The Second Family. Janice Carter

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СКАЧАТЬ first it was weird thinking someone as old as you could be our sister. Then I started thinking maybe it was kinda good luck. But I knew when Molly and me decided to come here, it might turn out that…you know…you wouldn’t be able to take us.”

      Tess forced her thoughts away from the old reference, focusing instead on how he’d said able instead of want. A face-saving gesture for them, she wondered, or giving her an out? Either way, she figured he’d gotten the message.

      “I live in a one-bedroom condo….” she began, her voice falling off as she realized how lame that sounded. “Mr. Malone said he could be here tomorrow to…well, take you back to Boulder.” As soon as she uttered the words, Tess had a surge of guilt. She’d promised the social worker to be vague about their return to Boulder.

      Nick’s face twisted in a grimace. “Yeah,” he said huskily, turning his back on Tess to head for the door.

      “Where are you going?”

      He stopped, but didn’t turn around. “To break the news to Molly. I don’t want her to freak out.” He pulled on the door and walked out of the office.

      Tess was quick on his heels, anxious to hear exactly how he was going to tell his little sister. The last thing she needed was a hysterical child. She watched as Nick crouched down to whisper in Molly’s ear. The little girl stared at Tess the whole while, her eyes wide and unblinking in her pale face. When Nick finished and stood protectively behind his sister, he said, “Will it be all right if we stayed with you tonight? I’ve spent all our money.”

      Carrie shot Tess a look that would have shriveled anyone else.

      “Of course,” Tess quickly said, casting a so there glance at her secretary. “It’ll be like camping,” she added, catching the incredulous expression on Carrie’s face. “We’ll get videos and order in pizza,” she said, trying for a note of enthusiasm.

      “Whoopee!” Carrie muttered as she brushed past Tess to get to her desk.

      “Well then,” Tess said, “I guess I’ll be leaving for the day.” She saw Carrie raise an eyebrow, as if silently echoing the I guess. For the first time, Tess noticed a backpack and plastic shopping bag on the floor next to Carrie’s desk.

      “I’ll get my coat,” she murmured and went back into her office, moving as if in a trance, trying to avoid the question she knew she’d be asking herself the instant they left the office. What now?

      She grabbed her briefcase, stuffing inside it the files she knew she ought to be working on that very moment, and returned to the small reception area. “Let’s go,” she announced to no one in particular, thinking she might convince Carrie this unexpected turn of events was no big deal.

      “Have fun,” Carrie said, adding to the children, “maybe you can persuade your sister to treat you to something more exciting than videos and pizza.”

      Your sister? For a second Tess wondered who Carrie was talking about. Then it hit her all over again. She felt the air whoosh out of her, but covered up by asking, “What’s wrong with videos and pizza?”

      Carrie shrugged, winking at the other two. “If you weren’t such a workaholic, you’d know. Anyway, I’ll take your messages. See you on Monday—maybe,” she said, giving the postscript a significant tone.

      No one spoke all the way down to the ground floor. When they reached it, Molly said, “Carrie showed us the water fountain under the ground.”

      Tess had to think for a second. “Oh? When she took you to get something to eat?” She led them through the lobby onto the sidewalk.

      Catching up, Molly said breathlessly, “I had french fries, too.”

      “Uh-huh,” Tess murmured, scanning the street for a taxi.

      “With ketchup.”

      “Molly, no one cares what you ate, okay?” Nick said.

      “I’m just telling her,” she protested. There was a hint of a whine in her voice.

      Tess glanced sharply at Nick. “What’s going on?” she asked, just clueing in to the tone of their voices.

      He scowled. “We’re just arguing, that’s all. Don’t you know anything about kids?”

      “No, frankly, I don’t. Anyway, what does arguing solve?”

      “Jeez,” he muttered.

      Tess frowned. He looked tired, too, she thought. Maybe that’s what the arguing was about. “Look, I know you two have been through a lot so we’ll just hop in a taxi and get to my place as soon as possible. Then you can shower and have a nap or something.”

      “I’m six now. I don’t have naps,” Molly piped up.

      Tess blew a strand of hair away from her mouth. “Whatever,” she mumbled and waved briskly to a taxi about to pull away from the curb. “Damn,” she muttered as the taxi kept on going. “Okay, want to take the subway?”

      “What’s that?”

      “A train, stupid. Underground.”

      “Don’t call me stupid, Nick!”

      Tess grit her teeth. Twenty-four hours of this? “Your case worker will be here tomorrow, hopefully right after lunch. So can we all agree to do our best to get along with each other until he arrives and…” she paused, noticing Molly’s stricken face, “well…you know.”

      Two pairs of solemn eyes stared up at her. Tess noticed for the first time the cowlick poking up from the crown of Nick’s head. He was just about shoulder level with her and his slender frame, weighed down by his backpack, made him appear frail and vulnerable. They were both just kids, she thought. Though not just any kids. The reminder was sobering.

      “Okay, so follow me and no more arguing. In fact, no more talking until we get home and you can tell me how you managed to get all the way from Boulder, Colorado, to Chicago without attracting any attention.” Tess turned sharply and led the way to the underground.

      No one uttered a word until the train was halfway to Tess’s stop in Lincoln Park. Then Molly, her dark eyes wide with wonder, exclaimed, “I’ve never been on a train before,” and clamped a hand over her mouth when she realized she’d just broken the silence edict. Tess impulsively smiled but saw that Nick’s glower couldn’t be shifted. He sat half-turned toward the window and stared through it the whole way. Every once in a while, Tess caught his reflection in the glass and once, their eyes met. He lowered his first, but not before a hint of a sneer twisted his upper lip.

      Inexplicably, that bothered Tess. Wasn’t it enough that she was giving up most of a weekend to look after two children who, in spite of biology, were basically strangers? Miffed, she averted her own face to stare out the other window and was soon so lost in thought she almost missed her stop. She realized at the last instant, jumping to her feet and hustling the kids from the car seconds before the doors closed. On the platform, Tess laughingly cried, “That was close!” and Molly laughed, too.

      Nick trudged toward the exit. As Tess was about to follow, Molly reached for her hand, slipping it casually into Tess’s. When they reached the upper level, Nick was slouched against a wall waiting for them, СКАЧАТЬ