Page 35 of Second Start: Family
Molly’s frown disappeared and Lizzie’s smile emerged through the last of her gasping giggles. “Yes, Dan, you sing.”
His son shot him a look, and Hall could see the refusal forming in the boy.
“Please, Dan. For Lizzie and Molly’s birthday.”
He doubted the request would have made a difference, but Dan glanced toward the girls. He took a deep breath that eased the tense line of his shoulders.
Without any more discussion, he started the simple song.
He could sing. The boy could really sing.
Like his mother. Except in a rich male voice. Not as deep as some Hall had heard. Probably not as deep as it would get as Dan got older.
He’d passed the “dear Lizzie and Molly” part and pushed ahead toward the final “Happy birthday” wish. Only that first note of “Happy” skidded up in a break from boy’s voice to child’s, a note that should have peeled paint off the ceiling.
The little ones giggled, and purple stained across Dan’s cheeks. But he didn’t let go of the song. He dropped his voice even lower than before and snapped out the final words.
With the last “oo” of “you” still echoing, Dan’s head jerked toward Hall and he leveled a look of pure suspicion at him, as if his father had somehow forced him to produce that one note betraying his age.
Hall returned the look, holding onto his amusement with every well-honed muscle of his determination.
“Thank you, Danny!” Lizzie flung her arms around her brother’s waist and hugged him, unknowingly breaking the standoff. “Thank you for our birthday song.”
Dan looked down and his face softened. “You’re welcome squirts. Now how ’bout some cake. Since it’s my favorite, I should get the most, right?”
“No!” came the chorus.
“Bow out candles,” Bobby ordered.
The kid might turn out to be a fireman, because none of the rest of them had noticed them burning down.
“Maybe Dan should, then when we get our cakes—”
“Blow them out,” Hall said at the same time as Dan.
The others laughed, while his son almost made eye contact with him as a grin pulled his mouth.
“Now, the candles,” Lizzie declared.
She and her sister connected with a look, then blew the candles out with a perfectly synced breath.
“Lizzie cuts,” declared Molly. “I’ll serve.”
She’d stepped into her mother’s role, leaving Hall to hover as Lizzie used the knife without mishap. After that, he had nothing to do except accept his piece of cake when it arrived. He didn’t mind.
The cake on their plates disappeared a whole lot faster than it had taken to create it. At least there was enough for dinner tonight.
He’d have to plan a heck of a lot better to produce two cakes to complete the swap on Dan’s birthday.
“Okay, get your things for the bus. Get a move on. It’ll—”
“Bus left.”
Bobby’s calm announcement pulled Hall around. “What? But it’s only — Damn!” He’d spun from Bobby to the kitchen clock and saw the sorry truth.
“You’re not supposed to swear.” Molly’s frown was as condemnatory as her tone.
He swallowed back his first rejoinder. “Yeah. You’re right. Sorry. Bobby, why didn’t you say something if you saw the bus?”
