After she got home, she told Mr. Moon thank you for driving her, and she wanted to settle down and get homework done. Mr. Moon nodded, and teased, “Don’t forget about my test tomorrow. It’s a very important one.”
“Do you think that’s far to me when I just started?”
He laughed. “You’ll do fine. If no . . . well, I won’t count it, how about that?”
She shrugged. She wasn’t too worried.
When Noah and Mr. Moon entered their part of the house, Noah went to his room to finish homework, and Mr. Moon started grading papers.
The hours went by fast. Around six, he went into Noah’s room, knocked on the opened door, and asked, “You doing okay?”
“Yeah,” Noah answered, looking up from his book.
“Worried?”
He sighed, and nodded. “Yeah . . . I am. You?”
Mr. Moon pushed his glasses up. “Very much so . . . you know, once she starts, lots of people are coming after her.”
“They’re starting to anyways.”
They stared at each other, knowing the dangers that were too come. “Do you want to invite them to dinner?”
Noah nodded. “Yea, I’ll go ask.”
When Noah had come around, he found Jade alone in the house, no Jim in sigh. Jade answered the door with no hesitation. She had George in her arms, petting him. Noah glared and George smiled back.
“Hey, was wondering if you and your dad wanted dinner with us?”
“Oh . . . well, my dad isn’t here. I guess he’s still at work.”
“What you been doing?”
She shrugged. “Nothing. I’m really bored. I finished all homework, nothing on TV.”
“Well . . . um, come on over?” Noah said
Jade followed, with George still in her arms. When they entered the front door, Mr. Moon was about finish cooking dinner. He put a hand on his waist and stared at George. “You know how to walk you lazy good for nothing-“
“Sorry,” Jade cut him off. “I never had a cuddly cat before, and it’s nice.”
“Ugh, don’t let him use you. He’s a fighter.”
“Nay, he’s a cutie,” Jade squeezed him some more. “Thank you for inviting me over.”
“Where is your father?”
“Work . . . I think.”
“What does he do?”
“He’s a Historian at the Denver History Museum.”
Mr. Moon seemed impressed. “Oh wow, I knew you guys moved out here for his job, I didn’t realize it was that. How did that all happen?”
The kiddos sat at the table, and they listened to Jade, “Well, he worked at the college back in Salina. Someone came up to him I want to say, and he was interested in the job. Went out here, got it the moment he walked in as I was told. Then a week later, we packed and came out.”
“Who came to him?”
“What? Oh, well, I have no idea, honestly.”
They talked for the rest of the night, about life in Kansas, and what they were interested in. Jim came by around 7, and said must have said sorry about 50 times. They ate dinner, and went back to their compound.
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