dad mugs and goofy pictures.” Ethan asked if he thought he’d have any trouble getting his things back. “No. I didn’t tell you, but when he gave his notice, it was just what the men that he worked for needed to close up shop. The fact that they’re letting us take whatever is left over is why I’m headed there tomorrow after the movers are all gone. So it’s all up for grabs. I’m going to take it all. Well, the stuff worth taking anyway and putting it in storage for anyone that needs it. Again, giving it away to new companies opening up and such. The law books, and there are plenty of them, are going to go into the local college to be used by students if they need them. If you have anything to get rid of, let me know and we’ll get what you want as well. Denver is going to make sure that whoever wants it can come and look the stuff over.”
Lance thought that was a great idea, but he wasn’t sure how it was going to work. His first thought was to take it and sell it all off as profit, just as his brother had. But that was poor and broke him. Denver was taking to having money around and ways to spend it a great deal better than he was. Last night, he’d caught himself darning his own socks so they’d last a few months longer. It didn’t stop him from finishing the job, but he decided to get some new socks for himself the next time he was in town.
They headed to the restaurant to pick up dinner. Another thing that he was getting used to was eating out a lot. Ethan and his family were celebrating tonight with their little family. He was celebrating tonight because, like his brothers, his new couches had arrived. He figured that he could break them in much like he knew everyone with new furniture did, spill some soy sauce on it. Laughing, he was taking his bags of food to his house when his cell started ringing. He didn’t get the opportunity to say a word before someone on the other end started talking a mile a minute.
“I know that you’re not the one that I need to be speaking to, but Ivy Tucker gave me your name as a new sponsor. I’m having some real issues right now, and if you’ll allow me just a little while to talk to you, I should feel a lot better.” He asked her if she was hungry. “I’m sorry. What?”
“Hungry? I’m assuming that this is Georgeanna…I don’t remember your last name, but I just came in the door with hot food, and I thought that I’d come and get you so we can talk face to face. Congratulations, by the way, on getting your boss fired.” She asked him who he was. “Lance Tucker. I don’t know whose number you should have been calling, but I’ve just spent two hours with my brother, and I’ll talk about anything other than him being head of surgery. I’m proud of him, so you know—Are you hungry?”
“Yes. What are you having? I might not like it.” He told her that everyone likes Chinese food. “Wrong. I don’t care for it.” He didn’t know what to say. She was truly the only person that he’d—“I’m joking. All right. Have you ever talked to a person that was a user before?”
“I have, as a matter of fact. Distraction is the best tool. I’ll come get you.” He told her what color and kind of car he drove. “That way, you won’t have to—never mind. I’ll be there in five minutes.”
Lance pulled up in front of the address he’d been given and watched as five big men, really big men, came walking toward his truck. He didn’t do anything but put the truck in park, put both front windows down, and waited. He didn’t think he did anything wrong, but who knew.
“You Lance Tucker? I’m going to have to see some ID.” The big man moved away from the driver-side window when shoved. He thought that the woman that had done the shoving was Georgie. “You didn’t even wait for me to check him out. He could be anyone.”
His passenger side door opened and closed when a woman, all he could tell with her back turned toward him, got inside. He did pull out his license and handed it to the man. He compared the picture to him.
“You know that you’re just making him right, don’t you? By allowing him to do this crap with me. Sammie has been protecting me since I was little. He seems to think that he’s the only person in the world that has my back. He usually is, but that doesn’t mean that I have to put up with him.” Lance got his license back and put it and his wallet away. “I’m starving. Are you going to sit here all night?”
“Thanks for protecting her.” He handed him his business card from the foundation. “If you need anything, let me know. That’s my personal number on the back if anything comes up after hours.”
They turned around right in the street and made their way back to his place. George didn’t say a word the entire time he was driving. When they got back to his place, pulling in front of the house instead of the garage, he let her have a look around.
“You must know my brother’s step-kids.” She still hadn’t looked at him, and he was all right with that for now. “I sometimes forget that the world is a much smaller place than I’d like for it to be. Ivy and I went to school together in Texas, and I moved here a few years ago. It was wonderful hooking up with her again. Hudson, too, seems like a nice guy. I don’t know if I’m able to take on the kids. I don’t have a very good track record on a lot of things, but one thing that I do have is a great deal of no confidence in myself or my fellow man.”
