Free Indemnity: Book Two: Covenant of Trust Series by Paula Wiseman Page A

something.”
    Brad shuffled into the kitchen, and kissed Bobbi on the cheek, without ever looking her in the eye. “Sorry I’m late.” Then he turned to his Aunt Rita. “Thanks for bringing pie. If it’s a perfect world, it’s one Joel doesn’t like.”
    “ It’s peach,” Rita said. “You’re out of luck.”
    “ Story of my life.” He shook his head and began getting the flatware from the drawer.
    “ So where were you? What took so long?” Bobbi asked.
    “ Just driving around,” he mumbled. Whatever it was, he wasn’t telling her. At least not with everyone else around.
    Chuck came in and stood in the doorway with his hands shoved deep into the front pockets of his jeans. When no one spoke, he glanced at Rita, then Bobbi and announced, “I’ll get the drinks.” Bobbi nodded at him, and he swung the cabinet door open. “You made tea, right?”
    “ I’ve made tea every Sunday afternoon I can remember.” Bobbi watched Rita turn and begin lifting the lids and stirring each of the pots on the stove. “Shannon gets milk.”
    “ I know.” He tightened his jaw, never taking his eyes off Bobbi.
    “ Dad, her house is for sale,” Brad said.
    “ What are you talking about?” Chuck set down the tea pitcher, and looked to Bobbi for help, but she had no idea what Brad meant.
    “ Tracy’s house. Over on Bishop.”
    Chuck closed his eyes and hung his head for a moment. Then he took a long, deep breath, and slowly straightened back up. “Brad, listen to me very carefully. Stay out of this. We’re taking her to court—”
    “ You mean ‘you’ are taking her to court,” Bobbi said.
    Chuck snapped his head around and glared at her, then turned back to Brad. “We’re taking her to court, and you’ll soon learn that the slightest thing can swing a case in the wrong direction.”
    “ I wasn’t going to do anything. I was just curious, you know.”
    “ Yeah, well thankfully she doesn’t live on Bishop anymore. That was a really stupid thing to do, Brad.”
    “ Ease up, Chuck. He didn’t hurt anything.”
    He lowered his voice, and dropped his shoulders. “Let me handle this.”
    “ I didn’t know it would be this big of a deal,” Brad grumbled. He grabbed the knives and forks, and headed for the dining room.
    As soon as he was gone, Bobbi slammed the dishtowel on the counter. “Why did you do that to him? Was it really worth embarrassing him?” She never noticed Rita slip out behind her.
    “ He’s meddling.”
    “ It was completely innocent and you overreacted. You had no business yelling at him that way.”
    “ Just like you and Joel.”
    “ Excuse me?”
    “ Friday night. You asked him what he thought, and then he incurred your wrath for answering you. You’ve never talked to anybody the way you talked to him! Well, nobody except me.”
    She slammed a hand down on the counter. Tears brimmed in her eyes. “Listen to us. I hate this! I hate this, Chuck. She’s gonna tear us apart.”
    He slipped an arm around her shoulder. “She can’t. I won’t let her.”
    She relaxed against him, and he drew her close. That’s all she wanted from him, to defend her, to defend their marriage, but ... Don’t make promises you can’t keep.
     
     
    Tracy smiled watching Jack rub his hands together gleefully as the waiter set the pepperoni pizza in front of them. “Mom, make sure this young man gets a good tip,” he said, motioning toward the waiter, who couldn’t help but smile.
    As soon as Jack stopped talking long enough to chew, Tracy pushed her plate back and leaned across the table. “Jack, have you ever thought about what it would be like to have a sister?”
    “ Are you gonna have a baby?” he asked, his eyes wide.
    “ No! Absolutely not. No. Not a baby.” She took a drink from her Diet Coke. “But what about a sister?”
    “ I’d rather have a brother.” Jack folded his pizza and took a bite from the fold.
    “ What if it wasn’t a baby sister, but more like someone your