“Could you show him the knives, and throw a few times, Dad?”
Oh this is wonderful – blending the assassin’s lifestyle with family, Nick thought. Rachel is going to blow a gasket. “No comment until I talk to your Mom about many things, including your new sharing personality.”
“I didn’t know you’d throw me under the bus if I asked,” Jean complained.
“Now you do. By the time I get through explaining your new propensity for sharing our home life, you’ll have tread marks from the tips of your shoes to the furrowed forehead you’re gracing me with.”
Sonny turned away, stifling laughter at Nick’s remark. Jean bopped him on the head.
“I didn’t mean to get you in trouble, Dagger,” Sonny said. “That was funny though.”
“You’re not supposed to call me by my secret identity either,” Jean said.
“Let’s shelve all this for now, you two. Stick to homework and what kind of pizza you’d like. I’ll handle the entertainment part.”
“Meaning movies or playing catch with Deke… boring.”
“Actually, I was thinking of the exciting game of taking Sonny home right after dinner, and then watching you write ‘I will not be a sarcastic little brat’ a thousand times before you go to bed.”
Sonny earned another headshot over excessive enjoyment of Jean’s possible punishment.
*
“Wow.” Rachel sat across from Nick sipping tea at the kitchen table. “This isn’t like Jean at all. Even I admit that. You do understand what this is though with the sharing, right?”
“I do indeed. It means if she continues along this new path, they’ll be sending a SWAT team to collect me for an extended lifetime visit at Leavenworth.”
“It means she really likes this boy, Sonny.”
“Yeah… that too,” Nick admitted. “My reality thinking only goes as far as my new Leavenworth stay. Ten year old crushes lose their excitement for me in comparison.”
“We’ll work through it. I’ll talk to her. The fact she’s forgotten about our cross country jaunt, and the need for careful consideration of every word we share means she’s got it bad. I think it’s cute.”
“Which part, my fifty year Leavenworth stretch or the crush?”
Rachel giggled, covering Nick’s hand with hers. “Thanks for the act of debauchery you subjected me to this morning before you went to collect my new sharing daughter. Did you call Grace and Tim?”
“You’re welcome, but I didn’t consider it a duty. It’s more of a lifetime calling. Yes, I called Tim and Grace. They’ll be here around dinner time. They can have some pizza. I’ll run a plan by them I’ve formulated, and they’ll probably throw up the pizza. Oh… Gus and Tina will be over too, so I’ll order a few big ones with the extra side dishes. I asked John, but he has a date he’d rather see one on one for now.”
“You’ve made the US Marshals’ visit sound ominous, but I don’t want to know why. I took a nap, so I’ll be fine for guests. I’ll entertain the kids with Tina while you conduct your meeting. Are you going to demonstrate the throwing knives for Sonny?”
“Nope. Once he has the knife throwing conversation with his parents, I believe the crush will be over too.”
“Boys are pushovers for stuff like guns and knives. Do the demo after they finish the homework. I’ve seen you with the damn knives. I’ve always been impressed as hell with the way you can shoot, but there’s something about the way you work the knives that almost makes it seem like a magic trick.”
“Yeah, it’s a magic trick, made so by a thousand hours of practice,” Nick admitted. “Okay, I’ll do it, but remember I warned you. Want me to fool around a little with you under the table while the kids are distracted.”
“No!” Rachel blushed. “Damn you. Now that’s all I can think of. Get away from me.”
“Heh…heh…” Nick slipped in beside Rachel. She made motions of fighting him off, but her breathing told a different tale. Jean took that moment to pop her head in the doorway.
“Hey, we’re all done with the math. Come and check it, Dad. Did Mom talk you into the knife throwing demo for Sonny?”
“Why you little brat!”
“So, you just rolled me by preconceived plan,” Nick observed. “This affront will not be forgotten, ladies.”
*
Nick caught the knives Jean tossed in the air to him, immediately slinging them dead center on target. He then turned his back on target, spun right and then left, using both hands to throw, striking center target in each instance. He noticed the open mouthed, stunned observer, Sonny, watching with ever widening eyes. Nick also noted Sonny was filming the demo on his iPhone. Nick collected and put away the knives in their case. Tim and Grace walked out from the house to join the backyard audience of Gus, Jean, and Sonny. Nick could tell in a glance they had been watching from inside the house with Tina and Rachel.
“Well… that’s just disturbing,” Grace said.