Henry yearned for nothing more than a hot bath and about three days worth of uninterrupted sleep as he pulled up to the Parker house. He could’ve waited to do this tomorrow, but some familial compulsion forced his hand, killing the engine. Was it guilt? For what? He shook his head, then opened the car door.
His sister Jane answered the front door laughing through a wide smile. “Henry? And is that my sweet baby girl, Coco?”
“Uhm—Yeah, yes. Winnie passed, and Dallas told me you wanted Coco if those two ever got, um, separated. You’re pregnant?”
“Yep, have been for a while now in fact. Hurry up, get in, it’s freezing.”
Jane scratched Coco’s adoring head and cooed, “Hey, girlfriend. We’ve been waitin’ for you. Got’cha a new bed and everything. My poor sweet girl, I’m so sorry Winnie’s gone. But you’ll love it here with us though, Coconut, I promise.”
Meanwhile, Henry couldn’t help but worry as he took in the sorry state of their so-called home. When Jane stopped coddling he asked with concern, “Is everything okay? I-I mean, do you really have room for a dog?”
“What do you mean? Oh, the mess? That’s a permanent fixture in this house,” she laughed. “Are you staying? Want some hot chocolate, or coffee? We don’t usually keep tea." Her tone remained playful, he knew she was only teasing.
Nonetheless, he vexed, “Jane, I feel as though I have to say something.”
She stood, cutting him off. “You know what’s really great about our relationship, Henry? In all those years you never bothered to get to know me, at least I know the only MacDonald kid who got to go to university wouldn’t try lecturing me in my own, goddamn house. He’d be a hell of a lot smarter than that, especially since—”
He waved an invisible white flag with his admission of, “Right. You’re right.”
“So, hot chocolate? It’s very wintery out there.”
How could he refuse? He nodded. “Sure.”
It was a little more than humbling to sit at Jane’s table after that. Or was it Jack’s? Did it matter now?
She set a pair of mugs down in front of them and found her own seat across from her eldest brother. “I’m glad you dropped by; I have to admit, it’s getting a little cabin-fevery for me these days.”
“Same as Gina.” He grinned at that. “So, I guess I made it just in time then, heh? Girl or boy?”
“Boy. We’re naming him Bobby after Jack’s Dad.”
“Jack’s father, huh? Not our Dad?”
Jane scoffed, “That’s rich comin’ from you, Mr. Marion.”
Henry bowed his head. “It wasn’t an easy decision. I love my—our family.”
“So do I,” returned Mrs. Parker.
There was a pause then, signalling another attempted truce from both siblings.
“I’m sorry,” he tried, “I didn’t come here to fight. I came here to drop off Coco and apologize, but I—never mind. Erm, where were we? Gina and I are also having a boy.”
She gushed, “No! Really?”
“Aw, little Deany-Beany. I love it. I can’t wait for Bobby and Dean to grow up together.”
The thought did paint a nice picture of one large, happy family in Henry’s mind. He smiled. “Me too. We should organize family dinners at the Estate.”
“Or here,” Jane offered, giggling at the little twitch she caused in his brow. “Oh, calm down. Gina isn’t as snobbish as you, is she?”
“Of course not! Erm, wait, I mean she isn’t a snob. Quit that giggling, it was a trick question and it’s been a long day. Speaking of which, when is Jack usually home? I should probably get going.”
Jane slouched back in her seat. “Oh. Should’ve guessed this was more about him than me.”
Henry panicked, his eyes darting to the end of the table where he could easily imagine Jack’s off-the-clock conspiracies manifested. “That’s not true. I-I just think it’s probably best if our paths don’t cross unnecessarily. Delicate time, and all.”
She shrugged, then said, “He’s been working a lot of extra shifts before baby comes. There’s this big investigation he’s working on, but it’s all hush-hush right now.”
“Intriguing. He’s not poking around the Marions by any chance, is he? Actually, don’t answer that, probably better I don’t know for legal reasons.”
“Phfft. And just what the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“Forget it, just my attempt at a terrible joke. Don’t worry, it won’t happen again.”
“I’ll talk to Dal,” she said, seeking a way out of this increasingly awkward conversation. “Maybe we could do family gatherings at the farm instead? Might be nice to start new traditions there now that Dad’s—you know. Greener pastures.”
“I agree perfectly. The farm will bring us all together again.”
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