Read Online Questing (Cosmis Connections, Book One) by Barbara Huffert - Free Book Online Page B

out of stuff but if I was determined, he’d help with whatever.”
    “Wait a minute. You stole your teachers’ car?”
    “More like borrowed it. And we filled the tank for them and washed it. It’s not like they needed it for those three hours.”
    “Jordan!”
    “I know. You’re thinking I’m not showing any remorse. Kiley, I know we were wrong. We both did but did it anyway. Once Brett knew he couldn’t talk me out of it he coached me on what to say to talk our way out of the trouble we knew we’d be in. But it could have been much worse. We could have stolen a stranger’s car or been drinking and wrecked it.”
    “You know how to steal a car?”
    “Yes but I never have. I figured it would be good to know in case I ever lost my keys.”
    Kiley laughed at how he made it sound so perfectly reasonable. “I’m amazed.”
    “Good or bad?”
    “Undecided for now. Was that summer awful?”
    “No, it turned out to be great. They were both really good people. He was an English teacher and she taught math. I guess they figured out that part of why we got into trouble was that we were bored so they solved the problem by giving us things to concentrate on. And they talked to us while we worked too. We learned a lot about life that summer, not just school stuff. It’s not like they said anything much different from what our parents did but we were kids and it was easier to listen to coming from someone else.”
    “So did you stay out of trouble?”
    “Yes and no. We did things we shouldn’t have but we didn’t get caught.”
    “Like what?”
    “There was a racetrack about thirty-five miles away. We hitchhiked there every other week or so. We’d find a woman who’d been deserted by her husband and then get her to bet on the horses for us. We amassed a tidy sum by the time school started again. Shane knew we had unexplained cash but never figured out where it came from.
    “He went off to college that fall but came home at least once or twice a month. I made annoying him into an art. We’d hang out and everything would be great. Just before he was about to go back I’d do something to make him wonder what I was scheming. Brett, of course, always told me just what to say and then Shane would have to go. He’d be crazy until he got home again and saw that we hadn’t really done anything. Naturally we had to cause some trouble now and then so he wouldn’t get complacent.”
    “What did your parents do about all that?”
    “Nothing. They were both very generous with their attention. If they had a favorite, I certainly never knew. I think they guessed what I was up to and how Brett was involved and decided to stay out of it. I’m sure there was a line somewhere but I never crossed it.”
    “I don’t know what to say.”
    “You don’t have to say anything. Or you can tell me every thought that’s crossing your mind,” Jordan waited.
    “Hmm, okay. I think you must have always been charming. I think you underestimate yourself or put too much emphasis on your brother’s opinions. I’m not sure I like him but I’m willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now. Your parents are good people. You and Brett were very lucky with your teachers. It’s a good thing you two decided against being criminals because you probably would have been very good at it.
    “I envy your friendship with Brett especially the way you’ve made it last over the years. I had what I considered good friends in high school but we haven’t kept in touch. Dee is a very good friend now but we don’t share a past. My uncle is a trainer of sorts and they moved around a lot more than we did so Alyssa and I weren’t as close as I think we could have been if we’d been together all the time. Or maybe I’m wrong. We see other pretty often now but there’s still this distance between us. We’re closer than ever but not like you and Brett are. I could tell that about you guys right away. I bet either one of you would do anything