Re-Arranged

Chapter Twenty Nine

Evelyn, surprised at the fewer number of people populating the house, asked, "Um, does anyone know where the owners of the house are at least?"

Ted looked up from biting into his toast and put down the untouched bread down. He brushed off the crumbs from his fingers and smacked his lips before answering. "Let's see. Kelly had a function to attend at eleven so she left early to hit the mall, get a gift. She won't be back until after lunch."

"The baby shower?" Ben managed between chewing. He received a glare from his mother for talking with his mouth full.

"Oh, she told you about it?" Ted could not hide his surprise.

Beside him, Katherine nudged him in the ribs. "What's got you so stunned? Kelly always confides in this one." She pointed with the butter knife at 'this one', who shrugged in a way that said she was stating something very obvious.

Ben swallowed this time and looked pointedly at his mother. "Anyway, she wasn't feeling good about going there. So I told her she had nothing to worry about. None of her school friends have as much spunk as she does."

"But you don't know all her school friends," Evelyn countered, munching into her toast and taking a sip of the coffee along with it.

"Big deal. I know Aunt Kelly."

"Not bad, kiddo." Lyn ruffled his hair and pinched his cheeks before he could stop her, and by the time he scowled at her, she was all grins. She turned to the others at the table and said, "I'll just go and wake –"

She had slid her chair out when Ted shook his head and interrupted in a haste, "No, no. Let them be. They actually put a notice on the door to let them be."

"What?!"

~

"Why the hell are you asleep still?!"

Darian groaned and buried his face into the pillow to scream before he answered the shrill, reprimanding voice on the other side of the phone. "You... and I are not close enough to do this!"

"Ugh. Stop your whimpering and get to your feet! Just because I am out of town, you sleep it off and not take care of the one person I leave you as a bodyguard for?"

"You know I have a way to cut the call from here too," he mumbled and pressed the red phone symbol even before his sentence was done being enunciated.

He turned over to go back to sleep when his ringtone came alive once again. He could hear the other occupant of the room groan at the interference, and Darian chided himself for making the rookie mistake of not putting the phone on silent mode after disconnecting the call.

"What now?"

"I wasn't done talking! Aren't you a little bit concerned what might happen? She's walking into the lion's den –"

"You're exaggerating too much," Darian mumbled and wedged the phone between the pillow and his ear.

"– while her so-called loving husband –"

"So sweet of you to say that." He could not stop a yawn from escaping.

"– lazes about without a care in the world."

"That's the dream."

"I swear I'm gonna come right over and rip you to piece if you don't wake up!"

Darian chuckled and yawned yet again. "I'd like to see how you do that from across the country."

"Look at this nonchalant attitude! Unbelievable! This is exactly why I'm always the top priority in her life! I'm the only one who cares!"

"Yeah well, she's still gonna come home to me, so."