Free Be Mine by Justine Wittich

she turned away, Sabina tried not to laugh at Clara’s indignance. Before she swung the door closed, she heard Clara say, “That Mr. Merton was here today lookin’ for you, Chad. He must be awful anxious.”
    Dismissing the serious note in Clara’s voice, Sabina threw off the blanket and looked down. The lace top of her teddy didn’t leave much to the imagination. Chad’s interest had been obvious.
     Sabina ordered herself to remember why she was here. It didn’t matter that the inspection had turned out to be merely a formality. Chad did everything right. His care of his cousin’s family, or for any other shirt-tail relation, was admirable.
    But the man had no business being quite so dictatorial, or so attractive. Unnerved, Sabina rushed through her shower and slipped into her pleated skirt and silk print blouse.
     The table was set when she emerged. Delicious aromas drew her to the kitchen. As she reached for the door, it swung toward her and Erica burst through. “Good. I need your help,” the girl whispered, drawing her into the cozy den. Opening the window seat, she pointed to a large envelope protruding from between two game boxes. “I have to go to play practice, but Daniel simply has to see that as soon as he gets home. I snatched it from the rest of the mail. Don’t let Chad know anything’s come for Daniel. Please help us, Sabina. This is the most important thing in Daniel’s life, and Chad can’t know about it yet.”
    The entreaty in her eyes completed the work the pleading speech had begun. Sabina agreed, wishing she’d never encountered this endearing family.
    Erica’s strong young arms enveloped her in a hearty squeeze. “I’ll owe you forever.”
    As quickly as she’d been dragged into the conspiracy, Sabina found herself alone. Her curiosity aroused, she raised the lid to read the return address, then stepped back from the window seat when she heard Chad’s voice in the hall. “It’s none of my business,” she lectured herself. “I don’t want to be in the middle of this. The less I know, the better off I’ll be.”
    That resolution made, she crossed the hall to the dining room, where Chad and Jonas were about to sit down. “Glad to see you found something to wear, Sabina,” Chad teased. “Although you could have kept the blanket on . . . it’s just family.”
    The door swung wide as Clara entered, carrying a large platter of barbecued ribs. “That’s enough of that, Chad. It’s downright embarrassin’ to think I might have to call your mother to tell her how ramshackle your manners are.”
    Chad didn’t seem intimidated. “Calling Arizona’s long distance, Aunt Clara. Remember how that runs up the phone bill? You should at least wait until the weekend to save money.”
    “Yer always complainin’ about your bill, Clara. A call just to tell her somethin’ she already knows don’t make sense,” Jonas contributed.
    Clara turned on the little man. “I’ll thank you t’ keep out of family business, Jonas Perry. The way you come in here and invite yourself t’ eat is a real sad thing.”
    “He didn’t invite himself, Aunt. I asked him so I could chew him out some more for this afternoon. This is punishment . ” Chad’s eyes belied the serious tone of his voice.
    The little man looked hungrily at the baked potatoes and buttery green beans already on the table. “I’ll take my lickin’ like a man soon’s I get on the outside of this food. You got a right sharp tongue, Clara, but yer the best cook in town.”
    Flushing at the unexpected compliment, Clara allowed Chad to seat her. “What all happened this afternoon, besides Sock playing his terrible tricks on Sabina?”
    Deciding to keep Chad in the spotlight, Sabina said brightly, “Chad gave us a lesson in creative expression. I learned some wonderful new combinations of great cusswords.”
    “In front of Erica!”
    “Jonas let your granddaughter sweet talk him into letting her operate the front-end loader.