stretched out his hand. “I actually managed to slay my first kreplin the other day. As you can see, it left me with a souvenir.” He nodded down to his cast, and her dad instantly lost his easy smile.
“I’m sorry to hear that, Curtis.” He started to frown. “Any parent who has a child at Burtonwood worries about injuries. Thankfully, except for her sore eye the other day, Emma’s been lucky.”
“I’d hardly call it lucky. I just haven’t had anything decent to slay,” Emma mumbled as she picked up a weird-looking plastic thing on the mantel and started to fiddle with it before realizing it was actually a blue baby toy that said IT’S A BOY across the front. She instantly put it back down and tried not to think about the fact that she was going to have a half brother.
“Well, call me an old-fashioned sight-blind civilian but I’d rather you be safe than injured,” her dad merely said before shooting her a hopeful glance. “So can you both stay for dinner? Olivia always teases me that I make too much food, but the advantage is that there is always plenty for extras.”
Emma shook her head. “Sorry, but we’re kind of in a hurry. We have a taxi waiting outside. Actually, the reason I’m here is because I need to look at some of Mom’s books. Is it okay if I go up to the study?”
“Oh.” A flash of guilt ran across her dad’s face. “Do you mean all the old ones with the brown leather covers?”
“Yes.” She croaked as a stab of panic raced through her body. “Why? Is there a problem?”
“It’s just—Well, we decided to turn the study into a nursery.” He shot her an apologetic look. “Right now the only books in there are of The Very Hungry Caterpillar variety.”
“And you have no idea how long it took him to set up the crib,” Olivia teased as she put an affectionate hand on his arm.
“Hey, those things are hard to do,” her dad protested as he returned her embrace, and Emma stared at them in horror.
“S-so what about Mom’s things? You didn’t . . . ”
“What?” He looked at her blankly for a moment before shaking his head. “Oh sorry, honey, I didn’t mean to scare you. Of course I didn’t throw anything out; they’re just up in the attic. Do you need them right away?”
“Yeah, it’s kind of important,” she said, just as a timer went off in the kitchen.
“Bill, I’ll check that and you can go get the books for Emma,” Olivia suggested in a sunny voice before heading for the kitchen while her dad went upstairs.
“Are you okay?” Curtis whispered to her when the room was empty. “You went a little pale for a minute.”
“I’m fine. I was just worried they threw out my mom’s books and then we would be back at square one.”
“Why would they throw them out?” Curtis looked surprised.
“Same reason they’ve changed the furniture and put away all the photos.” Emma shrugged as she glanced around the room and tried to connect it with the home she had once known. “Out with the old and in with the new, I guess.”
Before Curtis could answer, her dad reappeared with a weathered-looking cardboard box, and Emma felt her shoulders sag in relief.
“Thanks.” She hurried over and took it from him.
“Did you find them?” Olivia reappeared from the kitchen with a matching frilly apron tied around her large bump, her face flushed from the heat of the kitchen.
“Yes. Anyway, we’ve got a taxi waiting outside, so we’d better get going, but thank you so much for these.” Emma protectively gripped the box while next to her Curtis looked like he was trying to figure out a way to carry a box and use his crutches at the same time.
“Emma, you don’t need to say thank you. They’re as much yours as they are mine,” her dad corrected as he took the box from her and followed her over to the front door. “And if you’re sure you can’t stay, why don’t I drive you back to Burtonwood?”
“No.” Emma quickly shook her head, thinking of the minibus that would be waiting to take her and Curtis back to the Academy. Then she caught her dad’s hurt look. “I mean, your dinner’s ready. And you don’t need to come outside. It’s cold.”
“Nonsense,” Olivia said as she followed them down to the taxi while the driver put away his cell phone and started the engine.