Page 71 of Rooster

“I was thinking of bringing Maggie and the kids by so they could check out the place.”

“You didn’t ask what I was gonna be doing,” Torch asked, sounding wounded. “What’s up with that?”

“I know what you’ll be doing,” I answered. “It’s Saturday night. You’ll be here, soused, and looking to get laid.”

“Touché.”

“I’ll see you boys tonight.”

“Later.”

I went back out to my truck and groaned when I saw that I’d been gone for almost two hours. I was worried that Maggie would be pissed, but when I got back to the house, she seemed perfectly content. She was in the living room, curled up on the sofa, watching a movie, and the kids were upstairs doing their own thing. As soon as she spotted me coming towards her, she sat up and said, “You’re back.”

“I am.”

“How did it go?”

“It went.”

I lifted her legs, then sat down at the end of the sofa. As soon as I started to rub her feet, she settled back on the sofa with a smile. “Are you trying to distract me?”

“I don’t know.” I kept massaging. “Is it working?”

“As a matter of fact, it is.”

I rubbed a little longer, and it wasn’t long before she was a puddle in my hands. Her eyes were closed, and she was perfectly relaxed. I figured now was as good a time as any to tell her, “There’s been a change in plans with family day.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, it’s been postponed.”

“Oh, man,” she mumbled. “That’s too bad. I was looking forward to going.”

“Good, 'cause I was thinking we might run by there tonight.”

Her eyes flew open as she gasped, “Ummm, what?”

“Torch and a couple of the brothers are gonna be there, and I thought we’d just stop by for a bit.”

“So, it would be just a couple of the guys?”

“And their ol’ ladies.”

“What about the kids? What will they do?”

“Oh, there’s plenty for them to do. There’s a family room full of TVs and pool tables. Trust me. They’ll love it.”

“Okay, sounds good to me.” She sounded a little uneasy when she asked, “What time are we heading over?”

“There’s no rush. I figured we’d have dinner first.”

“So, I can finish my movie?”

“Absolutely.”

A sigh of relief slipped through her lips as she nestled back into her spot. We finished her movie, and when it was over, I fried up some pork chops and made a batch of homemade mashed potatoes. Maggie seemed cool as a cucumber all through dinner, but when it came time to get ready, she went off the rails.

“I don’t know.” She held a sweater up to her chest. “I’m afraid I’ll get hot, but it’s pretty cold outside.”

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