tearful voice, she told her brother that Mark had met some friends that day to go to the movies. Afterward they went to a store nearby, and they were caught shoplifting. “The security guard called me, and I had to go get him.” She continued to cry. “Frank, I don’t know what to do with my son. He’s been so angry since his father left.”
“Did you want me to talk to him?”
“No, he’s in bed now.” She paused for a few seconds. “I wanted to ask if you can come down one weekend soon and spend some time with Mark. His father was supposed to come and visit the last two weekends, but he didn’t show up. Mark’s gotten worse since his father has stood him up.” She choked on a sob. “I’ll understand if you can’t come.”
“No, let me check my workload, and I’ll see if I can come down sometime soon.” He rang off with his sister as he lifted the bottle of scotch from the shelf.
A few days later the screen door banged shut when Emily entered the house. Minutes passed and Frank figured she was changing out of her barn boots before she entered her home. He noted the late hour before she peeked into the room.
He looked up, adjusting his glasses, when she entered. Tendrils of hair spilled from her ponytail, giving her an earthy, mussed appearance. “Frank, it’s almost nine o’clock.”
He blinked, pulled his glasses off, and rubbed his eyes. “I know. Why are you just now coming in from the barn?”
Sighing, she sat in a chair. “One of the cows was sick. I was just making sure she was okay. I think I’ll call the vet tomorrow.” She glanced around the office. “Why are you still here?”
“I’m missing some of your father’s files.”
She frowned. “What are you missing?”
He explained which financial papers he was looking for. “I’m going to have trouble finishing my audit if I don’t find those papers.”
“Well, I’m sure they’re around here someplace.” She stood and pulled out a drawer in one of the filing cabinets. “Have you looked in here?”
He nodded. “There’s a few filing cabinets in the other corner that are locked. I didn’t know where the key was.”
Emily lifted a bright yellow mug from the desk and dumped the contents. Frank helped her sift through the mess, and his fingers brushed against hers. Warmth traveled over his hand. She spotted the key. “Here it is.”
She rushed to the cabinet, placing the key into the hole. A soft click sounded as she unlocked the drawer. She pulled, but it failed to open. “Frank, I think it’s stuck,” she gasped, still trying to open the drawer.
He rushed to her side. Together they opened the drawer, and folders tumbled onto the floor. He whistled softly, gazing at the papers. “Your father sure does keep a lot of stuff around.”
Nodding, she massaged her neck, and he wondered if she was tired from a long day of work. “I hardly spent any time in this office. I don’t really know what’s in here.” Pulling out one of the folders, she flipped it open, finding notes written in pencil. “This makes no sense to me. It’s just a bunch of numbers.”
He glanced at the notes and frowned. “Well, whatever this is, it’s not what we’re looking for.” He glanced at the cabinet again. “But we might need to go through this whole cabinet to find the papers we need.”
“Maybe we should do this another time. I don’t feel like looking through this stuff right now. It’s late.”
Changing the subject, he pulled a family photograph off her father’s desk. “Is this your stepmother and your sister?”
She nodded, glancing at the picture. Emily looked like she was about eighteen in the photo. “Yes, I think I was telling you about my sister when we had dinner at the pizza place.”
He sat, still looking at the photo. “Why do you look so upset in this picture?”
“Because my father had just gotten remarried, and I was not eager to have a new female in this house. That picture was taken right before
“Did you want me to talk to him?”
“No, he’s in bed now.” She paused for a few seconds. “I wanted to ask if you can come down one weekend soon and spend some time with Mark. His father was supposed to come and visit the last two weekends, but he didn’t show up. Mark’s gotten worse since his father has stood him up.” She choked on a sob. “I’ll understand if you can’t come.”
“No, let me check my workload, and I’ll see if I can come down sometime soon.” He rang off with his sister as he lifted the bottle of scotch from the shelf.
A few days later the screen door banged shut when Emily entered the house. Minutes passed and Frank figured she was changing out of her barn boots before she entered her home. He noted the late hour before she peeked into the room.
He looked up, adjusting his glasses, when she entered. Tendrils of hair spilled from her ponytail, giving her an earthy, mussed appearance. “Frank, it’s almost nine o’clock.”
He blinked, pulled his glasses off, and rubbed his eyes. “I know. Why are you just now coming in from the barn?”
Sighing, she sat in a chair. “One of the cows was sick. I was just making sure she was okay. I think I’ll call the vet tomorrow.” She glanced around the office. “Why are you still here?”
“I’m missing some of your father’s files.”
She frowned. “What are you missing?”
He explained which financial papers he was looking for. “I’m going to have trouble finishing my audit if I don’t find those papers.”
“Well, I’m sure they’re around here someplace.” She stood and pulled out a drawer in one of the filing cabinets. “Have you looked in here?”
He nodded. “There’s a few filing cabinets in the other corner that are locked. I didn’t know where the key was.”
Emily lifted a bright yellow mug from the desk and dumped the contents. Frank helped her sift through the mess, and his fingers brushed against hers. Warmth traveled over his hand. She spotted the key. “Here it is.”
She rushed to the cabinet, placing the key into the hole. A soft click sounded as she unlocked the drawer. She pulled, but it failed to open. “Frank, I think it’s stuck,” she gasped, still trying to open the drawer.
He rushed to her side. Together they opened the drawer, and folders tumbled onto the floor. He whistled softly, gazing at the papers. “Your father sure does keep a lot of stuff around.”
Nodding, she massaged her neck, and he wondered if she was tired from a long day of work. “I hardly spent any time in this office. I don’t really know what’s in here.” Pulling out one of the folders, she flipped it open, finding notes written in pencil. “This makes no sense to me. It’s just a bunch of numbers.”
He glanced at the notes and frowned. “Well, whatever this is, it’s not what we’re looking for.” He glanced at the cabinet again. “But we might need to go through this whole cabinet to find the papers we need.”
“Maybe we should do this another time. I don’t feel like looking through this stuff right now. It’s late.”
Changing the subject, he pulled a family photograph off her father’s desk. “Is this your stepmother and your sister?”
She nodded, glancing at the picture. Emily looked like she was about eighteen in the photo. “Yes, I think I was telling you about my sister when we had dinner at the pizza place.”
He sat, still looking at the photo. “Why do you look so upset in this picture?”
“Because my father had just gotten remarried, and I was not eager to have a new female in this house. That picture was taken right before
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