“You cooked?”
“They’re good!” Olivia giggled.
“I have been known to cook a thing or two.”
I got my plate and coffee and joined them at the table. “Usually, it’s on the grill, though.” I poured on the syrup and took a bite. I looked at Livy with wide eyes. “Wow, they are good.”
“I hate you,” Gideon joked.
After Olivia was done, she rushed off to clean up before Jennifer arrived. I really wanted to talk to Gideon, but I wasn’t going to abandon Owen to do so.
“What do you want to do?”
He shrugged. “I dunno. I have a book report.”
“Want help?”
“Gotta finish the book first.”
I ruffled his hair. “That shouldn’t be too hard for you, right?”
He sighed. “It’s a boring book.”
“I always hated when teachers assigned me books to read and I didn’t enjoy them. Why couldn’t I choose what I wanted?” Gideon sympathized.
“I wish.” Owen slid off his chair. “I think I’ll go finish it so I can get it over with.”
“If you need help, you know where we are.” I laughed as he rolled his eyes and made his way to his room as if he were heading off to his execution.
Danny entered the room, Jennifer in tow.
“Thanks, Danny,” Gideon said as he approached Jennifer. “Olivia is just getting the syrup off her fingers.”
“Oh, sure.” She surveyed the space warily. “Is everything okay here?”
Gideon cocked his head. “Yeah, why do you ask?”
“Usually, I’m let in and come to the door myself. This time they walked around my vehicle at the gate, and then that man said he’d deliver me.”
“His name’s Danny, and he’s not house trained.” I grinned.
“Everything is fine, Jennifer. Just some extra precautions is all.” Gideon motioned behind her. “There’s Olivia now.”
“Hi, Jennifer.”
“Hello, Olivia, ready to show me what you’ve been practicing?”
Once they were in the music room, I looked at Gideon. “Ready to talk now?”
He nodded. “Yeah, but in my office.”
I followed behind him and shut the door. Once we were seated on the couch, I figured I’d get the ball rolling. “Did Elijah tell you anything?”
He faced me, expression serious. “He told me…everything.”
“Tell me.”
He first explained how Elijah had admitted that when he’d given Ricky the car that he hadn’t cared if there were kids in it. That confession alone was what had sealed Elijah’s fate.
