Chapter 17
All morning Rob had been taking down the Halloween decorations, and the whole time he had hardly seen Julian. He didn't even show for lunch. Now Julian was busy in his office, and Rob and Danny were in the library reading and watching Mitch working on the shutters. When Mitch opened a window, the cold draft sent something flying off a shelf. It was the paper plane made from the green paper that Rob had given Danny when they first met. Danny jumped up off the floor and chased after it.
"Better make sure Lenny doesn't get to the green plane first," Rob warned him. Lenny was already showing an interest in it before Danny picked it up.
"He did want to eat it," Danny confirmed then he told Lenny why the plane was special. "Rob gave me the paper, and Julian made the plane for me." He stood on his tiptoes and placed the green plane on the shelf on top of some smaller books.
It was sweet that the paper plane was so important to him, but that just made Rob think about having to leave. He was really dumb to have gotten so attached to Danny and Julian so fast. And last night... He had to stop thinking about that or he would drive himself crazy.
Rico had gone to pick up Sammy from preschool, and he brought her over to the house. She ran into the library with her backpack bouncing.
"Hi, Danny. Hi, Lenny. Hi, Rob," she said as Rico helped her off with her backpack. Then she ran off to hug her dad.
Julian came out of his office, and she greeted him too. "Hi, Danny's big brother," she said.
"You can call him Jules," Rico told her.
"No, but you can call me Julian," he told her.
"Is she babysitting?" Rob asked and Sammy's eyes went wide.
"Yes!" She jumped in place eagerly and shared the news with Danny. "I'm babysitting you."
Danny didn't object. "OK."
Rico pointed an accusing finger at Rob, "You did that. You. There is no stopping her now."
Sammy now turned to Julian and Rob. The look in her blue eyes dared them to challenge her authority. Then she got to it. "I have a letters game with pictures," Sammy said as she opened a box she pulled out of her purple, butterfly book bag along with paper and colored pencils.
"I know letters," Danny said.
"Me too. I'm in preschool," Sammy bragged. "We can teach Lenny too."
"But don't let him eat the letters. I was playing with this, but Lenny tried to eat it." Danny went to the shelf to get the paper plane. He brought it over and showed Sammy his treasure. Danny made it fly and Sammy was impressed. This time Danny was quick to grab it before Lenny could get to it.
"I want to fold an airplane, but I forgot how," Sammy said, looking up at Rico and her dad.
Rico was up to the challenge. "I'm on it. Watch this." As Sammy handed him a piece of paper, Rico rubbed his hands together. He started to fold an incredibly complicated aircraft. He wasn't even halfway through the construction process, and Mitch was already shaking his head.
Finally this marvel of paper engineering was ready for its test flight. Rico pulled his arm back and sent it flying. Inches from takeoff, the plane did a weird loop then nosedive to the floor.
"Hey!" Rico yelled down at it. "You're supposed to be a super plane!"
Rob laughed at him. "Super plane. That thing dropped like a rock."
Sammy had a complaint of her own. "Rico, I want to make an airplane that knows how to fly."
Since Rico had failed them, Danny told her consolingly, "Julian can help us."
Julian showed them how to make a simple plane while Rico groused, "Look at him showing off."
Seeing his pout, Sammy ran over to him and put her arms out. "Don't worry, Rico. I still love you."
"Aww. You're the best," Rico said as he gave her a hug.
"And dad loves you too," she said. "Tell him, Daddy."
As Rico looked over at him expectantly, Mitch confirmed it. "Yes, I still love you." Mitch said it solemnly but in the next second, they we all smiling at each other, so happy.
