Grant nodded facetiously. “I know, and the wolf will eat me up, blah, blah, blah…”
David sat on the edge of the bed, crossing his arms and feeling betrayed.
Randy leaned back, looking past the boys. “Rachel, have you given any thought to what we were talking about earlier today? If I pay for it, will you go to school?”
“I don’t know, Daddy,” Rachel sighed, getting situated in bed. “I’m so busy right now trying to help Wally with his band. They’ve gotten themselves into a hole right now…”
“Give me a couple shovels, and I’ll make sure they stay there,” Grant grinned.
David swatted at Grant’s leg. “Nobody wants to hear from you right now.”
“Has anyone seen Wally lately?” Emily asked curiously.
“What kind of trouble are they in now?” Randy asked, purposely ignoring the inquiry.
“They’ve made a few financial mistakes along the way…business deals gone bad,” Rachel explained.
“So, they’re in debt?” Randy snapped.
“Yes,” Rachel gulped.
“Oh, that’s the way to make a living,” Joanna laughed. “Hurry, Rachel, marry this guy!”
“Or I could just string him along for a few years with no intentions of ever actually marrying the poor guy,” Rachel bit back.
“Touché,” Joanna gulped.
“Daddy,” Rachel pled. “Honestly, it was just one marketing mistake that got them off course. Everyone makes mistakes.”
Surprisingly, Randy seemed to take a moment to ponder the statement.
“Some more than others,” Nora sighed.
“He’s a great guy, Mom. He loves me, and I love him,” Rachel argued. “He just made an honest mistake. Haven’t you ever made a mistake?”
“Of course I have,” Nora shrugged with an honest cackle. “How do you think we got Grant?”
“Oh, thanks, Mom,” Grant grinned.
“Best mistake we ever made,” Nora smiled at Randy.
“That’s debatable,” Randy chuckled.
“Was I really an accident?” Grant smiled.
“Oh, total shocker, Sweetie,” Nora recalled, with what Grant considered to be a horrified glance.
“Of course you were an accident, Soldier,” Randy laughed. “Did you think that after fourteen years your mother and I suddenly decided that we needed one more rugrat to make our lives complete?”
“Unplanned is probably a better word than accident,” Melissa suggested.
“I remember the day I found out I was pregnant,” Nora sighed. “Gosh, I didn’t know how to break it to your father.”
“Please try to curb your enthusiasm as you recall the joy of my birth; I can hardly stand all the excitement,” Grant said, throwing his arms in the air.
“Let’s just say that we went on a family vacation and brought home a very unexpected souvenir,” Randy said gruffly.
“Oh, let’s not say anything of the sort,” Grant grumbled as he buried his face under his pillow.
There was a knock on the door.
“No one’s home!” Grant called, and his father punched him playfully on the arm.
At Rachel’s request, Emily went to open the door for Wally.
“Anybody mind if I’m next in the shower?” he asked as he dumped an armload of pillows and extra blankets onto the floor.
“That would be just fine,” Nora said kindly. “You go right ahead.”
When Wally disappeared behind the bathroom door, Grant turned to Rachel. “He actually showers?”
Rachel rolled her eyes. “Shut-up,” she insisted.
“Jo, what’s the matter? You look like something’s bothering you,” Randy asked sincerely.
Joanna had to admit that she was still entranced by Grant’s antics on the floor. “Grant,” she said sternly, “after you pull a stunt like you just did, how do you expect any of us to believe you about what happened the night of the fire?”
“Joey, why are you bringing that up?” Grant sighed. “Ever since the fire, that’s all you can think about when you’re around me.”
