Rob laughed. "Yes, it is."
After lunch, their waitress brought over a slice of mint chocolate chip pie that had mesmerized Danny a little while ago. Danny was about to take a little bit on his fork when he stopped and looked at Rob and Julian, neither of whom got any pie. "Wanna bite?" Danny asked them.
Rob gave him a big smile. "Not me, but thank you for offering."
Julian said no as well. "You go ahead and enjoy."
"It's a kid pie," Danny concluded as he started eating in a clumsy way. The spoon Julian substituted for his fork was held in his fist, so he got pie on his nose and chin and one cheek. Julian wiped him a few times but his face just wouldn't stay clean.
In a corner behind them, there was some kind of video game. Rob didn't pay much attention to it until a group of kids went over and huddled around it. Suddenly the kids all yelled, and Danny got startled. He huddled against Julian and buried his face in the crook of his arm.
As he held on to him and stroked his hair, Julian told him. "It's OK."
"It's just some kids. They're playing a video game," Rob told him.
That made Danny perk up, and he craned his neck to try and see. Julian kept his arm around him anyway. He was so protective.
Stepping outside the diner, Rob pulled his arms over his head, stretching and enjoying the mix of cool air and sunshine. Eyes on him, Danny then lifted his arms and stretched too.
"That was a good lunch. Thank you for treating me," Rob said to Danny and Julian.
"You're welcome," Julian said to him.
At the car, Rob stopped Julian before he could take a seat behind the wheel. "Let's switch. Let me drive the rest of the way. You sit in the back with Danny. What do you say?" Rob put out his hand for the keys, and Julian handed them over.
"Thank you," he said and got in the back with his little brother.
"Rob is driving," Danny said, seeing him at the wheel. "You know where to go?" Maybe having Rob drive them made him uneasy.
"The GPS and your brother will tell me which way to go," Rob told him. "Like this, your big brother gets to sit with you, so you guys can have fun together."
Danny gave Julian a small smile. They drove on past the yellowed stalks of a cornfield and Julian pointed out various landmarks to Danny and also helped Rob navigate.
As they got close, Julian told both him and Danny. "We're going to see a hill soon. First there will be a sign that says Peach Tree Hill. Then we'll see the hill with all the peach trees. That's how we'll know we're almost there."
A hill came into view, just like Julian said. One side of it was yellow and orange with dry leaves on what must have been the peach trees. The other side of the hill sloped down covered with yellowing grass. Julian pointed toward the grassy side of the hill and told him to go that way.
"So we're going up the hill," Rob said as he followed the road that meandered up the hillside.
"We are. The house is on the western slope. Turn here," Julian said.
That's where Rob saw a sign that read "Private Road. Authorized Vehicles Only." There was a gate but it stood open.
"Mrs. York got the place ready before she left for her trip. She's the orchard attendant. She keeps the tourists in line, and she also takes care of the house. The house is at the end of this road," Julian told them.
And what a house. The driveway circled around and they parked in front of what could only be called a mansion. The windows were tall and narrow and covered with heavy, wooden shutters. Wide front steps led to a big front door under a portico. Rob couldn't believe he would be living there.
He was busy taking it all in, but he still noticed that Julian was subdued. He only looked at the house briefly then turned away to unbuckle Danny from his car seat. Julian put on a more cheerful face for him, but his dark eyes were still troubled. This wasn't a happy homecoming for him.
