“Right? Perfect fucking timing too. PJ and I are always telling them to go away for a bit, take some time off. They finally take us up on it, and now this.”
“Ok, um, let me think…”
“Never mind. I shouldn’t have bugged you. You’ve got school and work. Sorry. I’m just…don’t worry. I’ve got it covered.”
“No, it’s fine. I’ll be there. I can leave within the hour. With traffic…I’ll be there late tonight. Will you be okay until then?”
I can hear his sigh of relief on the other end of the line. “Yeah, no, that’s awesome. You’re a fucking lifesaver. Thank you. Seriously.”
“No problem,” I say. “See you soon.”
I hang up and stroll into Hannah’s office. She gestures to an armchair across from her desk. “Get comfy. I’m about to yell at you and make you take the weekend off,” she smiles.
“As much as I hate to postpone the lecture,” I joke, “I actually need to run. Luke needs my help on the farm, so I need to run by my place, pack a bag, and get my ass to Pennsylvania tonight.”
“Is everything ok?”
“Yeah, it’s nothing catastrophic, but he needs my help, so I’m gonna head up there.”
“Of course, but just one quick question. Is there no one else who can help?”
“It’s complicated, but no. I’m pretty much his only option. But I’m happy to help.”
She looks like she’s about to say something, but instead she stands and offers me a hug. “Safe travels, ok?”
“Always,” I assure her, before walking out the door. I’ve got cows to save.
* * *
Five hours later,I unlock the door to my childhood home to find that my family is all there, hanging out in the living room like nothing’s wrong. Mom and Dad are on the couch, PJ and Katie are curled up on the love seat, and Luke’s sprawled out on the lounger.
I can’t keep the words from falling out of my mouth. “What the hell?”
“Shhh!!!” Katie scolds.
“You wake those children up, and they’re sleeping with you tonight, Ian.” PJ says, then adds, “Also, what the hell are you doing here?”
Everyone looks at me as though I’m in the wrong place, but that’s impossible. I pick up myphone and checkit. Yep, Luke called this afternoon with an SOS. It wasn’t a fever dream.
“Yeah, Luke,” I say, looking at my little brother. “What the hell am I doing here?”
He tosses a handful of popcorn into the air, catches it in his mouth, chews it, swallows, and looks at me. “Proving a point.”
“What the—” I catch PJ’s glare and lower my voice. “Proving a point?What the fuck are you talking about? I just drove four and a half hours because you said there was a cow emergency, and you were here all alone and desperately needed my help.”
Luke keeps munching on his popcorn. “I lied.”
He lied.He Lied?
I look around the room at my family. “Unless you all want to witness a murder, you should go into the kitchen or something.”
My dad switches off the T.V. and turns toward us. “Nah, this movie’s awful. Watching you wring Luke’s neck will be much more entertaining.”
“But wait to get started, ok?” my mom says. “I’m out of popcorn.”
I look around the room in disbelief. “Are you kidding me? None of you are concerned? Luke drags me here under false pretenses and you’re just sitting here, eating popcorn?”
“No, son, we’re out of popcorn. We can’t eat any until your mom makes more. Keep up.”
