The Best of Us (Sullivan's Crossing #4)(30)

“I have gills,” he said. “It’s the heart doctor’s favorite food.”

“It’s good for you,” she said. “I love fish. But I can’t call Leigh and ask her if she wants to come out here—I have her car.”

“That’s a shame. Campers will start showing up for the weekend tomorrow.”

“I could go get her,” Helen said. “If you’re sure...”

“Sure I want to have dinner with two beautiful women? Hmm, let me think...”

“I’ll call and ask her if she’d like to do that, and if so, I’ll go pick her up.”

“Want the porch again tomorrow?” he asked.

“I don’t want to be a pest,” she said. “I don’t want you to get tired of me.”

“I have a feeling we’ll be all right on that score.”

Rob’s sister, Sid, was behind the bar, so Rob had gone home at five to make sure the boys had a nutritious dinner but he found only Sean. “Finn left you a note,” his son said. “Want me to tell you what it says?”

Rob cocked his head. “Sure,” he said. “Since you’ve obviously read it.”

“Well, he said not to worry about dinner for him because he might get tied up at Maia’s. He’s taking her a ton of homework since she’s been out all week. He thinks maybe Mrs. MacElroy will offer him dinner and he’ll try not to be late, but I bet he’s late. He says he’ll call you if anything changes or if he goes anywhere else.”

“Thank you, Sean,” Rob said patiently. Then he looked at the note, reading it for himself. “It’s a wonder you have so much trouble with a book report. What would you like for dinner?”

“How about lasagna?” he said.

“How about something a little less labor intensive since I have to go back to work for a while.”

“Grilled cheese with bacon?”

“And some of last night’s split pea soup?” Rob asked.

“I might’ve eaten that already.”

There had been enough of that for at least both of them. “Are you having a growth spurt? Fine, I’ll open a can of chicken noodle. And we have some ice cream and brownies, unless you ate that, too.”

“I put a little dent in the ice cream but there’s still some left.” He grinned. He had Julienne’s smile. Rob would never forget his late wife; his younger son was a carbon copy. “No one could possibly have prepared me for the massive quantity of food you guys could eat. While I’m making the food, show me the homework.”

So that was how they spent the dinner hour, going over homework, eating together. Then Rob called Finn’s cell phone.

“Sorry I didn’t work today,” Finn said. “We’ve been talking and doing homework, then I had some dinner with Maia. I hope you’re okay with me taking the day off.”

“It’s completely understandable,” Rob said. “Tell her I hope she’s feeling better.”

“Sure. Dad? I’m going to be here for a while. Probably ten. Or until she gets tired and Mrs. MacElroy throws me out. Sean will be okay, won’t he?”

“If he’s not, I’ll beat him,” Rob said, making Sean laugh. “He should have enough homework to keep him busy.”

Rob checked the homework he’d already done, told him to rewrite one page without all the messy scrawls and smudges and to read the assigned text. “Finish this before the TV or computer get your eyes and remember I have porn controls on both.”

“Ha ha,” Sean said.

“When I was growing up we didn’t have cable or internet. I’m convinced that’s how Aunt Sid won a Rhodes Scholarship and you should learn from that little story.”

“I don’t want a Rhodes,” Sean said. “I want a major league contract.”

“You can’t get that on the internet, either. I’ll try to get home early tonight. Lock the doors, please.”

Then he went back to the pub. He’d been gone sixty-eight minutes. The dinner hour was in full swing, happy hour over, kitchen, bar and dining room staff sprinting around. The next two hours flew, then the place began to thin out. From eight to ten there were plenty of customers but it was manageable. Sid left at nine but before she left she asked if the boys needed anything. “Want me to stop by and check homework or anything?”

“Nah, get home. I know Cody’s waiting up.”

“Thanks. We’re going up to Boulder to look at rentals on Saturday.”

“May the force be with you,” he said.

At 10:15 p.m. he put the money and charge receipts in the safe and left the place in the capable hands of the assistant manager. He drove the three-quarters of a mile, feeling guilty. He should be walking, but he was on his feet all day, not to mention lifting crates of everything from lettuce to liquor.

He didn’t belong to a gym. He didn’t need to go any more than a farmer needed to.

Finn’s car was in the drive. When Rob walked in, he couldn’t believe how relieved he was to see Finn at the kitchen table, bent over his laptop, a yellow pad filled with notes on the table beside the computer. Maybe things were okay, normalizing. He put a hand on his son’s shoulder.

“Finals?” Rob asked.