Free Helen Hanson - Dark Pool by Helen Hanson Page B

exactly.”
    “Punching prigs is a great skill for a future attorney. You’re bound to meet many.” Ginger handed a full plate to Travis. “So. You’re going to learn to drive?”
    “The books are in the mail.” He took a forkful from the plate.
    She handed the next plate to Maggie.
    “Get this, Ginger. He wants me to home school him. Can you believe it?”
    The lid to the pot was in midair when Ginger stopped and turned to Maggie. “That’s a great idea.” Down came the lid.
    Travis’ belly warmed with a few bites of palusami and the unexpected ally. “Sing it, Ginger.”
    “If he wants to stay home, let him.” She pinched his cheek. “It would be good for your father to have more company.” She pinched Maggie’s cheek. “And you, you could do with some help.”
    “That’s what I told her.” Travis high-fived Ginger. “Great minds run in the same gear.”
    “You’re serious?” Maggie took a bite of her food.
    “Javier’s been home schooled like forever,” he said. “You think he’s golden.”
    “But why now?”
    It was simple, really. The trial and prison had changed him. Close quarters. Constant surveillance. Communal living with strangers. Returning to high school after his experiences the past year seemed like another rehearsal for life. How did he put that in words?
    “Because he’s a man stuck in a boy’s body.” Ginger shrugged. “Sort of.”
    Maggie sank against the counter. “Trav, honey, we can’t afford it.”
    “We can register as a private school, and it doesn’t cost anything. Javie’s mom said we can borrow their books. I promise, Magpie—” He grabbed her shoulders. “I’ll do all the work to get this going. You just need to sign stuff. I can help with Dad, and I cook better than you do anyway. I’ll even help clean more. Please?”
    He knew by the way her head tilted toward him that his argument was working.
    “Am I going to regret this?”
    “Ha! No way!” Travis danced as if he’d spiked one in the end zone. He scooped Maggie under the arms and whirled her around the kitchen.
    “Okay. Okay. Put me down.”
    She spun out of his arms, and he grabbed Ginger. Her little feet dangled in the air. “Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!” He dropped her back in front of her pot.
    “My palusami deserves a calm stomach. Sit down and eat.”
    Travis didn’t remember the rest of the conversation during the meal. He had to get back on the hacker boards, see if he could scare up some help from his old comrades. If Maggie knew, she’d kill him and send his ass back to high school with no chance of a driver’s license until he was forty-seven. He had less than two weeks before he lost use of the Modesto’s empty apartment and the illicit computer.
    When they finished eating, Ginger went home. At Travis’ insistence, Maggie sat at the table to return her calls while he cleaned up the kitchen. She gabbed with Denesha about restaurants that might be hiring. Apparently Peter claimed victory for Maggie’s firing and was completely insufferable.
    Travis loaded the dishwasher and wiped down all the counters. The sponge smelled funky, so he doused it with some bleach. Maggie pretended to fall over in a faint.
    “Very funny.” He noogied her head as he walked past her to check on Dad.
    Dad sat outside in his favorite Adirondack chair. Bailey and Belli snoozed at his feet. The ambient sound of the waves drowned most sounds, but the decking carried the noise of Travis’ steps. He approached quietly, in case Dad was asleep. The dogs looked up, but only briefly.
    Dad sat upright when he saw Travis and licked his lips.
    “Are you thirsty? Can I get you some tea?”
    “That’d be nice.”
    “Be right back.”
    Maggie’s call with Denesha was ending as Travis found the tea in the refrigerator. While Maggie made another call, he poured a plastic tumbler full of iced tea. They tried to keep breakables away from Dad these days.
    Travis took the drink to his father. The older man