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Here is a brief preview of the first story in the five book box set… Enemy Daddy Bear…
“Well, shit,” Monica whispered to herself as she pulled into the driveway. Her chestnut waves fell into her face as she looked at her house. She absolutely loved this place. Her brother, Frank, was sitting on the porch with a sheepish expression. He always looked that way. He was the best. Her brother gave her faith that there were good men out there, after all was said and done.
“Hey, Frank, whatcha doing here?” she said aloud, with a smile.
He gave her a sly smile, “Brought the kids a pack of smokes and a beer, Monnie, what else am I good for?”
Monica snorted. “Get outta here, Frank. You’re not allowed in any liquor store for fifty miles.” He snorted back, the same snort; because it was one of the many things they had in common. He was her safest and best friend. She sat down beside him on the steps, leaned over, and rested her head on his shoulder. Their matching chestnut hair, side-by-side, made it look like an ad for autumn. “Man, today was long, Frank. Is there anything up or are you just here to cheer me up?”
Frank reached around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “Well, I’ve got a problem with a bank loan. I think I have it figured out, but it isn’t for today. Today, I’m just here to say hey… and I fed the kids some supper from the freezer. Hope you don’t mind. I’m sorry if that was overstepping.”
The voices of two kids overlapped each other as they yelled from the house, “It was disgusting, Mom! Pizza! From thefreezer” one voice said.
“I’m never talking to Uncle Frankagain! He made me use anapkin!!” said the other.
The comments were followed by barks and laughs of the pre-teen sort, fading as the boys moved away from the windows. Frank laughed and called into the house, smiling, “You punks better be cleaning up in there, or I’ll block you from the Hut!” Groans and snorts came in reply.
Monica stared at him and choked back a sob. “Oh my God, Frank, I was dreading even thinking about dinner. Thank yousomuch! It's the most thoughtful and concretely helpful thing you could possibly have done. You just gave me a whole night. A whole night!” It was astonishing how fast her emotions flew when she was home. Who was she kidding? They flew everywhere, all the time lately!! Her deep green eyes were full of tears already, damn it. She couldn’t believe how close her emotions were to the edge today!
She always thought she had it so together, and someone doesonenice thing and all her work in keeping up the façade of ‘having it all together’ just exploded into pieces. She did her best to push her fears away, just about every day. She looked at him in tears, smiling slightly, “And don’t think I won’t find out more about the bank loan. It will just have to wait ‘til I’m done with my breakdown…” Frank smiled down at her.
Sigh. There were some days it was just all too fucking much.
Ugh, she chastised her inner sailor for all the swearing. It was a joke with Frank and the kids, and all of her oldest and best friends. Nobody would ever guess what a foul mouth she had. She could completely hide it. It never showed at the office, the PTO, the Town Council, ever. Not even when the situation completely called for it. If you could stick a microphone in someone’s mind, hers would be the most profane ever heard. A lot of times, it made her laugh; it felt more authentic somehow. It had taken a lot of therapy to get to this point, but she accepted it. Her pint-sized body contained a six-foot salty-mouthed sailor, and she couldn’t seem to fix it. She rolled her eyes at herself and looked over at her brother.
Monica blinked hard several times, to try and clear her mind of the criticisms of the past. She grinned at Frank. She had no idea how he ran an entertainment center for kids. But he did, and he did it well. The Bouncy Hut was a raging success, according to everyone, but only she knew how much he had overcome to make it a success. She was so proud of him.
In many ways, The Bouncy Hut felt like the center of town, at least for her. Her kids spent all their spare time there, and Frank was actually a quiet father figure to a lot of the kids in town. He’d managed to learn a different way from how they’d been raised. It was nothing short of miraculous. The way he loved her boys blew her heart wide open.
It had been a long day, but look, she had an entire evening free of chores and hustle. It was a miracle! She and the kids could just tuck in and watch a movie or maybe she’d even drag out the board games she kept buying in hopes they’d eventually do a ‘game night’.Oh my god, that was it.
“Frank, come on in. I think we’re doing game night. We’d love a fourth...whaddaya say? It’ll only take a few hours off your life…I think today’s game might be Monopoly. You know you’re the best at the money. Wink, wink.” she said in a wheedling voice. She backed into the door of the house, waving him in.
Frank laughed, “Oh God, this is going to be horrible…”
