Page 17 of The Payback Adventure
So that was a dresser and not an abstract artwork of textiles and wood. Imagine that.
“We don’t have a guest room,” Elisabeth said.
“There’s always the barn,” Sam added, earning a glare from his big sister.
“It’s fine.” No matter how Henry felt about his accommodations, he didn’t want to hurt Elisabeth’s feelings. It wasn’t her fault he’d underestimated Cynthia Sterling. This was turning out to be more of an adventure than he ever thought possible. He noticed Elisabeth’s forehead creasing with worry. She didn’t seem to care that the action could create wrinkles. “Really.”
She smiled, and a warm feeling wrapped itself around Henry’s heart. “Why don’t you unpack while I fix dinner?”
A home-cooked meal. That would be a great way to end the first day of his adventure. And if dessert turned out to be the pie in the kitchen with a scoop of vanilla ice cream…oh man. He couldn’t wait. Whether or not he liked it, Elisabeth with her pretty face had wormed her way under his skin. He hoped her cooking would do the same with his stomach and take his mind off the rest of her. “What’s for dinner?”
“Macaroni and cheese with hamburger.”
“My favorite,” Caitlin cried.
He searched for a polite word to describe the horrific thought running through his brain. “What a combo.”
His stomach agreed and launched an immediate protest. Henry had never eaten macaroni and cheese unless he counted fettuccine alfredo. Wasn’t it orange, and didn’t it come out of a box? He couldn’t fathom how to eat that with a hamburger. Wouldn’t a bun and macaroni be overkill on the grains?
“I’ll be sure to make enough for seconds,” Elisabeth said, heading toward the door.
“Great.” Henry forced a smile. Maybe someone delivered pizza out in the sticks. He did have twenty dollars.
CHAPTER SIX
Henry couldn’t remember the last time he’d unpacked his own bag. Well, there was always a first time. He unzipped the bag to find Cynthia had stuffed items inside without using packing cubes or any logic to what went in first or last.
He attempted to fold a white T-shirt the way his housekeeper folded them at home. On the third try, he gave up and shoved it into the drawer as best as he could. Reaching for another T-shirt, he felt as if he were being watched. He turned and saw three pairs of blue eyes fixated on him. Sam’s gaze was intense. Abby’s inquisitive. Caitlin’s playful.
Attention had always been a good thing. He loved being in the spotlight and the center of attention. Until now.
Henry was used to little kids Caitlin’s age and younger. Babies like Brecken, not big kids. He’d never met a female hecouldn’t charm, so the two girls wouldn’t be problems, but the boy, a brooding tween, would be another story. Maybe this would be good practice for when his godson got older, but he couldn’t imagine Dash and Iris letting one of their kids act like Sam. Henry would get involved before he let that happen with Brecken.
He picked up the forest-green T-shirt and took a shot at being friendly anyway. “Do you guys go to the movies?”
Sam tossed a small rubber ball against the wall. “Nope.”
“What’s going to the movies?” Caitlin asked.
“You pay for a ticket and watch it on a big screen in a theater and eat popcorn,” Abby explained.
Caitlin grinned. “I like popcorn.”
“So do I,” Henry said. “But you don’t go?”
“There aren’t any theaters in Berry Patch,” Abby answered.
Sam frowned. “There’s nothing in Berry Patch.”
Thump, thump, thump.
The sound of Sam’s tennis ball against the hardwood floor reminded Henry of a metronome. The bouncing continued, as did the staring. He didn’t attempt to fold the next shirt and tossed it into the drawer. The sooner he finished unpacking, the better. Next out of the duffel bag was a pair of white briefs.
“Wearing boxers is better for your sperm count,” Abby said.
The thumping of Sam’s ball stopped.
Henry glanced at the young girl. “Excuse me?”
