Read Online Daniel by Kathi S. Barton - Free Book Online Page B

“I thought so. It must have been hard for
her to hide it from you so you’d not worry. But in answer to your question,
she’s not going to die. She’s sick, but with the proper care, which I will promise
she’ll get even if she doesn’t think she needs it, she’ll be up to her old
grumpy self in no time. And, Benny, I’d very much like it if you called me
Daniel. Mr. Hunter is my brother. He’s the old one.”
    Benny didn’t understand the man’s
laughter when his mom hit him. It wasn’t hard, Benny supposed, but still when
his mom had hit him she’d been a lot meaner. He leaned back in his seat and thought
about where he was going.
    He didn’t know this man or his family,
but he didn’t make him feel nervous. There was something very…calming about the
man. The woman, too, if Benny thought about it. Mr. Hunter, or Daniel, seemed
like a nice guy, but Benny was aware that people wore all kind of costumes and
what sort they pulled out was how he reacted to them. Benny was waiting to see
how this man was dressed before he let his guard down too much.
    The house they pulled in front of was
huge. When he’d lived in Florida with his mom, they’d lived in this big
building, too, but this was very different. This one had one person living in
it, while the other place had about a million. And he’d bet his last allowance
money that there wasn’t a rat within a hundred miles of this place.
    This one had a nice garden in the front.
Flowers were everywhere, and Benny figured that he’d make a mint off this guy
just watering them all. The front of the house was big, too, with four big
columns holding up the top of a porch-like thing. The windows gleamed in the
sun, and he wondered how many people lived here with him. When they pulled into
the garage, Benny knew it had to be at least six if the number of cars and
motorcycles had any bearing on it. He said as much to the man.
    “No. I like cars and collect them. The
bike I’ve had since high school and couldn’t part with it when I started making
money. It depends on where I’m going and what I plan to do when I get there on
what I take. But the bike is for special occasions.”
    “My mom has just the one car. She said
she could get a new one, but that’s just a waste of money if you can only drive
one at a time.” He flushed when the woman laughed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean
that you waste your money, sir.”
    He ruffed up his hair and told him not
to worry. “I’m the butt of someone’s joke all the time. My brothers all sold
their fun cars when they got married. So since I never plan to marry, I can
keep my toys for as long as I want.”
    Benny was shown to a room and then was
told where Daniel slept. “If you need anything, I’m right there.” Then he told
him that it was just the two of them in the house if you didn’t count his
friend and cook, Roger.
    Roger was a huge man, Benny found out
later, and he thought the man was sweet on Mrs. Hunter. He got bright red every
time he spoke to her, and stammered all over his words whenever he spoke to
her. Benny thought it was stupid to like girls. They smelled pretty sometimes,
but so not worth the effort. He decided that Daniel had the right idea: don’t
ever get married and you would never have to sell your stuff.
    He had a dinner of grilled cheese and a
bowl of tomato soup. Roger said that no self-respecting person ate soup from a
can when Benny had asked what brand it was. He had no idea what that had meant,
and didn’t ask again. He figured the guy was nuts or very possessive of his
food names. Benny told him it was the best he’d ever eaten. And it was.
    “Roger is a cordon bleu chef. He works
for me until something better comes along.” Daniel sat next to Benny and leaned
toward him as he finished speaking. “He’s been telling me that for years, and
yet he’s still here.”
    This was a weird house, Benny concluded
later when Daniel and Roger argued over the best kind of cheese to make