making her entrance.
Kyle jumped. “You scared me.” He stood and whistled. “Look at you. Is that lipstick you’re wearing? What’s the occasion?”
“Marcus is coming home.” Reggie smiled.
“Marcus has come home before. You never got dolled up then.” Kyle grabbed his coat.
“I’m just trying to look nice.”
“Right,” Kyle said slyly. “Let’s go, Seth. In the truck I’m going to tell you about a new man in your mom’s life. His name... is Herbie.”
Reggie snickered and shook her head as she grabbed her jacket and followed.
<><><><>
“Ow.” Marcus snatched his hand from the curtain following his mother’s hard smack.
“Marcus James Leon,” Eliza scolded. “Wrinkle my curtains and I will wrinkle your hide.”
“Where is she?” Marcus asked with a grin, looking out the window. “Does she know I landed on time?”
“She knows. I talked with her. But she’s not gonna rush right over to see you, Marcus. It hasn’t been that long.”
“That doesn’t matter… a lot has happened since then.”
“Not that much.” Eliza headed to the kitchen to tend to dinner. “George, make sure that boy doesn’t touch my curtains.”
Without looking up from his paper, Marcus’ father grumbled, “Uh huh.” Then his ears perked. “Rounding the bend now.”
“What’s that?”
“They just hit the dirt road.” George said in his deep voice. “I can hear them. Count to ten and look.”
“I’m not falling for that, Dad.” Marcus smiled. “You used to tell me that all the time when I was a kid...”
“Three, two....” George said.
“I’m not...” Marcus peeked. He could see the dust behind Kyle’s pickup as it approached the house. With a wide grin and a look at his father, Marcus leapt toward the front door.
The dirt road led to a driveway that stopped a good distance before the Leon home. Reggie leaned toward the windshield and smiled as the truck slowed down and she saw Marcus step onto the porch. “Son of a...” She reached for the door handle.
“Reg,” Kyle said. “Let me stop...” Reggie was out the door before Kyle finished the sentence. He turned to Seth and said, “Don’t worry… Herbie will settle her down.”
Reggie raced across the front lawn, heart pounding. She had missed him so much that she didn’t even pause to look at him, just jumped at him, clinging to him with a shriek.
Marcus laughed as Reggie pummeled him. Her enthusiastic embrace knocked him off his feet and onto the damp grass.
“Miss me?” Reggie smiled nearly laying on top of him. She tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Actually, I was hoping to see Belinda Gold step from that truck.”
With a playful smack to his chest, Reggie rolled and sat alongside him. “What happened to your head?”
“My plane crashed.”
“No shit?”
“No shit. I slept through it.”
“Figures.” Reggie shifted her eyes when she saw her father’s legs.
“Reggie,” Kyle spoke. “Tell me I’m not seeing you roll around with that heathen boy.”
“Hey, Mr. Stevens.” Marcus smiled and reached up his hand.
Kyle shook it and helped Marcus to his feet. “Nice to have you home.”
“Thanks.” Marcus dusted himself off then helped Reggie up. “We should go inside.”
Kyle nodded. “Good thing I covered Seth’s eyes.” Kyle started walking toward the house “He didn’t need to see that ‘Splendor in the Grass’ stuff. He might spill his guts to Herbie. Then you’d be in big trouble, Reg. There goes that spring wedding.”
Marcus laughed, and then looked puzzled. “Who’s Herbie?”
“Male.” Marcus said in answer to Seth’s question.
The fork dropped from Kyle’s hand. He first looked to Eliza, then to George, then back to Marcus with a look of confusion and irritation. “No shit, Sherlock,” he told Marcus. “Tell us something we don’t know.”
Marcus let out a chuckle as he played with his mashed potatoes. “Well, he has type-A blood. Did you know
Kyle jumped. “You scared me.” He stood and whistled. “Look at you. Is that lipstick you’re wearing? What’s the occasion?”
“Marcus is coming home.” Reggie smiled.
“Marcus has come home before. You never got dolled up then.” Kyle grabbed his coat.
“I’m just trying to look nice.”
“Right,” Kyle said slyly. “Let’s go, Seth. In the truck I’m going to tell you about a new man in your mom’s life. His name... is Herbie.”
Reggie snickered and shook her head as she grabbed her jacket and followed.
<><><><>
“Ow.” Marcus snatched his hand from the curtain following his mother’s hard smack.
“Marcus James Leon,” Eliza scolded. “Wrinkle my curtains and I will wrinkle your hide.”
“Where is she?” Marcus asked with a grin, looking out the window. “Does she know I landed on time?”
“She knows. I talked with her. But she’s not gonna rush right over to see you, Marcus. It hasn’t been that long.”
“That doesn’t matter… a lot has happened since then.”
“Not that much.” Eliza headed to the kitchen to tend to dinner. “George, make sure that boy doesn’t touch my curtains.”
Without looking up from his paper, Marcus’ father grumbled, “Uh huh.” Then his ears perked. “Rounding the bend now.”
“What’s that?”
“They just hit the dirt road.” George said in his deep voice. “I can hear them. Count to ten and look.”
“I’m not falling for that, Dad.” Marcus smiled. “You used to tell me that all the time when I was a kid...”
“Three, two....” George said.
“I’m not...” Marcus peeked. He could see the dust behind Kyle’s pickup as it approached the house. With a wide grin and a look at his father, Marcus leapt toward the front door.
The dirt road led to a driveway that stopped a good distance before the Leon home. Reggie leaned toward the windshield and smiled as the truck slowed down and she saw Marcus step onto the porch. “Son of a...” She reached for the door handle.
“Reg,” Kyle said. “Let me stop...” Reggie was out the door before Kyle finished the sentence. He turned to Seth and said, “Don’t worry… Herbie will settle her down.”
Reggie raced across the front lawn, heart pounding. She had missed him so much that she didn’t even pause to look at him, just jumped at him, clinging to him with a shriek.
Marcus laughed as Reggie pummeled him. Her enthusiastic embrace knocked him off his feet and onto the damp grass.
“Miss me?” Reggie smiled nearly laying on top of him. She tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Actually, I was hoping to see Belinda Gold step from that truck.”
With a playful smack to his chest, Reggie rolled and sat alongside him. “What happened to your head?”
“My plane crashed.”
“No shit?”
“No shit. I slept through it.”
“Figures.” Reggie shifted her eyes when she saw her father’s legs.
“Reggie,” Kyle spoke. “Tell me I’m not seeing you roll around with that heathen boy.”
“Hey, Mr. Stevens.” Marcus smiled and reached up his hand.
Kyle shook it and helped Marcus to his feet. “Nice to have you home.”
“Thanks.” Marcus dusted himself off then helped Reggie up. “We should go inside.”
Kyle nodded. “Good thing I covered Seth’s eyes.” Kyle started walking toward the house “He didn’t need to see that ‘Splendor in the Grass’ stuff. He might spill his guts to Herbie. Then you’d be in big trouble, Reg. There goes that spring wedding.”
Marcus laughed, and then looked puzzled. “Who’s Herbie?”
“Male.” Marcus said in answer to Seth’s question.
The fork dropped from Kyle’s hand. He first looked to Eliza, then to George, then back to Marcus with a look of confusion and irritation. “No shit, Sherlock,” he told Marcus. “Tell us something we don’t know.”
Marcus let out a chuckle as he played with his mashed potatoes. “Well, he has type-A blood. Did you know
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