Frank moved away and went downstairs to the bathroom, locking himself inside. He looked in the mirror. Selfish bastard, he sneered at himself. All this time he had only thought of his own pain at losing his brother. He had felt anger; revenge; fear; loneliness and grief but always, his own. Only now did he realize what his brother had been going through.
Of course Joe cared about Pierce. Pierce understood and commiserated with Joe. Pierce put Joe's feelings over his own. Something Frank should have done. Something he would do from now on no matter what the sacrifice to himself or his parents.
His resolve firmly in place, Frank exited the bathroom and returned to the living room. Joe and Pierce had returned in his absence and were on the floor with the babies and twins between them. Frank took the chair Joe had vacated when he had gone upstairs earlier. He didn't want to push himself on Joe. Joe didn't need that. What Joe needed was the acceptance for the man he had become, not the boy he had been.
The weather report came on. "That's a relief," Roxy said when Fenton turned the radio off. "Now it's finally over it shouldn't take more than two or three days for the roads to be cleared."
Only Joe and Roxy seemed excited by this news. Frank watched Joe through his lashes. Joe seemed happier. Relieved. Had their being here really been so stressful for him?
Fenton was watching Joe and making the same observation. But unlike Frank's conclusion that Joe would be happier without them, he knew their leaving would only complicate matters. Fenton had been watching Joe all day and it was obvious to him that Joe was far from indifferent. Joe cared more than he had even admitted to himself.
The next morning everyone slept late but Joe and Roxy they got up when their alarm went off at five, checked on the boys then went into the girls' room. Rhonda and Robyn were just waking up so Joe and Roxy changed them, fed them, then took them down the hall to the last room on the right.
They set the babies into the playpen and gave each one a set of plastic keys then began working. Their deadline was coming up and they had started falling behind schedule when the boys, who had been infected first, began showing the first symptoms of chicken pox.
Two hours later, Roxy was trying to hush the girls who were growing tired of the playpen when there was a light rap on the partially open door.
Joe turned around and saw Laura and Fenton standing there. "What are you doing?" Fenton asked, the spot between his eyes wrinkled as he looked around the small room.
"Working," Joe answered, frowning at the intrusion.
"What do you do?" Laura asked.
"Write," Joe answered, still volunteering no information but not quite ignoring them either.
Laura bit her bottom lip, afraid to ask any more questions in case they pushed him farther away. Fenton's eyes hardened a bit. Laura felt the tension take hold of Fenton and quickly spoke up to keep him from saying something he would later regret.
"Why don't we take the girls?" she suggested. "You two will be able to get more done and we'll take them and the boys downstairs and watch them."
"Thank you," Roxy answered before Joe could say a word. His reactions and attitude since the Hardys' arrival had not gone unnoticed by her. Fenton would have been pleasantly surprised to learn she had drawn the same conclusions he had. Joe needed them. He just didn't realize it.
Joe turned and scowled at her but let Fenton and Laura take the girls. It was almost noon when Joe stood up and stretched. He hadn't minded skipping breakfast because his stomach was still a little queasy but now he was starving. "Ready for a break?" he asked, leaning over and nuzzling her neck.
"No," she replied, smiling. "I want to get this chapter done. I'll be down in a little while," she promised.
Joe kissed the top of her head and went downstairs. The Hardy men were gathered in the living room playing make-believe with Jeremy and Justin while Laura and Callie were giving each of the girls their undivided attention. Joe's eyes took on a far away look as he remembered a time when he and his brother had put on a little play for their parents. They had applauded loudly, bragging on them for their acting ability and ingenuity.
Joe shook his head to chase the memory away. It wasn't good to dwell on the past because it only made the present more painful. Joe left the room without a word and went into the kitchen.
"Hey, kid," Pierce greeted him when Joe came in. Pierce was sitting at the small table munching a chicken salad sandwich. "Sit down," Pierce told him. "I'll make you a sandwich."
"That's okay," Joe replied. "I got it." He opened the refrigerator and pulled out the almost empty container of chicken salad and set it on the counter.
"What have you and Roxy been doing upstairs all morning?" Pierce asked as Laura and Fenton entered the room.
Joe looked at them. "We came to fix lunch," Laura explained. "Don't fill up," she added.
"I can take care of it," Joe said, laying the bread he held down. "I hadn't realized no one had eaten yet."
"We'll fix lunch," Fenton said, frowning. It had come to his attention that Joe was harder on Laura than on himself and Frank.
"I'll fix lunch for the boys, then," Joe said stubbornly.
"Don't they eat real food?" Fenton demanded, his brown eyes flashing as he tried to keep his growing anger in check.
"Fine," Joe said, gritting his teeth and picking up the bread and salad. "Fix lunch." He went and sat down with Pierce.
"Now, what were you two doing?" Pierce asked Joe again.
"We write mysteries," Joe informed him. "My therapist suggested I write things down that bothered me but I couldn't get my feelings into words. Roxy started listening to me and typing it up for me. We worked so well together, we thought we would give writing a book together a shot. We got turned down flat by five agents and were ready to toss the manuscript when Craig took it away from us. Two months later, we had our first commission check. A year later, we had a contract to put out one new book in our own series every six months."
"Cool! What do you write? I've never seen your name on a book," Pierce said.
"That's because when Roxy and I got married, I took her last name," Joe said, fueling Fenton's anger even more. "We write the Langley Mystery Series."
"You are that Joe and Roxy Northrup!" Pierce almost shouted in delight. "I've read all your books. You've had at least one and sometimes two books on the bestseller list for over three years."
"We make a good team," Joe admitted modestly.
Pierce put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Tell me about Sophia," he commanded, naming one of the most recent regular characters in the series.
"You'll have to talk to Roxy about her," Joe said. "I deal more with the facts part of the series. Roxy makes it interesting."
"You don't mind if I go and talk to her now, do you?" Pierce asked, clearly excited.
"Go ahead," Joe told him, taking a bite out of his sandwich to smother his grin as Pierce left the room at a run.
Of course Joe cared about Pierce. Pierce understood and commiserated with Joe. Pierce put Joe's feelings over his own. Something Frank should have done. Something he would do from now on no matter what the sacrifice to himself or his parents.
His resolve firmly in place, Frank exited the bathroom and returned to the living room. Joe and Pierce had returned in his absence and were on the floor with the babies and twins between them. Frank took the chair Joe had vacated when he had gone upstairs earlier. He didn't want to push himself on Joe. Joe didn't need that. What Joe needed was the acceptance for the man he had become, not the boy he had been.
The weather report came on. "That's a relief," Roxy said when Fenton turned the radio off. "Now it's finally over it shouldn't take more than two or three days for the roads to be cleared."
Only Joe and Roxy seemed excited by this news. Frank watched Joe through his lashes. Joe seemed happier. Relieved. Had their being here really been so stressful for him?
Fenton was watching Joe and making the same observation. But unlike Frank's conclusion that Joe would be happier without them, he knew their leaving would only complicate matters. Fenton had been watching Joe all day and it was obvious to him that Joe was far from indifferent. Joe cared more than he had even admitted to himself.
The next morning everyone slept late but Joe and Roxy they got up when their alarm went off at five, checked on the boys then went into the girls' room. Rhonda and Robyn were just waking up so Joe and Roxy changed them, fed them, then took them down the hall to the last room on the right.
They set the babies into the playpen and gave each one a set of plastic keys then began working. Their deadline was coming up and they had started falling behind schedule when the boys, who had been infected first, began showing the first symptoms of chicken pox.
Two hours later, Roxy was trying to hush the girls who were growing tired of the playpen when there was a light rap on the partially open door.
Joe turned around and saw Laura and Fenton standing there. "What are you doing?" Fenton asked, the spot between his eyes wrinkled as he looked around the small room.
"Working," Joe answered, frowning at the intrusion.
"What do you do?" Laura asked.
"Write," Joe answered, still volunteering no information but not quite ignoring them either.
Laura bit her bottom lip, afraid to ask any more questions in case they pushed him farther away. Fenton's eyes hardened a bit. Laura felt the tension take hold of Fenton and quickly spoke up to keep him from saying something he would later regret.
"Why don't we take the girls?" she suggested. "You two will be able to get more done and we'll take them and the boys downstairs and watch them."
"Thank you," Roxy answered before Joe could say a word. His reactions and attitude since the Hardys' arrival had not gone unnoticed by her. Fenton would have been pleasantly surprised to learn she had drawn the same conclusions he had. Joe needed them. He just didn't realize it.
Joe turned and scowled at her but let Fenton and Laura take the girls. It was almost noon when Joe stood up and stretched. He hadn't minded skipping breakfast because his stomach was still a little queasy but now he was starving. "Ready for a break?" he asked, leaning over and nuzzling her neck.
"No," she replied, smiling. "I want to get this chapter done. I'll be down in a little while," she promised.
Joe kissed the top of her head and went downstairs. The Hardy men were gathered in the living room playing make-believe with Jeremy and Justin while Laura and Callie were giving each of the girls their undivided attention. Joe's eyes took on a far away look as he remembered a time when he and his brother had put on a little play for their parents. They had applauded loudly, bragging on them for their acting ability and ingenuity.
Joe shook his head to chase the memory away. It wasn't good to dwell on the past because it only made the present more painful. Joe left the room without a word and went into the kitchen.
"Hey, kid," Pierce greeted him when Joe came in. Pierce was sitting at the small table munching a chicken salad sandwich. "Sit down," Pierce told him. "I'll make you a sandwich."
"That's okay," Joe replied. "I got it." He opened the refrigerator and pulled out the almost empty container of chicken salad and set it on the counter.
"What have you and Roxy been doing upstairs all morning?" Pierce asked as Laura and Fenton entered the room.
Joe looked at them. "We came to fix lunch," Laura explained. "Don't fill up," she added.
"I can take care of it," Joe said, laying the bread he held down. "I hadn't realized no one had eaten yet."
"We'll fix lunch," Fenton said, frowning. It had come to his attention that Joe was harder on Laura than on himself and Frank.
"I'll fix lunch for the boys, then," Joe said stubbornly.
"Don't they eat real food?" Fenton demanded, his brown eyes flashing as he tried to keep his growing anger in check.
"Fine," Joe said, gritting his teeth and picking up the bread and salad. "Fix lunch." He went and sat down with Pierce.
"Now, what were you two doing?" Pierce asked Joe again.
"We write mysteries," Joe informed him. "My therapist suggested I write things down that bothered me but I couldn't get my feelings into words. Roxy started listening to me and typing it up for me. We worked so well together, we thought we would give writing a book together a shot. We got turned down flat by five agents and were ready to toss the manuscript when Craig took it away from us. Two months later, we had our first commission check. A year later, we had a contract to put out one new book in our own series every six months."
"Cool! What do you write? I've never seen your name on a book," Pierce said.
"That's because when Roxy and I got married, I took her last name," Joe said, fueling Fenton's anger even more. "We write the Langley Mystery Series."
"You are that Joe and Roxy Northrup!" Pierce almost shouted in delight. "I've read all your books. You've had at least one and sometimes two books on the bestseller list for over three years."
"We make a good team," Joe admitted modestly.
Pierce put his elbows on the table and leaned forward. "Tell me about Sophia," he commanded, naming one of the most recent regular characters in the series.
"You'll have to talk to Roxy about her," Joe said. "I deal more with the facts part of the series. Roxy makes it interesting."
"You don't mind if I go and talk to her now, do you?" Pierce asked, clearly excited.
"Go ahead," Joe told him, taking a bite out of his sandwich to smother his grin as Pierce left the room at a run.