Page 31 of Reaper
“I wouldn’t dream of thinking it’s more than what it is,” he insists, although his tone suggests otherwise.
The smart thing to do would be to politely decline, but I never said I was smart.
“I’ll meet you at the house in an hour.”
“I’ll be there.”
17
Reaper
“Idon’t wanna do homework.”
Kyra left a half hour ago, and I’ve been struggling with the twins from the moment she walked out the door. It’s not their fault though. They’re just being the six-year-olds that they are. I’m the one making it more difficult than it has to be, and I recognize it for what it is: I miss my own kids.
“No homework, no playtime,” I tell Hunter for the third time.
Heidi glares at her brother. “I wanna play Candyland. Stop being a brat.”
“I’m not a brat.”
“Yes, you are.”
“Am not.”
“Are to.”
“Am not.”
“Are—”
“That’s enough,” I bark, and both of them whip their heads in my direction. “We’re going to do your homework, end of story. Now, get your backpacks and bring them to the kitchen table.”
Hunter looks like he wants to argue some more, but he wisely chooses not to. After they’re both sitting at the table, I sit across from them to help if they need it.
“This is stupid,” Hunter complains ten minutes later. “Why do we even have to know how to spell? It’s not like I’m gonna write anything when I grow up. I’m gonna be a zookeeper. Animals don’t care how I spell things.”
“A zookeeper, huh?” I ask.
He shrugs his little shoulders. “I like animals.”
“Me too,” Heidi says. “But I’m gonna be a Barbie when I grow up.”
“You can’t be a Barbie, dummy. They’re dolls,” Hunter counters.
“Don’t call your sister names,” I admonish, and I’m instantly reminded of a very similar argument I overheard Paul and Erica having.
Sadness washes over me at the memory. I try to shove the emotion into the lockbox in my brain, but it doesn’t work like it normally does. What the Fire Pits was I thinking trying to help out with Kyra’s twins? I should’ve known that it would bring up things better left under lock and key.
“Reaper, I’m done,” Heidi announces a few minutes later. “Can I go play now?”
“I’m done, too,” Hunter says.
“Uh, yeah. You can both go play.”
“Are you gonna play with us?”
“Maybe later. Right now, I’m gonna whip us up some dinner. How does macaroni and cheese with hot dogs sound?”
