Текст книги "Lunch at the Club"

Автор книги: Kate Kane

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 2 (всего у книги 11 страниц)

Chapter 2

Safe at Home

Lane thought about running a bath. God knew she could use a relaxing soak, in a tub filled with hot water and bubbles. She had pizza and people coming though, so a quick shower would have to do.  She was five feet ten inches tall, weighed 175 pounds, had an IQ of 187, reported directly to the president and CEO of a fortune 1000 company and had a classic elegance about her.  She might look great in a suit and heels or enjoy dressing up in an evening gown for a fundraiser; but regardless of the job and any impressions anyone might have, Lane was a boots and jeans kind of gal.  Maybe it was from growing up in rural Iowa, who knew?   She pulled on a pair of well-worn men’s Levi’s. Lane had a trim waist and hips and in boots, she had a 36 inch inseam.  She’d always had trouble finding women’s jeans that fit and, when she was in her late teens, she’d stopped looking.  Nothing fit like a good pair of Levi’s 501 button fly jeans. Since she planned to pad around in her bare feet, she rolled the cuff up once and donned a light weight, sleeveless, crew neck, cotton sweater.  She bent over, ran her fingers through her wet hair, and gave her head a shake in lieu of combing.   She wore no makeup and didn’t bother looking in the mirror.  As she left her bedroom she heard what could only be described as raucous laughter emanating from the kitchen.

Lane lived in a ranch style house that was built in the mid 1950’s.  She’d remodeled, when she’d first moved in, to accommodate an island which housed a large farm house style sink and a breakfast bar with seating for four.  Ben, who had arrived with the pizza, stood at the sink listening to Jess telling stories about her latest acting experience.  She’d been on the set with Gabriel Greer, a well-known actor and practical joker, who was the guest star on the forensic crime show in which Jess played the murder victim to Gabe’s bereaved boyfriend.  Gabe was in rare form, pulling a prank on just about everyone from the director to the make-up artist. He had come to the set with what appeared to be two black eyes and stitches across his forehead, holding the morning paper, and telling everyone about a car crash he’d been in the night before.  As people started scrambling trying to decide whether they should get another actor, put off shooting, try to cover up the damage, or rewrite the episode with him as the victim, he’d started laughing.  Apparently everyone had forgotten he’d grown up in Hollywood at the feet of his renowned make-up artist mother.

“His make-up job was better than mine, and I was supposed to be dead, probably not coincidentally, from a car crash.”

Ben looked at Lane.  God she was beautiful, even radiant, fresh from the shower her hair appearing redder and even thicker when it was wet.  He wanted to kiss her, wanted to hold her and keep her safe; but even though the kids knew they were dating now, he and Lane didn’t do public displays of affection.  She accepted the plate he handed her as she slid onto a bar stool opposite him.

“I’m the bartender for the evening.  What’ll it be?  DDP? Wine? Something stronger?”

She selected a slice of pizza, taking a bite before putting it on her plate. Mmm, meat lovers with a thin crispy crust, her favorite.  “Diet Dr. Pepper, caffeine free, please.”  She didn’t have to tell him that she wanted a full glass of ice and a straw, he knew.

“Well, Mom, you don’t look any worse for the wear,” Jake said as he leaned over to give her a hug and a peck on the cheek.  He looked first at Lane, then at Jess and finally at Ben.  “Okay what do we know, so far, about the case?” he paused, “Except that Mom didn’t do it, I mean.”

She smiled. “Well, once more from the top then.” She then proceeded to relate the whole story again, this time for Jake.

“So, the only reason the police have to suspect murder is that some high strung woman started screaming when she saw you trying to help Carol Anne?” Jake shook his head.

Lane shrugged, Jess shook her head but Ben nodded. “Circumstantial, at best, but cases have been built on less. We’ll know more when the autopsy results are in.  I’ve called Stan Evans, the manager at the club, and with the permission of Overland Park Police Department (OPPD); I’m going to check out the rest room, before the police release the scene and Stan calls in a cleaning crew.  It’s probably as simple as Carol Anne slipping on wet tile and hitting her head.”

They finished eating, listening to each other’s stories about work and school.  Then Jake and Jess headed for the family room in the basement and some serious Guitar Hero on the PS3, while Ben and Lane worked quietly together cleaning up the kitchen.  Even a casual observer could see this choreographed dance was one they’d done many times before; as she handed him plastic containers, which he then put into the large side by side sub-zero refrigerator.  Ben grabbed a beer for himself and held up a can of caffeine free Diet Dr. Pepper.

Lane shook her head.  “I’ll take a glass of white zinfandel, though.”

He grabbed the already opened bottle from the wine storage unit under the counter, got a glass from the cupboard, poured the wine and handed it to her.  She swirled the wine, looking caught up in her thoughts.  She took a sip, still seemingly unaware that he’d taken the seat next to her.  He reached out, gently placing a stray hair back behind her ear. She didn’t seem to notice.

“Earth to Red,” he said, giving her hair a little tug.

She turned to look at him.  “I’d like to go with you when you go back to the club, but Jess and I are planning to hit some garage sales in the morning.”

“You aren’t going to stop worrying about this, are you?  It’s all good.  Stan agreed to let me in at six o’clock tomorrow morning, before the golf and tennis crowds make him too busy.  Tanner’s going to meet me.”

Ben might be the best criminal defense guy in town, but it was sometimes said that Roy Tanner was the man behind the man.  Roy was a retired Kansas City, Missouri (KCMO) homicide detective turned PI, whom Ben kept on retainer.  Ben had never lost a case, sometimes because Roy could ferret out clues when things seemed hopeless.  The restroom at the club would be in good hands.

Ben knew he had to tell Lane about his relationship with Lila Crane.  God, he’d never talked about other women with her.  Even when they were just friends he’d never talked to her about the women he dated, never mentioned so much as a name to her, unless they had run into each other when he was on a date.  He remembered their road trip over Memorial Day when Lane had told him about her unfaithful first husband. It was the tears in her eyes and the hurt in her voice that had been the catalyst getting him to take her in his arms and comfort her.  He still wasn’t sure where he’d gotten the chutzpa to finally kiss her that day.  What he knew was that he never wanted to be the cause of her tears.  But the thing was that his relationship with Lila was over; and if not for the murder investigation, he would never need to tell Lane about it.  He’d gone out with Lila a couple of times.  It was nothing serious. They’d had dinner once, met for lunch once and met once for drinks.  They’d first met about four years ago, on a case Lila was investigating. One of Ben’s clients had been a person of interest.  In early May, they’d run into each other; and since the case was ancient history, Ben had asked Lila to lunch.   Lila was a very attractive woman. They were both single. Why not?

“Why not,” he thought now, “Because now he was going to have to talk about it with the woman he loved.”

He took Lane’s hand and led her into the living room.  They sat on the sofa.  He put his arm around her shoulders and twisted a strand of hair around in his fingers.

“Ben, what’s wrong? Is it the case?”  Lane had never seen him so pensive.

“Look, I know you sensed something between me and Lila Crane this afternoon.”

“Here it was.” She thought, “The babe magnet about to break it off with the older woman.” She nodded but said nothing.  Let him work it through, she wasn’t going pave his way down whatever path he was taking.

He cupped her chin and turned her face toward him.  His whiskey colored eyes glistened as though he would tear up at any second.  “I went out with her a couple of times.  It was before Memorial Day.  Before you and me.  There was nothing to break off with her, I just stopped calling her.  I would never do anything to intentionally hurt you, Lane.  That was true even before we were a couple, but especially now.  I know how Gus hurt you.  Please believe me. Since Memorial Day, there’s been no one but you. I don’t want there to ever be anyone else. You know that, don’t you?  You know I love you.”  He ran his thumb across her lips.  He’d said it, he loved Lane.  Kids in the house or no kids in the house, he pulled her into a kiss he hoped made her believe he was telling her the truth.

She moaned a little before she rubbed his shoulder and pulled away. She moved her mouth to his ear.

She whispered, “Are you really telling me that some crazy detective is coming after me because you stopped calling her?” Then she leaned back and held his shoulders, as she looked in his tortured eyes and laughed. She let go, pulled her feet up under her and leaned back into him.  “God, I knew you were a babe magnet.  I just had no idea how strong your pull could be for some women.”

He wasn’t sure how he should take her reaction.  He’d just told her he loved her.  It was something he’d never told any other woman.  He sure didn’t expect laughter the first time he said it.

If Jess hadn’t yelled, “Where is everyone?” from the kitchen, he’d have asked if she’d heard him.  That whole speech and what had she focused on?

Chapter 3

Garage Sales

Even though she wasn’t an early riser, Lane woke up early the next morning.  Lane loved a good garage sale. She was particularly fond of the neighborhood sales.  You never know what you might find.  Some people look for antiques or hope to find a Picasso.  Lane liked to search for decent furniture that she could put in the bedroom once occupied by her son, Jake.  It also provided a great opportunity to look for old books, old or unusual teapots, and vintage jewelry for her friend, and coincidentally her ex-mother-in-law, Evelyn.  Jess, who was mostly along for the Mom and Daughter time, liked to look for vintage clothing.

She and Jess stopped at the drive-through for breakfast, on their way to the garage sales.  Jess had a list of neighborhoods doing community garage sales she’d printed from the internet.  They’d agreed on three neighborhoods and decided to start with the one furthest out and work their way back home with their loot.

They hit the first neighborhood and did a slow drive through, as they scouted for the garages that weren’t overflowing with baby items.  Lane had two cars.  A little Mercedes convertible and the Cadillac Escalade SUV that they were using today, just in case they came across any big items.  She parked the Escalade and they started browsing.

“Mom, look at this.”  Jess picked up a tray of jewelry and showed it to Lane.

Lane took the tray and used her finger to move things around, finally landing on a beautiful hinged bracelet made of crystals in shades of purple.  “It looks like amethysts,” Lane said as she held the bracelet up to the light.  “Do you think it’s real?”

It sounded so much like the question they’d heard nosey, petty people ask Evelyn about a necklace she often wore.  The questioner was really asking if the huge stone around Evelyn’s neck was actually a diamond.  They laughed and together they gave Evelyn’s pat reply. “Well, it certainly isn’t imaginary.” Lane rooted around to see if there were any matching or coordinating pieces, while Jess looked over the other merchandise.  Lane found a pair of dangly chandelier earrings that would coordinate well with the bracelet and made her purchase.

They made their way from garage to garage with no more success and moved on to the next neighborhood.  They’d browsed through several garages and yards, when Jess found a set of what appeared to be nearly new women’s golf clubs.

“Mom, didn’t you say that you were thinking about golf lessons?”

Lane, who was deep in jewelry perusal mode, absently said, “Yes.”  When in fact she wasn’t just thinking about taking golf lessons, she had signed up for a group class, offered through the company where she worked.  The classes started in only a few days.

“Mom,” Jess said with a bit more passion. “You need to look at these. They look new and the tag says they’re $50.”

Lane left the basket of jewelry and walked across the garage to look at the golf clubs.  They were a brand she recognized and they did appear to be new.  “Excuse me,” Lane said to the elderly woman sitting at the table.  “Is this price for both the clubs and the bag?”  The woman assured her it was. “Wow, that’s a great price. “  She took out one of the woods.  They were a great price, but if they were for left handed players, it would be $50 down the drain.  After trying both the wood and an iron, Lane said, “I’ll take them.”  Then she handed the woman the cash.

“Jess, will you go get the car?  I’ll look through the jewelry until you get back.”  Lane handed Jess the keys to the Escalade and went back to browse through the jewelry.

Jess helped load the golf clubs into the back of the Escalade and they made their way to the last neighborhood.  As they drove, they casually discussed that Jess, who often looked for vintage clothing at the garage sales, had yet to make a single purchase.

Being at college halfway across the country was a little like having two homes.  Jess had a condo in California, but she still had a lot of things at home; clothing for one thing, after all, who needed winter clothing in California, and of course her bedroom furniture.  During her first year at college, she’d been in the dorms, but on spring break she’d announced that she wanted to stay that summer to take classes and go on auditions.  So Lane had flown out over a weekend and they’d gone condo hunting.  A condo of course meant that Jess would also need her car and, over Memorial Day weekend, before summer classes started, Jess flew back home to get her car. Lane had been worried about Jess making the drive alone, but Jake had finished classes and was going to drive back to L.A. with her.  The kids had talked Lane into letting Jamie go along too.

At the last neighborhood, Jess finally found some vintage clothing and had picked up a pair of jeans.  The homeowner had set up a little dressing room in a back corner of the garage, so Jess was able to try them on.

When Jess came out of the dressing booth Lane chuckled. “Back in the day, those were called elephant bells.” The jeans fit tight through the hips and thigh, then, at about the knee, flared out.

Jess put her feet out one at a time and then did a little model turn.  “I love them.” As she went back into the dressing booth she said, “Mom, will you see if there’s a top that would go with them?”

Lane picked through the clothes folded on the table, and found a peasant blouse.  She walked back to the booth.  “Here try this on.”  She struck up a conversation with the woman, who appeared to be in her thirties. “How did you end up with all of these clothes from the seventies?”

“I went through my grandmother’s attic and found clothes that had belonged to my mother and my aunt.  They had no use for them anymore, so I added them to the sale.  I’m glad your daughter found something she likes.”

Jess stepped back out wearing the whole outfit and looked in the full length mirror the seller had leaning against the wall.  “They’re great,” she said as she rummaged through the items on the table one more time.  She found a pair of beige crepe palazzo pants and a wrap-around blouse and went back to try them on.  Lane found a maxi dress and handed it to Jess when she came back out.  Then Lane picked through the vintage jewelry and found a couple of items that would go with the clothes Jess had found.  When Jess was in the dressing booth, she quietly purchased them as a surprise for her daughter.  Jess came out of the booth dressed in her own clothes and made her purchase.

Lane couldn’t believe their luck today.  She’d gotten a beautiful bracelet and earrings that would be a perfect birthday gift for Evelyn, some great items to match Jess’s purchases and a nearly new set of golf clubs to start lessons with next week, and Jess had gotten three vintage outfits.  No furniture for the room formerly occupied by Jake, but there would be more garage sales and there was a new vintage / consignment furniture store that had opened on Metcalf recently.  She hadn’t been there yet, but maybe she could drag Ben there sometime soon.

Lane’s cell phone rang and she answered it through the blue tooth in the Escalade.  “Ben, what’s up?”

“Tanner and I finished at the Club.  We got photos of everything.  Tanner’s going to go over them.  If there’s anything to find, he’ll find it.”

“Jess and I just finished for the day and are headed home.”

“Great.   Want to meet for lunch?”

“Sure, I’ll meet you anyplace but the Club. I may never have lunch at the Club again,” Lane said laughingly. Ben and Jess laughed too.

“So, how about meeting me at McHale’s?”

“Okay.  I’m about 20 minutes away.  Does that work for you?”

“Absolutely, Red, see you then.”

“Mom, the house is between here and McHale’s.  Would you mind dropping me off at the house and meeting Ben alone?”

“Are you sure?  Would you rather I cancel?”

“No, Mom.  Go, you missed date night last night.  Besides, it’ll give me time to make some calls to friends.”

Lane unloaded the golf clubs; but before Jess could pick them up, Lane handed her the little package of jewelry she’d gotten for her.  Jess opened it and gave her mother a hug.  Jess carried the golf clubs into the garage, and they gave each other a little wave as Lane backed out of the driveway and headed toward McHale’s.

McHale’s was a little Irish pub in a strip mall.  The strip mall was located between Lane’s and Ben’s houses.  It was a place they went often.   Lane pulled into the parking lot.  She saw Ben’s dark Lincoln Navigator right away and parked behind it.  She went into the pub and easily found Ben in a booth near the back.  Ben stood up as she neared the booth.  He waited for her to sit before taking his seat across from her.  He’d already ordered a glass of iced tea for her and it sat on the table.  She picked it up and took a long drink.

“So, Red, tell me about the day’s haul.  Did you find old books or jewelry for Evie?  Did Jess find any clothes? And last, did you pick up any furniture for Jake’s old room?”

“You know me so well.”  Lane laughed. “Yes, I found some jewelry for Evie.  A bracelet and some earrings that will make a great gift for her birthday next month.  No books or furniture today; but I did find a good set of used golf clubs, so I’ll be ready to start lessons at St. Andrew’s next week.  And Jess picked up three vintage outfits.  I also found some perfect vintage jewelry to go with her new outfits.  All in all, it was a good day. What did you and Roy find out at the club?”

“We got pictures of everything.  We found a little blood on the edge of the counter.  There was a lot of blood on the floor.  We’ll compare our photos to the ones the crime scene techs took and see what we can figure out.”  He took a drink of his Coke.

“The autopsy came back.  The cause of death was ruled blunt force trauma and blood loss.   The skull fracture could have been made from the edge of the counter or by a weapon. So the medical examiner isn’t ready to rule on method of death yet. For now it’s just ruled a suspicious death, so the detectives will continue their investigation.”

Shamus McHale brought over a steaming dish of shepherd’s pie and put it in front of Lane and set a plate with a burger and fries in front of Ben.  Lane hadn’t even had to order, Shamus had put the order in as soon as Ben said Lane would be joining him.

Lane smiled and thanked him.  Shepherd’s pie was great in cold weather, but Lane loved his shepherd’s pie so much she ate it year round.  She stirred the potatoes and beef, allowing it to cool.  “So, I’m not in the clear yet?”

Ben reached across the table and squeezed her left hand.  “Red, come on.  I know it’s easy for me to say, but relax.  I know you didn’t do anything, you know you didn’t do anything, and the cops will figure it out too.”

Lane continued to stir her food.  “And even if they don’t figure it out and God forbid I get arrested, I do have the best lawyer in town.”  She smiled.  She was so lucky to have him in her corner.

~~~~~

They’d met three years earlier when she’d first moved to Kansas from Omaha.  The church she attended was having a garage sale and since she was gutting and remodeling her kitchen, she had donated the appliances that had come with the house.  Ben had come with a truck and a helper to make the pick-up.  Since Lane was donating an entire set of kitchen appliances – stove, refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, and a washer and dryer as well, it had taken more than one trip.  Ben had seen all of the boxes around the house and had come back alone after the last trip just to see if she needed help with moving anything.

Ben helped her carry boxes and told her about his family.  He was first or second generation Italian-American, depending on which side of his family you used to count.  He told her his parents had an arranged marriage.  “I know that kind of thing doesn’t happen much anymore.  That is unless you’re one generation removed from the old country.  My Father was born in America, but my paternal grandparents both emigrated from Italy.  When it was time for Dad to get married, it made sense to them to get a bride from Sicily, and Dad didn’t know any different.”  He had told her that he travelled to Italy once or twice a year to visit family.  His maternal grandparents were still there.  He told her he was a partner with his two uncles in a law practice, and that he practiced criminal law. “Kansas City is/was a mob town.  I’m Italian.  My family is from Palermo, Sicily. You do the math.  I’m connected… at least that’s what a lot of people think.”  Lane laughed and said she thought maybe some of them had seen either The Sopranos TV series or The Godfather movies one too many times.

She told him she was divorced. “Phillip came home from a business trip to Chicago, made love to me and then told me he didn’t love me anymore. That in fact he wasn’t sure he ever loved me. Of course, I asked if there was another woman. And, of course, he said no. He left me with two kids, Jake was five and Jess was almost two, and a third little surprise, Jamie, on the way.” Then he’d dropped the big bomb, telling her he was gay, but she hadn’t told Ben about that.  Ben had asked where the kids were then and she’d told him they were in Omaha with her ex-mother-in-law, and friend Evelyn Parker and that they’d come home, to Kansas, a couple of weeks before school started.  The kids hadn’t been thrilled about the move and she knew it would be easier for them to make friends through school after it started than to be stuck in a new place all summer not knowing anyone. So, when Evie had offered to let the kids spend the summer there, she’d agreed.  As it had turned out, it also was giving her the opportunity to get the remodeling done before she had to cook for the whole family.

Ben had spent nearly every night that summer at Lane’s house helping her get it organized. On Saturdays, he’d given her tours of the city and shown her the best places to eat, get groceries, and shop.  She had no idea that the whole time he was thinking she was recently divorced with three little kids.  She hadn’t told him her age. It wasn’t that she was hiding anything from him; first of all he was just a friend, and secondly it just never occurred to her that he didn’t know. It all came to light one night in early August, when summer vacation was coming to a close, a couple of days before the kids were scheduled to move in.  The kitchen remodel was finished and she and Ben were putting away the dishes and other kitchen items.  Lane was talking about the kids and getting them enrolled in school.

“I’ve got an appointment at Notre Dame de Sion to visit and pay tuition for Jess and one at Rockhurst for Jamie tomorrow.” She’d told Ben.

He had stopped putting wine in the cooler unit and looked across the counter at her.  “Lane, those are high schools.  Just how old are your kids?”

She stopped emptying the dishwasher and looked at him.  “Jake is 21, Jess is 17 and Jamie is 14.”

He looked at her.  That was impossible. She couldn’t be a day over 30.  “Look I know you’re not supposed to ask a woman her age, but just how old does that make you?”

Lane laughed.  “I just turned 46 earlier this month.” And then she went back to emptying the dishwasher.

Ben just stood there, looking a bit stunned.  Lane was 12 years older than he was.  How was that possible? They had spent most of the past two months together.  They had the same interests, the same taste in books, music and movies.  How was she 12 years older with almost grown kids and how had it not come up before? Lane hadn’t noticed, she just kept talking about Jake going back to Kansas University and Jess starting her senior year of high school. Jamie was going to be a freshman and how the transition for him would be easier than for Jess, but that Jess would be fine.

“Evie offered to let Jess stay with her to finish out high school in Omaha, but Jess wanted to be with her mother.  You know what they say, blood is thicker than water and we always say Parker blood is thicker than molasses.”

She was laughing as she looked over at Ben.  He was standing still.  Lane had reached over and given him a nudge. “Earth to Ben… are you going to finish putting the wine away?”

“What? Yeah, of course.  Hey it’s late, we haven’t eaten.  Let’s go grab a bite when we finish with this.”

“As long as we go someplace casual.  I’m not dressed for fancy.”

That was another thing about Lane.  She was truly beautiful.  It didn’t matter what she wore, hair up or hair down, makeup or none; when Lane walked into a room, people noticed.  And she had always been completely oblivious to it. They agreed to just run to Jason’s Deli.  It was close, fast and they could eat light.

It was that first summer when Ben had begun to fall in love with Lane even though he hadn’t realized it at the time. He couldn’t imagine his life without her in it, but her kids would be home soon and he had been worried that she’d have no time for him, but that was when he thought the kids were barely out of diapers.  Teenagers were a whole new ballgame.  He never dated women who had kids.  He was the oldest of five and came from a large extended family.  He liked kids, he just wasn’t ready to play step-dad to any.

“Tomorrow is Thursday.  I’m driving up to Omaha.” She had told him over salad and sandwiches at Jason’s Deli. “I’ll spend the night and on Friday, we’re going to form a Parker caravan and come home.  Jake will go to Lawrence next Sunday.  Do you want to meet us for Church Saturday?”

“Sure, I can do that, or you and the kids could come over to my house and have a swim unless you think you all need some family together time.”

Lane thought for a minute.  “Let me give you a call Friday afternoon.  We’ll be home before rush hour traffic starts. I don’t want Jake or especially Jess to have to deal with it on their first day here.  We had a pool, their grandmother has a pool, so they are used to swimming every day.  That might be a great idea, thanks for thinking of it.”

Lane had brought the kids to Ben’s that Saturday and they’d had a great day in the sun, ending with all five of them going to church and then dinner and a movie together. Ben was amazed at how easily he’d gotten along with the kids.  He and Jake talked about KU.  Jake talked to Ben about going right on for a Masters.  Lane listened; fascinated that Jake would talk things like that over with Ben, who was a virtual stranger.  Especially when he hadn’t mentioned anything to her about it.  He talked to Jamie about going to Rockhurst.  Ben was an alumnus and knew his way around the campus.  He offered to go along with him and Lane for the tour.  He’d talked with Jess a bit about Notre Dame de Sion – since it was a girls’ school, his only experience was that his younger sister had attended there. Jess talked about college applications, and that she wanted to study film and that meant the west coast.

Lane had taken a couple of days of vacation to get everyone settled in the house, showing them around the city of Leawood and the greater Kansas City metropolitan area. Making sure the kids got their drivers licenses and ID’s and getting the cars titled and licensed in Kansas.  They drove by both of the schools. Jess could drop Jamie off at Rockhurst and then go the two and a half miles to Notre Dame de Sion. It was perfect.  They got school uniforms taken care of, and they still had almost two weeks before classes started.  Everyone seemed to be doing fine. Ben had given the Parker kids his garage and alarm codes and told them they could come over and swim every day.  He did suggest that no one swim alone, even though all three of the Parker kids, as Lane put it, swam like fish, he told them he’d feel better if they came together.

That was the beginning of the traditional Parker Saturday night. From the kids’ first weekend in Kansas, Ben had been a Saturday fixture.

~~~~~

“So, Red, what else do you have on tap today?”  Ben asked as he used his fork to dip a french fry in ketchup.

Lane’s shepherd’s pie had cooled enough to eat.  She buttered a biscuit and dipped it in the gravy.

“When does Jess head back?  Doesn’t she have an audition coming up?”

“Jess flies out next Saturday.  And yes she has an audition on Monday. Her classes don’t start until next mid-week though.  They’re all so busy it feels like we don’t all get together anymore.”