Page 24 of Red Mountain Burning
As they returned their attention to the puzzle, Abby said, “I’m so ready for our own place. You have no idea, Mary. But if this one doesn’t work out, we’ll find another. As long as it’s on the mountain, we’ll be happy.”
Though there were still unbearable moments, Brooks was getting used to Abby and Shay being together, and he couldn’t deny the pride he felt for Shay. His brother had gone from living on the streets to being a father and looking to buy a house. Good for him.
Brooks was glad to see everyone trying hard with Adriana and Zack too—even if Adriana was not very talkative. At one point, Mary asked, “Zack, what are your summer plans?”
“Oh, just some camps,” he said through a missing tooth, as he tested a puzzle piece in the far-right corner.
“Don’t forget fishing,” Brooks said, putting a hand on Zack’s shoulder. “We’re going down to the Snake River at some point, right?” Brooks didn’t know much about fishing, but it had become his and Zack’s main way of spending time together.
“Totally,” Zack said. “They have huge trout, like the size of…I don’t know. Like the size of sharks.”
“Or bigger,” Brooks said. “I was thinking about putting Zack on the end of a hook to see if we can catch the Big Kahuna.”
Zack rolled his eyes. “There’s no such thing as the Big Kahuna.”
“Oh, you wait and see.”
Laughter filled the porch.
“All right, Mom,” Brooks said. “Time to stop bogarting my nephew. Can I hold him?”
“I suppose I can share,” Mary replied.
Brooks took Wyatt and lifted him up so that they were face-to-face. “As long as you don’t throw up on me like last time, we’re good.Capisce?”
Wyatt smacked his lips.
“I’m glad we understand each other,” Brooks said. He moved in and rubbed his own nose against his nephew’s. “Is that carrots I smell on your breath, bossman?” He touched noses again. “Yeah, I’d say so. You keep eating your veggies, and you’ll grow up big and tall like me. Otherwise, you’ll end up a little runt like your dad.”
Brooks eyed Shay, and the two brothers shared a smile.
It took one more nose touch for Wyatt to come alive, and he cracked a toothless grin that nearly brought the house down.
* * *
At seven-thirty,Abby and Mary went to put Wyatt down, and Brooks pushed away from his seat. “I’ll tackle the dishes—”
“Oh, don’t worry about it,” Charles said, throwing out a hand. “Your mom and I can get those later.”
Brooks looked at the others, who were highly focused on completing the puzzle, with only a few pieces of Hedwig and Dumbledore still missing.
“You keep the troops entertained,” he said to his father. “I’ll just get started.”
Charles nodded and returned to the puzzle. “Now, where are this guy’s eyes?”
In the kitchen, Brooks brushed the leftovers of grilled chicken and rice off each plate and into the trashcan. Charles and Mary had only bought the house two months before, but they’d done a good job of making it feel like a home. Mary was into butterflies; a fact Brooks had only just learned since they’d moved up here. Several butterfly prints hung on the wall to the right of the refrigerator. All the potholders and hand towels featured butterflies as well.
As he began loading the dishwasher, he heard Abby’s voice coming from the baby monitor next to the fruit bowl on the counter. “If you’ll grab the diapers, I’ll clean him up.” Apparently, the other end of the monitor was in the guest bedroom, which Mary had turned into a nursery for her grandchild.
While Brooks was scrubbing away on a pot, he heard Abby say, “He’s got Shay’s calves, doesn’t he?”
“He sure does,” Mary agreed. “And his cheeks, of course.”
Brooks felt a little weird listening in on their conversation, but his hands were wet, and he was on a roll, so he didn’t bother switching off the monitor.
The baby talk kept going as Brooks moved one plate at a time from the sink to the dishwasher. Then he started handwashing the stemless wine glasses lined up on his right.
He was wondering if he and Adriana might ever have a child of their own when something his mother said through the monitor stopped his heart.
