Page 4 of Summer Weddings
Without another word, Cole turned and strode toward his house with Blackie at his heels.
“Goodbye, Mr. Camden,” Jeff called, raising his hand.
Robin wasn’t surprised when their neighbor didn’t give them the courtesy of a reply.
In an effort to distract Jeff from Cole Camden’s unfriendliness, she said brightly, “Hey, I’m starving. How about you?”
Jeff didn’t answer right away. “Do you think he’ll let me play with Blackie?”
Robin sighed, considering the dilemma that faced her. She didn’t want Cole to hurt Jeff’s feelings, but it wasn’t likely their neighbor would appreciate her son’s affinity with his Labrador. By the same token, a neighbor’s dog, even one that belonged to a grouch, would ease her guilt over not being able to provide Jeff with the dog she’d promised him.
“What do you think, Mom?” Jeff prompted. “He’ll probably let me play with Blackie sometimes, don’t you think?”
“I don’t know, honey,” she whispered. “I just don’t know.”
* * *
Later the same day, after buying groceries to stock their bare kitchen shelves and picking up other necessities, Robin counted the change at the bottom of her purse.She needed to be sure she had money for the subway on Monday morning. Luckily she had enough spare change for BART—Bay Area Rapid Transit—to last the week, but it was packed lunches for her and Jeff until her next payday, which was in two weeks.
Her finances would’ve been in better shape if she’d waited another year to move out of the apartment. But interest rates were at a two-year low and she’d decided soon after the first of the year that if they were ever going to move out of the apartment this was the time.
“Mom!” Jeff crashed through the back door, breathless. “We’re in trouble.”
“Oh?” Robin glanced up from the salad she was mixing. A completely disgusted look on his face, her son flung himself into a chair and propped his elbows on the table. Then he let out a forceful sigh.
“What’s wrong, Jeff?”
“I’m afraid we made a bad mistake.”
“How’s that?”
“There’s nothing but girls in this neighborhood.” He made it sound as though they’d unexpectedly landed in enemy territory. “I rode my bike up and down the street and all I saw weregirls.” He wrinkled his nose.
“Don’t worry, you’ll be meeting lots of boys in school on Monday.”
“You aren’t taking this seriously!” Jeff cried. “I don’t think you understand what this means. There are seven houses on this block. Six of them have kids and only one has a boy, and that’s me. I’m surrounded by women!”
“How’d you find all this out?”
“I asked, of course.” He sighed again. “What are you going to do about it, Mom?”
“Me?” Robin asked. “Are you suggesting we move back to the apartment?”
Jeff considered this for only a moment. “I’d think we should if it wasn’t for two things. We can’t have a dog there. And I found a fort.”
“A fort?”
“Yes,” he said solemnly. “It’s hidden way back in Mr. Camden’s yard and covered by a bunch of brush. It’s real neat there. I don’t think he knows about it, because the word on the street is he doesn’t like kids. Someone must’ve built it and I’m going to find out who. If there’s a club going, I want in. I’ve got the right—I live closer to Mr. Camden than anyone else does.”
“Agreed.” Robin munched on a slice of green pepper and handed one to Jeff. “So you think it’d be all right if we stayed?”
“I guess so,” Jeff conceded, “at least until I find out more about the fort.”
Robin was about to say something else when the doorbell chimed.
Jeff’s blue eyes met hers. “I bet it’s one of those pesky girls,” he said in disgust.
“Do you want me to get rid of her?”
