Drake Forever (Unrestrained 7)

I did, perfectly happy to stay and do nothing.

DRAKE: Hey, how's it going?

KATE: Good. I'm at the studio, finishing up my painting.

DRAKE: Feel like having supper with Dad and Elaine? They'd like me to stay and for you to come when you're done. I'm sure Dad would love to hear about the trial.

KATE: Sure. I'll be there in an hour.

DRAKE: Great. See you then.

"Done. Kate will come here when she's finished at the studio."

"Great," Ethan said wheeled his chair into the living room.

"Come with me," Elaine said, pointing to the hallway. "We'll get her settled into the spare bedroom."

"Kiss Grandad," I said and leaned down with Sophie so she could give Ethan a kiss. "Time for a nap."

I got her a bottle of water and then followed Elaine down the hallway to the back bedroom where the crib was located. Elaine was closing the drapes so that the room was nice and dark. She'd turned on a tiny globe lamp beside the crib, which was very much like the one we had in Sophie's room. It would feel pretty familiar with the stars sparkling on the ceiling.

I laid Sophie down and she sucked on her bottle of water, her eyes already closing. Elaine lea

ned over and kissed Sophie's forehead and tucked her blankets around her. Then, we left Sophie alone.

When I closed the door, Elaine shook her head. "I'm amazed at how easily she goes down. I'd expect her to cry and fuss."

"Not Sophie," I said quietly. "She's a sleeper. We were lucky."

We went back to the living room where Ethan was in his chair watching the news. When I sat on the sofa beside him, he switched channels to a replay of a golf game.

"You don't have to change because of me," I said and pointed to the television. "What's up with the trial?"

"Closing arguments are over and there was no drama in the courtroom, thankfully. I guess Kate's disguise worked since there were no pictures of her entering or leaving the courtroom."

"That's good," I said. "She didn't mention anything so I assume it went okay. She'll tell us more when she gets here."

Elaine stood in front of us. "What do you boys say about a stir fry for supper? Chicken or beef?"

"Beef," Ethan said. "Make that hot Korean beef I love." He turned to me, expectantly. "You like spicy?"

"Bring it," I said and nodded to Elaine. "Kate loves Korean."

"I have to zip to the store to pick up a few things, but I'll be back shortly," she said.

Then, the two of us watched golf while Elaine went to the stores to shop for supper. It was nice to spend time alone with Ethan, and to talk about nothing more important than Tiger Wood's golf game and who would win the Masters this year. As usual, Ethan was full of insight from a lifetime of playing golf and watching the pros. I'd never really gotten into golf, preferring racket sports and running, but as a lawyer and then a judge, it was almost expected for someone like Ethan.

Elaine returned in about half an hour and went to the kitchen to get things started for supper. About an hour after that, Kate showed up, just when Sophie started to grouse in the spare bedroom.

"Hey," I said and kissed her when she came in. "How was your afternoon?"

"Great," she said and hung up her coat. "Do I hear Sophie talking in the bedroom?"

"Yes," I said and together, we went to the back and Kate picked Sophie up and checked her diaper after kissing her on both cheeks.

Kate changed her and we talked about the closing arguments.

"Anything different from what they said in the trial?