Darling obstacles by Barbara Boswell, Copyright Paperback Collection (Library of Congress) DLC Page B

they repeated themselves for one more round. The television blared defiantly.
    Maggie foresaw an ungodly expensive TV repair bill. "The next one who touches that television set gets a spanking!" she warned automatically in her most intimidating mother-voice.
    Max froze and stared from the blaring TV set to his father, his brown eyes gleaming. "I'll get dressed now, Maggie," he said with a sudden, angelic smile. Maggie saw Greg's shoulders sag with relief at having avoided another unpleasant confrontation with his child. He reached down and switched off the television set.
    "You touched it! Daddy touched it!" Max shrieked, jumping up and down. "He gets a spanking, doesn't he, Maggie? Daddy gets a spanking!"
    Greg's face reddened and he scowled his irritation. "Set up by a four-year-old!" he mumbled. Maggie couldn't help laughing and Greg's frown deepened. He obviously didn't find Max's gleeful squeals as funny as Maggie did.
    "Give him a spanking, Maggie!" urged Max, grabbing her hand and pulling her toward his father. "Go on, hit 'im hard."
    "The little sadist," Greg grumbled.
    "Revenge is sweet, even for the very young," Maggie said. "Okay, Daddy, are you ready to take your medicine?"
    "Not medicine, he's not sick," Max said. "He's bad and he needs a hard spanking."

    "Shall I sit down on the sofa and take you over my knees?" Maggie was thoroughly enjoying Greg's discomfort. He was clearly not used to being at a disadvantage.
    "Yeah!" Max yelled.
    "I think this little joke has gone on long enough." Greg's smile was definitely forced. His face looked ready to crack. "Time to get dressed now, Max."
    "Get 'im, Maggie!" cried Max.
    "You really don't want me to hit your daddy, do you, Max?" Maggie wondered if things weren't getting a little out of hand. She hadn't expected Max to be so insistent. "What if I make him cry?"
    "Good! He made me cry. And—and I hate that dumb lady too!" the little boy added fiercely.
    "Which dumb lady?" Maggie asked. "The one in the car last night?" The plot thickens, she thought. Max hadn't forgotten the lovely Francine or his father's seeming betrayal of him and his bear. But she could put things to right. "Your daddy found out what she said about Teddy and he was so mad at her that he wouldn't take her to the party. He took her right back to her house and told her how mean he thought she was. He said he didn't want to be her friend anymore."
    Max listened pensively, chewing on two of his fingers. "Your daddy loves you very much, Max," Maggie continued. "Even when you're being naughty."
    Greg cleared his throat. "That's right, Max." He came to stand beside the little boy, then impulsively knelt down and hugged him. Maggie, an admittedly absurd sentimentalist, felt a quick rush of tears at the sight.
    "Do you want me to help you get dressed?" Greg asked Max.
    The little boy shook his head. "I can do it myself," he said. He snatched up his clothes and skipped from the room, pausing to call over his shoulder, "I guess you don't have to spank him, Maggie."

    Maggie laughed. Though he was sometimes a trial, she eventually always found Max appealing.
    "You handled that beautifully, Maggie," Greg said. He was staring at her in the most peculiar way.
    "Sometimes a little humor can defuse a potentially explosive situation. Say, maybe I should apply for a position on the bomb squad," she joked.
    Greg didn't laugh. He was still watching her, his expression enigmatic. But his eyes, alert and intelligent, seemed to be assessing her in a whole new way.
    He was beginning to make her nervous again. "I'd better go and braid Kari's hair," she murmured. It was an effort not to dash out of the room, but she forced herself to walk at a normal pace.
    "Maggie?" Greg's voice halted her in her tracks.
    She didn't turn around. "Yes?"
    "Thank you. For helping both Max and me." His voice was warm and very deep. Maggie gave a quick, acknowledging nod and rushed from the room.
    The soccer game was held in the Woodland Elementary