The swing set hadn’t yet lost its appeal, and I watched them climb around on it for a few minutes before I called them in for dinner and baths. They groaned, but listened. Beside me, Nana chuckled at their reaction, and I thanked her for watching them. She assured me they were a joy.
Once they slept, I paced the apartment. Though I had freedom, I stayed close to the boys and had nothing to do. I recalled Nana’s packed bookcase and left the door open as I skipped down the stairs. Her door stood open, as usual. Before I could call out to her, Emmitt opened Jim’s door.
“Do you know where Nana is?” I asked pointing at her open door.
“She stepped out for a walk,” he said in a hushed voice as he closed the door behind him. I heard Jim’s chuckle through the door and understood why Emmitt had closed it. “Did you need something?”
“I wanted to ask if I could borrow a book.”
He smiled and motioned for me to follow him into Nana’s apartment. “She would insist you take your pick.” He waved his hand indicating the large bookcase. “She used to be a teacher, you know. She loves curious minds and reading.”
His last comment assured me that she wouldn’t mind, and I stepped up to look at the titles. I plucked two from the many rows and asked Emmitt to let her know what I took.
I felt his eyes follow me as I jogged back up the stairs. Carrying one of my selections to bed, I read until I passed out.
The next morning, I listened to the boys plan what they wanted to do that day. Play on the swing set, of course. After they finished their oatmeal, I put on my suit with a tank top over it as the boys quickly dressed. With my book and a blanket from Emmitt’s closet tucked under my arm, I followed them downstairs for another sunny summer day.
Both apartment doors on the first floor stood open, again. It made me smile. We went from a house with bars and alarms to a house without doors, and I loved it.
We left the cool, quiet indoors and stepped out into the singing heat. Birds chirped in the trees, and crickets spoke to each other in the tall grass next to the house where the mower couldn’t reach.
A metallic clink echoed within the dim recess of the garage, explaining where Emmitt hid.
The boys contented themselves with playing pirates on the swing set while I spread my blanket near the porch in the first sunny patch of the morning. I lay down on my belly and began to read my science fiction.
Eventually, I heard Aden’s excited exclamation and looked up. They no longer played in their area. They had wandered to the back corner of the garage where they hunkered down on their heels, heads bent, and pointed at something on the ground. I set my book down and rose to investigate. Please don’t let it be a snake.
When they saw me coming, they ran toward me and excitedly told me about a large animal track. Aden tugged on my hand to lead me to the corner and pointed to a huge, muddy paw print the size of my hand.
“Um, new rule,” I said staring at the monstrous mark. “No petting strange dogs. Ever.”
“You don’t have to worry about that here,” Emmitt said, startling me.
I turned as he came closer. He wore cut off jean shorts and a light blue t-shirt that bore a few grease smears. Friends, I reminded myself as my stomach did its happy dance.
“I’ve seen the animal before,” he continued. “Met it. It’s completely friendly to kids,” he assured me.
I nodded but still cautioned the boys to stay where I could see them. They continued to gawk at the print while I fled to my blanket and book.
Eventually, the sun rose too high, and I knew I needed to find shade or burn. I retreated to the house to change into shorts then spent the rest of the day on the porch, reading and inspecting whatever new object the pair discovered.
Thursday morning proved to be as uneventful as the prior day. I didn’t really mind. Uneventful was better than discovery. However, moments of consuming anxiety began to occur. I’d find myself relaxing then wonder how close Blake was to finding us. The urge to move, to run again, would flood me. Thankfully, no one was close enough to see my agitation when one of those moments claimed me since Emmitt and Nana had stayed inside to work on the unfinished apartment on the third floor.
By midmorning, the day seemed to drag. I loved my brothers, but never having spent so much concentrated time with them before, I began to feel a little short-tempered when dealing with them. Aden seemed especially whiny in the sun so I moved him to the shade. There he threw a fit because I didn’t make Liam join us. After I called Liam over to appease Aden’s sense of fairness, they just fought.