Page 78 of Keep My Heart
‘You’re welcome to stay,’ Mom tells her. ‘But you don’t have to keep working. You’ve done enough.’ She looks at Matt and me. ‘The same goes for you two. You boys have done enough for today. I don’t want you spending what’s left of your weekend out working in the fields.’
‘Mom, I want to. Dad needs the help.’
‘And I don’t mind staying,’ Matt says. ‘Tessa’s out with the kids and I don’t have any appointments this afternoon.’
She sighs. ‘Okay, but no later than three. After that, you quit for the day. And Nick, I’m making you a nice dinner tonight before you have to head home tomorrow.’
I glance at Lyndsay. ‘Mom, I’d love to, but I kind of already have plans.’
‘Nick, it’s okay,’ Lyndsay rushes to say. ‘We can skip it.’
‘Skip what?’ Mom asks. ‘Were you two going to dinner?’
‘We don’t need to,’ Lyndsay says. ‘You go ahead with your plans.’
‘I’m taking Lyndsay to dinner to celebrate her graduation from college,’ I tell my mom. ‘She never celebrated it and I wanted to do something special for her.’
‘I didn’t know you went to college,’ Matt says, munching on his salad.
‘Community college,’ she says. ‘I got an associate degree in accounting.’
‘Accounting? I thought you hated math.’
‘Nick convinced me it’s not as bad as I thought.’ She smiles at me. ‘He was an excellent tutor.’
‘What if we celebrate here?’ Mom says to Lyndsay. ‘The boys could come over. You could invite some friends and your mother. It’d be like a little party.’
‘Oh, no, I couldn’t have you go to all that work,’ Lyndsay says. ‘And you need to take care of your husband. You don’t need to throw me a party.’
‘Did I hear something about a party?’
Dad appears, looking much better than he did this morning, and he’s walking like he has more energy.
‘Where’d you come from?’ Mom asks, getting up. ‘I didn’t hear you come out.’
‘I’m sneaky that way.’ He smiles and gives her a kiss.
‘You feeling better?’ I ask.
‘I’m not a hundred percent, but I’m better than I was this morning. I think all that party planning wore me out.’ He stands at the end of the table, looking at Matt and Lyndsay. ‘What are you two doing here?’
‘They’re helping us out,’ Mom says. ‘Matt’s helping Nick inthe fields and Lyndsay’s helping me clean up the barn from last night.’
‘Why are you putting these kids to work?’ Dad says to Mom. ‘I told you I’d take care of all that.’
‘And I told you I wanted you to rest,’ she says, patting his chest. ‘You haven’t been feeling well all week and working in those fields isn’t going to make you better.’
‘I needed the workout,’ I say, knowing Dad has a hard time admitting he needs help. If I make it about me, he’s more likely to be okay with it. ‘I haven’t been to the gym for days.’
‘And I haven’t been in years,’ Matt says, which makes everyone laugh.
‘We made it about halfway down the hill,’ I tell Dad. ‘After lunch, Matt and I will keep going and hopefully make it down to the property line.’
‘That’s almost a third of the orchard,’ Mom says. ‘You boys are fast.’
Dad nods. ‘Thanks for helping out.’
‘Anytime, Mr. Kanfield,’ Matt says.
