Chapter 34
34
Karen stopped by Roscoe’s house, entering after he called out for her to “come on in.” She smiled at him sitting in his recliner. He put his feet down and smiled in return.
“You know, I miss those kids like crazy,” he said as she sat on his sofa. “But knowing they’re okay and in a better place makes this old heart happy.”
“I’ve loved having them.” A week had gone by, and they had all settled into a calm routine. Her girls adapted very well to having Zannie and Marty living with them. Benji had also come over several times, and Karen could tell that Marty loved having another boy close to his age to play with. There had been no signs of their mom or Alan, and she wondered if they had abandoned the kids completely.
Now, smiling at Roscoe, she said, “They are wonderful to have with me.”
He nodded, then asked, “How about your girls? They doin’ okay?”
“They’re good. Olivia has taken to Zannie and easily shared her room. Laura is my introspective child, and she’s fine, too. She even said that she was glad there would be younger kids around when she went off to college in four years.”
“What a sweetie,” Roscoe said, his smile widening.
“I reminded her that this situation was temporary. I’m sure the kids will go back with their mother whenever she is found.”
“Waste of a good life, if you ask me,” Roscoe said as a frown crossed his face. “Even if she’s found, she’d have to get clean, and I don’t see that happening. Or stop hanging around loser men, and I sure as heck don’t see that happening.”
Karen sighed as she nodded. She’d seen enough drug addicts over the years to know Carla had a long road ahead of her if she wanted to get her children back.
“If she doesn’t, what’re you going to do?” Roscoe asked.
Blinking, she jerked her chin back slightly. “Um… about the kids?”
“Yeah.”
She opened her mouth, then closed it, realizing she had no idea what to say. “I would keep fostering them,” she finally admitted, knowing it was true.
He smiled again. “You’ve got a good heart, Ms. Karen.”
“I don’t know about that,” she said, shaking her head.
“Well, I’ve lived a long life and seen a lot of people. So, believe me when I say you’ve got a good heart.”
“Speaking of hearts, let’s check yours.”
He chuckled as she pulled out her stethoscope. After a moment, she tapped his knee and grinned. “You’ve got a good heart, too.” When she packed up to leave, she said, “The kids talk about you. I think they’d like to come visit.”
Roscoe’s smile now lit his face, and his eyes sparkled. “You bring those kids anytime, Ms. Karen. I’d love to see them.”
Waving, she left, feeling lighter than she had all day. As she drove away, she sucked in a deep breath. Mark and the others now know that Alan was the thief, and he must have been following me. That didn’t comfort her, but knowing she wasn’t a suspect was a welcome thought.
At the end of the day, she called Laura before she pulled out into the parking lot. “Hey, sweetheart. Did everyone get home and off the bus?”
“Hey, Mom. We’re all here. Zannie met up with Marty, Benji, and Olivia after school and got on their bus. I got here a few minutes before them, and we’re all inside.”
“Good,” Karen said. “I have lasagna already cooked and just needs to go into the oven for warming. I should be home in about twenty minutes.”
“Oh good,” Laura said, then laughed. “I’m gonna put you on speaker so everybody can say hello.”
Karen grinned as she heard Laura say, “Hey, everyone! I have Mom on speaker, and she’ll be home soon.”
“Yay!”
Karen laughed, recognizing Zannie’s excited voice. “Did you have a good day at school, Zannie?”
“Yes!” came her exuberant reply.
“Olivia? How about you?”
“I got another hundred on my spelling test,” Olivia said, her voice breathy as though she’d been running. “And I brought home the instructions for our science project. It isn’t due for a couple of weeks, but I know you’ll have to buy some stuff.”
“I’m glad you had a good day, sweetheart, and thank you for giving me a heads-up about the science project.”
“Marty? How about you?”
“It was good, Miss Karen. It really helped that you went over the geography with me. My teacher said I got the best grade in the class.”
Her heart was full as she listened to the kids, loving their excitement.
“Benji? How was your day, honey?”
“I wasn’t sure it was going to be very good, Miss Karen,” Benji began. “My best friend broke his arm on the playground this morning, and they had to call his mom. Our teacher told us at the end of the day that he would be out for a couple of days and then have a cast on his arm.”
“Oh, my goodness, Benji! That must’ve been scary.”
“He’s kind of a daredevil on the playground equipment. I like to do a lot of tricks, too, but Dad always warned me about being a show-off. He said that showing off can make you not pay attention to what you’re doing.”
“Well, your dad is a very smart man, and I think that’s sound advice.”
“What about me?” Zannie called out.
“Have you got more to say, sweetheart?”
“I didn’t tell you about my day. Judy threw up after lunch, and Parker stuck his tongue out at the teacher behind her back. But someone tattled, and he got in trouble. I don’t stick my tongue out at anybody.”
“I think that’s probably a good thing,” Karen said, trying not to laugh. “Okay, Laura, I just pulled into the grocery store. I forgot we needed more milk. I’ll hang up now, but I’ll be home soon.”
All five kids shouted out their goodbyes at one time, and even as the call disconnected, she was still smiling.
By the time she arrived home, Richard had pulled up and was walking toward the front porch. They greeted each other warmly as he took the grocery bags from her hands. The sound of wheels on the driveway had her turn around to see Mark arriving.
Since Laura had already put the lasagna in the oven, the whole gang was soon enjoying dinner while laughing and talking. As she got up from the table to get dessert, Zannie said, “I love being in this family!”
Karen turned around, her gaze landing on Zannie’s snaggle-toothed grin and bright eyes. Then her gaze drifted around the table until it landed on Mark, who was staring at her. Her heart beat faster as warmth traveled through her veins. She smiled and watched as his lips curved in return.
“Me, too!” Marty said.
Olivia grinned, and Laura turned to lift a brow toward her mother and smiled.
“I told Dad that I thought you all should move into our house,” Benji announced. “We’ve got more room!”
Karen blinked as Mark jerked, and Richard’s mouth fell open before he began to chuckle.
“Can we?” Marty asked, his eyes wide. “I like it here, but if we all move to Mr. Mark’s house, then that would be fun, too.”
Laura’s and Olivia’s brows raised as though wondering if their mom had made more plans without talking to them. Hands raised, she shook her head. “No, no, we’re not moving into Mark’s house,” she said, making big eyes at Mark, hoping he’d jump in to help.
“Ms. Karen’s right,” Mark said smoothly, his lips still curved.
Benji’s brows dipped, and it suddenly struck Karen how the situation must look through his eyes. Right now, her house was filled with children, and it probably seemed very exciting for an only child. Casting her gaze around at the large gathering, she leaned against the counter, and the realization hit her—it was very exciting.
Mark stood, and while the others began talking again, he walked over to Karen and nudged her behind the counter to where the platter of brownies was waiting. She licked her lips as he neared. “That was… um… unexpected,” she whispered.
“Yeah,” he said, leaning past her to reach for the brownies. With his lips near her ear, he added, “You’re not all moving to my house… for now. But later?” He grabbed the platter and grinned as he walked over to the table, leaving her staring at his back.