Blue Dahlia (In the Garden 1)

Foolish woman, she thought. Foolish, foolish woman.

Gavin looked up from his sprawl on the floor when she came in. His face was the picture of innocence under his mop of sunny hair.

Haircuts next week, she decided, and noted it in her mental files.

He held a Matchbox car and was absently spinning its wheels while cartoons rampaged on the screen. There were several other cars piled up, lying on their sides or backs as if there'd been a horrendous traffic accident. Unfortunately the miniature ambulance and police car appeared to have had a nasty head-on collision.

Help was not on the way.

"Mom, your face looks crooked. "

"Yes, I know. Gavin, I want you to stop it. "

"I'm not doing anything. "

She felt, actually felt, the sharp edges of the shrill scream razor up her throat. Choke it back, she ordered herself. Choke it back. She would not scream at her kids the way her mother had screamed at her.

"Maybe you'd like to not do anything in your room, alone, for the rest of the evening. "

"I wasn't - "

"Gavin!" She cut off the denial before it dragged that scream out of her throat. Instead her voice was full of weight and aggravation. "Don't look at your brother. Don't hiss at your brother. You know it annoys him, which is exactly why you do it, and I want you to stop. "

Innocence turned into a scowl as Gavin rammed the last car into the tangle of disabled vehicles. "How come I always get in trouble?"

"Yes, how come?" Stella shot back, with equal exasperation.

"He's just being a baby. "

"I'm not a baby. You're a dickhead. "

"Luke!" Torn between laughter and shock, Stella rounded on Luke. "Where did you hear that word?"

"Somewhere. Is it a swear?"

"Yes, and I don't want you to say it again. " Even when it's apt, she thought as she caught Gavin making the face.

"Gavin, I can cancel my plans for this evening. Would you like me to do that, and stay home?" She spoke in calm, almost sweet tones. "We can spend your play hour cleaning your room. "

"No. " Outgunned, he poked at the pileup. "I won't look at him anymore. "

"Then if it's all right with you, I'll go finish getting ready. "

She heard Luke whisper, "What's a dickhead?" to Gavin as she walked out. Rolling her eyes to the ceiling, she kept going.

* * *

"They're at each other tonight, " Stella warned Roz.

"Wouldn't be brothers if they weren't at each other now and then. " She looked over to where the boys, the dog, and Hayley romped in the yard. "They seem all right now. "

"It's brewing, under the surface, like a volcano. One of them's just waiting for the right moment to spew over the other. "

"We'll see if we can distract them. If not, and they get out of hand, I'll just chain them six separate corners until you get back. I kept the shackles I used on my boys. Sentimental. "

Stella laughed, and felt completely reassured. "Okay. But you'll call me if they decide to be horrible brats. I'll be home in time to put them to bed. "

"Go, enjoy yourself. And if you're not back, we can manage it. "