Chapter 21

* * * *

Except for Ned. Something had been nagging at him all day, and until now, he’d been able to ignore it and stuff it back under the mattress of better things to do with his mind. Then it jumped up and announced itself, through his mouth, to all in the room, as well as to himself. “Oh fuck me!” he shouted.

“Peter will do that later,” Dick muttered, smiling wickedly.

“Ned, dear, not in front of the child,” Marj said.

“No, no,” said Ned. “I forgot to go to work today!”

* * * *

Hal wanted to laugh, but had to act like the patriarch, so he only harrumphed in a very British fashion.

“Call your boss, right now,” Peter said, “and explain things. It’ll be all right; you’ll see.” Together they walked into the den to use the house phone.

Lewis looked up from stroking Truffles. “He said a bad word. A couple of them!” he laughed. “My Dad would have smacked him a good one. But this house is nice. Maybe he’ll just get some soap in his mouth.”