"Are you okay?" Patrick asked as he stood in the doorway of the parish house. "Were you there when the fire started?"
"We're fine. We were still at work," I said as Riley and I entered the house and looked around. The living room was equipped with sheets, blankets, and towels set out on the stiff couches. The room smelled musty and old, but I was grateful for a place to stay.
"Mama's at the hospital. They said she's resting comfortably," Patrick said. "I'll go over in the morning and check on her."
"Great," I nodded. "I've got to go to work and Riley's been suspended from school, so I'll take her with me again."
"Leah!" Riley protested as she threw herself down on the nearest couch and pretended to pout. "You said you weren't going to tell anybody!"
"Patrick doesn't count," I said tossing my purse onto the other sofa and shaking my head.
"Gee, thanks," Patrick grumbled with a mischievous smile.
"You know what I mean," I said as I rolled my eyes at him before turning to Riley. "I didn't tell anyone at work, just like I promised."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she said waving her hand impatiently. "Are we going to get some dinner soon or what? I'm starving!"
"Listen, missy," I began, only to be cut off by my brother.
"I've got some dinner in the kitchen if you're that hungry," Patrick offered.
"What do you have?" Riley asked eyeing him suspiciously. "Probably liver and brussels sprouts or something, right? Isn't that what God eats?"
"Riley!" I scolded.
"Well, it's true, isn't it?" she asked as she looked at Patrick. "God eats all that stuff that's good for you, but that kids hate."
"Well, I don't know about that," Patrick replied with a playful smile. "But I can certainly tell you that the dinner that's in the kitchen is definitely not liver or brussels sprouts!"
Riley reluctantly got up off the couch and dragged her feet across the carpet. I could tell that she was tired, but so was I. I didn't have the heart to nag her to pick up her feet and walk like a normal person. Her spirits lifted when we entered the kitchen and saw a box from our regular pizza place sitting on the table next to two bottles of soda.
"Uncle Patrick! Thank you!" Riley cried as she whipped open the box and pulled out a large slice of pepperoni pizza and bit into it.
"Thanks, Patrick," I said with a grateful smile as I sat down at the table and helped myself to dinner. Patrick nodded, and then quickly exited the kitchen. I wasn't sure what was going on with him, but it had been a long day. I was too tired to dig deeper.
Riley and I quickly polished off the soda and pizza, and then went into the living room to make up the couches. Once we'd done that, Riley looked around for something to do. When she couldn't find a television set or a computer, she began perusing the bookshelf that stretched floor to ceiling across one wall of the living room.
"Wow, there are a lot of books here," she observed as she dropped down and tilted her head to read the titles closest to the floor. "A History of Angels, Angels Among Us, When Angels Walk Among the Living . . . Wow, they really like their angels, don't they?"
Not knowing what to say, I simply nodded, and Riley turned back to the books. For the next hour, I sat making a list of all the things I needed to do. By the time I was done, I felt overwhelmed but more in control. I looked up and saw Riley engrossed in a book she'd found on the shelves.
"Something good?" I asked.
"Mmm-hmm," she nodded and kept reading.
"Okay, well, it's time for bed," I prodded. "We need to be up and out of here early tomorrow morning."
Riley got up and went to brush her teeth, leaving the book on the couch. While she was out of the room, I picked the book up and read the title: Orphan at Any Age: Children Who've Lost Parents. I bit my lip and put the book back down.
"We're going to be okay," I said after we'd settled in and shut off the light. "I promise."
"I know, Leah," Riley replied sleepily. "We always are."
Chapter Twenty-Five
Jack
"Hey, good lookin', whatcha got cookin'," I sang as I walked into Leah's office early the next morning. I stopped as soon as she looked up at me. There were dark circles under her eyes, and her lips curled into a weak smile before she turned back to the computer and continued typing. I quickly toned it down and asked, "Everything okay?"