Missing in Action

Chapter 021

Next to him Lucía grinned proudly. "Hello," she answered. "I can tell you a lot of good things about Uncle Jon too. Do you think he'd be happy?" Then she leaned in a little closer, lowering her voice to a stage-whisper. "And some funny stuff too," she added.

Brendon broke out into one of the biggest smiles ever to grace his features, and then immediately starting blushing. Christ, he was like a... like a teenager or a-- virgin, or something. "Missed you, too," he said quietly. "I've been working with the charity a lot. Dinners, more conferences, meeting people, all that fun stuff. Hired a tutor for mister Isaac over here and, um, gotsometherapy," he muttered quickly, looking sheepish. Isaac looked up when his name was mentioned, and made a face at his father, though the man wasn't looking. "And I learned some piano!" he announced in a sing-song voice, reminding his father about the most important part of these last several months.

"Really?" Jenn said, lowering her own voice. She looked up at the others, as though to see if they were listening, and then leaned in closer herself. "I think we're going to be very good friends, you and I," she confided quietly, then smiled again and straightened. "Shall we bring some things inside?" she asked Keely, picking up her own suitcase and Brendon's.

Lucía giggled and nodded wildly, following at the woman's heels back into the house. "I can show you around and everything," she offered, enchanted already. Other than teachers, it wasn't often she talked much to women or even other girls. For friends, she liked boys better, even though the other girls thought they all had cooties. She was glad she was in a mixed school because girls were boring and afraid to climb trees and stamp in mud and get dirty, but she did like to speak with grown-ups who were women sometimes, if they were cool. This Jenn definitely seemed to be.

"Sounds like I'm not the only one who's had enough to do," Ryan stated, resolving not to ask Brendon about the therapy bit until they were alone. He turned down to Isaac with another smile. "Really? I'll have to hear it sometime." He reached down and took the boy's hand, flashing Brendon a grin. "Let's go find your present before you wet yourself, shall we?"

Isaac scrunched his nose and scoffed at Ryan, mimicking what he'd seen his father do countless times. "Don't be gross, Ry-un," he said, purposely sticking to what he'd called Ryan when he'd seen him last. He looked back to see if his Papa was following, and he was, with Isaac's own little suitcase in his hand and a carry-on bag in the other. He smiled at his Papa, and Brendon smiled back, shaking his head lightly. "Spoiled little boy," he muttered, and Isaac giggled excitedly, didn't even bothering to deny it.

"Oh, I'd like that. You two have a very nice home here," she smiled down at Keely. "And I'm sure you have a room full of toys and movies and anything else you could possibly want. Would you like to show me to our rooms first, so that I can get rid of these heavy suitcases? And then you can show me whatever you like."

Ryan laughed, reaching out with his free hand to ruffle Isaac's hair. "I'll stop being gross when you stop jumping around," he offered with a laugh. "How much sugar did your papa let you have on the plane?" He led them quickly into his study and went to his desk where he picked up the present, handing it to the little boy, already imagining his expression when he saw the miniature guitar that he'd be able to hold and play in ways he couldn't hope to do with the real thing for years to come.

"Thank you," Lucía said, still smiling. "I like this a lot better than the flat we had before, but Daddy had to make some money before we could get a real house. And a villa too." She looked up expectantly as she led the guest towards the stairs. "You have to come see the villa sometime! It's brilliant!" Finally reaching the top of the stairs, she sped up a little, skipping down the hall before pointing out three doors. "That's yours, and that's for Brendon and the little boy, and that's the bathroom," she informed on one quick breath.