Page 46 of Small-Town Secrets
Focusing on the puppy again, I continued training.
"Okay, now," I told Chris when Casanova had earned his reward. "Praise him for how good he's being."
Cautiously, Chris reached out to pet the puppy. A smile took over his face when his hand connected with the dog's soft fur. I had to smile too, because I loved that feeling just as much.
Who didn't?
"Great job," Chris said, feeding Casanova.
"Yeah, just like that," I encouraged him.
The seven-year-old didn't respond to my compliment, but he beamed quietly and that was enough for me.
We continued like this for another twenty minutes or so before I decided that the puppy needed a break. And maybe not only the puppy. Chris was having a coughing fit and I figured he probably needed to be in bed.
"You okay?" I asked, rubbing his back as he coughed.
"I'm good." He straightened. "I'm not sleepy," he claimed then, before I could even try to send him to bed.
"Okay. But I'll get you blanket. It's a bit chilly in here."
I went to fetch a warm woolen blanket from the living room and when I returned with it, I found Chris studying the framed pictures that hung on the walls of the family room. Photographs my parents had taken and put up when they still lived here. I'd never seen a reason to change the wall decor.
"Is this your family?" Chris asked. He was staring intently at a picture that showed me, my parents and my younger brother when I was eight and Marvin was four. The photograph had been taken on a camping trip and showed my father proudly presenting the one fish he'd caught that day.
"Yeah, that's my family." I pointed everyone out. "This is me, my mom, my dad and my little brother."
Chris' eyes narrowed as if he was seeing something in the picture that he didn't like at all. What, though? I gave it another cursory glance. It was just a regular cheesy family picture. I was sure if Laurence took one with his kids, it would look just like it.
Just like it.
Suddenly the problem dawned on me.
I looked at the picture again, and then back at the boy next to me.
Was it just my imagination or did he look exactly like me when I was younger?
20
Laurence
Iwas so relievedto find Chris sleeping peacefully on the couch in the living room when I got home from work. Rationally, I'dknownthat he was fine, but I couldn't help worrying about my baby when I had to be away while he was sick.
"I want to watch TV," Tyler pouted as he looked at his brother occupying the couch.
"You can watch TV later. Homework first. Come on." I led him into the kitchen, taking his hand and dragging him when he didn't want to go.
"Homework's stupid," he complained. "Why do I have to do homework and Chris doesn't?"
"Your brother isn't doing homework because he's sick."
"I want to be sick too."
"No, you don't." I bumped his nose with my finger. "Stop being silly. Show me your homework."
He sighed the way only school kids who didn't want to do homework could, but he got his exercise folder out of his school bag. Meanwhile, I scanned the kitchen for signs of Aaron. I hadn't seen him when I'd come in, but there was a half-finished cup of coffee sitting on the counter. But Aaron couldn't have gone out. He wouldn't do that when he was supposed to be watching Chris.
Would he?
