Page 22 of Shelter for Tanna

“Yeah. I have. And she’s got two boys. One of them has Oppositional Defiant Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder.”

“You know you should have your dad on this call instead of me,” his mother scolded.

“You can handle it and explain to him. But listen, Max can be wild sometimes and?”

“Braden, we know what it means!” Jessica barked. “It’ll be fine! Now, who is she?”

He went through the whole thing, how he and Tanna had met, what she did for a living, and where the relationship stood at the current moment. “She asked to meet all of you because she said she needs to know the people who raised me, and she wants to know if you can handle being around Max.”

Marsha snorted into the phone. “Of course we can handle Max! I’m excited to meet them.”

“Me too,” Jessica said, echoing their mother’s sentiments.

“Good. They’ll all be here tomorrow at one. I don’t know what kind of shit show we’ll?”

“Language!” Marsha yelled into the phone.

“…poop show we’ll find ourselves in, but it’s worth a try. I really like Tanna.”

“Son, you know we’ll do our very best to make her and her kids feel welcome,” his mother assured him.

“And we will too. I’ll have a chat with the boys before we get there tomorrow so they know what to expect,” his sister promised.

“Thanks. Both of you. I really appreciate it. I’ll see you all tomorrow. Love you.”

“Yes, you will. Love you, son.”

“Night, big brother. Love you too.”

Braden sat there for a minute thinking about how thankful he was to have a good family. So many people didn’t have anyone. He had a whole tribe.

Could they handle Max? If they couldn’t, no one could.

Chapter 4

The simple cotton dress with a sash would have to do. It was the best thing she had, and the only thing that wasn’t jeans or a uniform. There was really no need for the boys to dress up, but she wanted to make a good first impression on Braden’s family. A little voice in her head said,Who knows? They might be your family too!But almost as quickly as the thought evaporated, that same nasty voice came back and told her,Don’t be stupid, Tanna. You couldn’t be that lucky.If she could keep Max together long enough to eat, at least that would be one meal she wouldn’t have to come up with in the coming week.

“Come on, boys. Let’s go.”

“I don’t want to go,” Max growled as he came out of his room. “This is stupid.”

“We’re going, and I expect you to be nice. These people don’t know us, and we have to act right. Please. Don’t mess this up for me. Do you hear me?” Tanna asked as she locked the door behind them. “Max, remember?appropriate interactions.”

“Do I get PEZ?”

“Yes. I have some with me. Do you have a dispenser?” He held up two. “Good. I expect you to behave. Don’t make me lose my cool.”

“I hate this car,” Max spouted.

“Sorry. It’s what we’ve got. We have to get going.” Before he had a chance to bark off more spiteful words, she wheeled out of the driveway and took off down the street.

As she drove along, she thought about what she could expect. Would they be as nice as Braden? What had he told them about her and the boys? She was growing more and more nervous as the miles passed beneath the car’s tires. They cruised through town and then out past the parkway, and things began to take on a decidedly more rural look. As she watched the house numbers go up, she realized she was getting farther and farther from town. Where in the hell did he live? It had to be in WarrenCounty or he couldn’t work for the fire department. When they finally got into the fourteen thousand numbers, she told Daniel, “Hey, help me keep watch. We’ve got to be getting close.”

They rounded a curve and Daniel pointed. “There it is, Mom. Right there.” A mailbox stood at the end of the driveway, its wooden post sporting a metal plate reading18237. As she turned in, she wondered if she’d heard him right. It looked like the drive ended in a line of brush up ahead.

But when she drove on through, she gasped. There, in the clearing, was a white two-story farmhouse, complete with gingerbread trim and big front porch. Two boys played on the lawn, kicking a ball around, and a man sat in the swing out front, gently rocking to and fro. At first glance, she thought he was Braden, but that wasn’t the case. He was older, but he had to be Braden’s dad. They looked just alike except for the obvious age difference.

As her car rolled to a stop, the front screen door opened and Braden strode out and down the porch steps, the sun glinting off his light brown hair, showing off the streaks of blond in it. His smile was almost blinding, and Tanna couldn’t believe how excited she felt just watching him move toward her. “Braden!” Max yelled and waved. “Mom, can I get out?”

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