"Ladies, don't forget you owe me five dollars each," Emily said. They saw the other ladies pass her the bill.
"What's that for, Emily?" John asked.
"I told them we'll find Amanda busy at work wherever she is, so we should hack into her work laptop," Emily answered and bowed low to everyone. "Thank you very much," she said, imitating Elvis Presley's voice.
"What did Marcus want with you, Amanda?" Katie asked.
"Drake was accepted in the auto mechanic school, and Marcus wants to make sure that I really offered housing for him," Amanda answered while Drake grinned.
"Tyler received his acceptance letter on Thursday," Ginny mentioned. "They could live together. You know Tyler's father is getting out of jail next Thursday."
"I'll pick Fred up." Amanda volunteered. "Katie, could you please ask Ella, Tyler, and Haley if they're interested in going with me? Do you think Olive is old enough to go too?"
"Road trip? Can I go, too?" Sarah asked.
"Are you sure Aidan will let you go, Sarah?" Amanda asked, smiling.
"With you, Amanda, anywhere," Sarah answered confidently. "Besides, he could go too."
"Why don't you bring all the kids?" Katie suggested. "Noah and Gracie have not seen their dad for a year. They miss him. Could you just do something about that?"
Amanda smiled. "Kirsten can come with us too." Kirsten nodded her consent. "We can use the bus. I'll convince the CPS in charge with their family that it's okay."
Mike and John just smirked, knowing what that meant.
"Do you know where he's going?" Ginny asked curiously.
"Yes, I actually talked with him about it before," Amanda answered. "That's the reason why I made sure that the CPS had strong witness statements about him that he never hurt his children even when he got drunk. He told me he wanted to work with kids, so he'll be a mechanic/driver for an orphanage close to the Tyler and Drake's school."
"Do you think Marcus will make a fuss with Drake living with an ex-convict?" Katie asked Kirsten.
Kirsten smirked. "If Amanda told Dad to hire Fred as an officer, he would even with his record."
"Uncle Marcus is actually familiar with Tyler's parents' case, especially since he's my best friend here." Drake added. "Besides, he met Tyler already. He'd be very happy to know we'd be living together, and with an adult chaperon he'd be happier still." He turned to the image of Amanda on the TV screen. "Amanda, could Tyler and I also volunteer at the orphanage?"
"Of course, Drake." Amanda smiled. "Many of those left behind in the orphanage deemed unadoptable are teenagers. You could encourage them to persevere anyway. Maybe we could add auto tech training there. I'd like those kids to have skills, so they won't be lost when they age out of the orphanage."
"So, who's going to attend the first board meeting of the Inspire Cell?" Charlene asked. "Did you see the report they sent out? It looked so professionally done. I'm really impressed how they've grown as a group."
"It's two weeks from this coming Wednesday." Jenna volunteered. "I think we should all plan to go. This is so exciting."
"I wouldn't miss it for the world." Mike agreed, making a note on his cell phone. "By the way, where are the men?"
"Babysitting and feeding the chicken," Sarah answered right away, making Amanda raise an eyebrow.
Tim noticed extra tabs open in Amanda's laptop. She was chatting with someone, but it was too small to read. She got her notebook out of her bag and turned it on. Suddenly, "Let's Get It On" by Marvin Gaye played surprising everyone into silence. And, after more than a minute, laughter exploded from both rooms, even Amanda joined this time around.
YOU ARE READING
Coming Home Again
Romance***Made some revisions and added chapters as well.*** Amanda Bennett didn't want to come back home to Warren. Many people in Warren disliked her because of her parentage. This she could ignore, but the heartache that awaited her there could not be d...
