Indemnity: Book Two: Covenant of Trust Series by Paula Wiseman

were keeping something from him. She could read it in his eyes. If Shannon could figure out she was upset with Chuck, Joel would piece together why, probably before Brad got here.
    “ So is there anything to eat in this house?” Joel asked, looking back toward the kitchen.
    Bobbi smiled and shook her head at him. “If Brad ate like you do ...”
    “ Then he’d have these big, broad shoulders,” Joel said, flexing his biceps.
    “ I’d have to get a second job just to pay for groceries.” She took Shannon’s hand. “Come on. You can help me make Joel a sandwich.”
    “ Peanut butter and jelly and bologna!” Shannon said, as she bounced down the hall with her mother.
    “ And pickles!” Joel called over his sister’s giggles. He strode into the kitchen, and took a seat at the table. “I think I’ll finish the summer term with A’s, except maybe English,” Joel said as Shannon set a sandwich in front of him with great ceremony and dignity.
    “ Your sandwich, Sir,” she said, bowing low in front of him.
    “ He’s gonna have an even fatter head if you treat him like that!”
    “ Brat!” Shannon squealed and ran across the kitchen, jumping into her oldest brother’s outstretched arms. “You snuck in!”
    “ Weren’t you expecting me?” Brad asked, pretending to be surprised.
    “ Not this early,” Joel teased.
    “ How could I be late when my father calls on my first night off in seventeen days?”
    “ Seventeen days!” Bobbi said, crossing the kitchen to him. “You haven’t picked up a third job, have you?”
    “ No, I’m still Monday to Thursday at UPS and Saturday and Sunday evenings at the hospital, but lately they’ve called me in Friday nights, too.”
    “ You shouldn’t be working so many hours.” She stretched up to hug him, and he shifted Shannon to his hip so he could kiss Bobbi’s cheek.
    “ Mom, I want to get all my rent in the bank before school starts.”
    “ You don’t have to do that, you know,” she scolded. “There’s money in the bank, and you can live here.”
    “ And I can always fall back on that if I need to.” He glanced at his dad and smiled. “You don’t want two lawyers living here. Ask Grandma. She had to put up with Dad and Grandpa Jim.”
    “ But if you came back, the Italians would outnumber the Slavs!” Shannon exclaimed.
    “ What do you know about Italians and Slavs?” Brad pulled her ponytail as he set her back on the floor.
    “ Me and you and Mommy are the Italians, and Daddy and Joel are the Slavs. Just look at 'em! All blonde-haired and stuff.”
    “ You’re too smart for your own good,” Brad said, shaking his head.
    “ Shannon, you’ve seen your brothers,” Bobbi announced. “It’s almost nine o’clock. Bedtime.”
    “ But Brat just got here,” Shannon whined.
    “ I’ll be back Sunday,” Brad said. “Mom has to feed me and Jellybean both.”
    “ Honest?”
    “ Promise,” Brad answered.
    “ All right.” Shannon moped and trudged upstairs.
    “ I’ll be up in a minute,” Bobbi called after her, then turning to the others, she asked, “You guys want some coffee?”
    “ Where’s it from?” Brad asked.
    “ Indonesia.”
    “ No, thanks.” Brad pulled out one of the kitchen chairs, and took a seat, stretching his long legs under the table.
    “ Chuck?” Bobbi asked.
    “ Not this late. Thanks anyway.”
    “ I’ll have some, Mom,” Joel said. Bobbi smiled and began brewing it. “Now, who called this meeting?” Joel asked, turning to his father.
    Chuck glanced at her, then cleared his throat, and inched his chair up to the table. He was waiting for her to go upstairs. He wanted to talk to the boys alone, to lay down his case before they ever heard from her. Not this time.
    “ Just hold your outrage, please,” Chuck said, fixing his eyes on Brad. Of course, Brad would be the hard sell. “Tracy Ravenna is back in town. We found out about it when Mom got her class list.”
    “ Her class list?” Brad asked.