Which means we have to nip this in the bud.
Now.
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
DONNY
At six thirty a.m., I stumble out of my room clad only in my lounge pants. Mom is in the kitchen, fixing coffee, and to my surprise, Dad is also up, sitting at the kitchen table, sipping a glass of orange juice.
“Good morning, sleepyhead,” Mom says. “Coffee will be ready in a minute.”
“Sleepyhead? This is when I get up. What in the world are you two doing up? Dad, you need your rest.”
“What I need is a cup of your mother’s coffee. They didn’t let me have any caffeine in the hospital.”
“But you’re allowed to have it now?”
“Yes,” Mom says. “Do you think I’d allow him to have it if the doctor hadn’t given the okay?”
I can’t help a smile. Mom and Dad are home, and they’re back to normal.
“You’re not planning to work today, are you?” I ask Dad.
“Not out in the orchards, no. But I thought I might go into the office.”
“The office can come to you,” Mom says adamantly. “You have a perfectly good setup here at home.”
“You heard her, Dad. She is the boss.”
Dad laughs and then winces.
“Are you okay?” I ask, my voice higher than usual.
“I’m fine. I still get a little bit of pain when I laugh or cough.”
“Then stop doing those things.”
“You want me to stop laughing?” Dad shakes his head. “Not in this lifetime. A man has got to be happy.”
I can’t fault his logic, so I say nothing.
Mom brings two steaming cups of coffee and sets one in front of Dad and the other in front of me. I inhale the roasted goodness of its steam. “Mom, do you know when you’ll be coming back to the office?”
Mom pauses a moment, clears her throat. “Donny, your father and I have been talking about that.”
“Of course, you should take all the time you need here home with Dad. I’ve got things under control.”
“I know you do. And with Troy, Alyssa, and Callie to help you, I realize I’m not really needed.”
“Not needed? You’re the city attorney. Of course you’re needed.”
Mom returns to the counter, pours herself a mug of steaming coffee, and then joins us at the table, sitting between us. “I never thought I’d retire in this lifetime.”
“I know that.”
“But you’ve done me a favor, Donny. I took you away from a huge opportunity in Denver.”
I hold my hand up. “Don’t go there. You know I was glad to do it. Then, with what happened to Dad, I’m really glad I was here.”