Page 36 of Vanishing Legacy
“We practiced Bible quiz in Sunday school, and my team got first place. I got to pick a prize from the treasure chest, and look what I got for Penny!” He held up a sparkly reflective pinwheel. “And Miss Martha let me have soda at lunch.”
Alana raised an eyebrow.
“Diet soda,” he said. “Can we stay late since it’s not a school night? Please!”
Oh, it wasn’t a school night, was it? With everything happening, she’d forgotten all about spring break. “We’ll see, bud.”
Penny and Rocco’s greeting seemed more fitting for a soldier returning from months at war than two kids who’d met a few days ago. Penny tugged Rocco’s hand. “Come!”
“Hey, Rocco,” Cash called from beneath the piano. “Come check out our fort. It’s pretty comfy in here.”
Rocco’s eyes lit up. “No, way! You guys made that?”
The kids crawled through the opening. With a growl, Cash grabbed Penny and lifted her over his chest. “You forgot to tell Rocco about the tickle monster!”
If Alana had had any doubts about bringing Rocco over, the squeals and giggles coming from the fort put them to bed.
Noelle laughed. “Oh, to be that carefree again.”
“Thanks for bringing Rocco with you. I know it’s not really our usual way of handling things.”
“Hey, I’m all about unusual. I think it’s great for him to spend time with Penny.” She leaned close to Alana’s ear. “It’s like one big happy family.”
Alana’s elbow jutted out, but Noelle dodged her strike. She grinned and showed her palms. “Hey…I’m just sayin’…”
“Maybe you should shut it.” There went all the blood to her ears again. She turned away. “Let’s let them play, and I’ll give you a tour.”
“Fine, let’s take a look. But you know I’m only teasin’, right?”
“Yeah, yeah.”
Noelle was half kidding, but she knew Alana had always wanted a normal life. The picture-perfect family with a loving husband and as many children as God would give her to raise. Her heart longed to create moments and memories like these, but for whatever reason, it hadn’t been in God’s plan. And somewhere between raising her son as a single parent, trying to make ends meet, and working toward her goal of setting up the outreach, she’d decided to set those dreams aside.
But maybe…just maybe it was time to bring them back.
* * *
Cash was a man who knew his limitations, which was why he hadn’t bothered trying to impress Alana with his woeful cooking skills. Instead, he’d ordered what he considered to be the best pizza in town.
Juliette and Noelle joined them for dinner, and he found himself lost in their playful banter and child-appropriate stories of crazy clients. He’d almost forgotten what it was like to have adult conversation that wasn’t centered around medical jargon. They stayed away from any talk about his current situation with the kids around. Hard to believe he’d been chasing a criminal across the streets of Savannah earlier today.
Juliette pushed back from the table. “Thanks for dinner. I’m gonna get out of here and leave you in the excellent hands of these two.”
“And I should do rounds just to keep things tight. I can make some calls and see if we have any updates while I’m…you know…outside.” Noelle cut her eyes toward Rocco, then back to Cash.
“Can we go back to the piano fort?” Rocco asked. “We want to keep reading The Hobbit. They were just captured by the wood elves, and we need to see how Bilbo escapes.”
“Yeah, sure.” Cash never would’ve thought it possible for two kids to be content reading a book when a house full of toys and electronics awaited. Rocco carried a phone, but he’d never seen the boy look at it for more than a few seconds.
Once dinner was cleared, Cash sank into the couch beside Alana. “I’m curious…how old was Rocco when you gave him a cell phone?”
“Um, probably around eight.”
“And he’s, what…nine now?”
“Actually, he’s eleven. Why?”
“Just wondering about the appropriate age for electronics.”