*******************************************************************
Carol rested her head in her hands, sitting at the computer. If she didn�t get some time off soon, she was just gonna blow. And it wasn�t just the work that was doing it, no, that wasn�t the half of it. It was the kids, and the house, and the bills, and her husband. God, her husband. He had been pressuring her lately to finish her new novel so that they would have a little �extra cash flow�. Like a novel is something you can hurry! She shook her head and looked up at the screen. Page 65. 65 pages and absolutely nothing had happened to move the story along to a logical conclusion.
�Mommy! Matt took my Barbie!�
Carol clenched her teeth, took a deep breath, and spun her chair to look into the grief-stricken face of her three-year-old daughter. She could see Matt hiding behind the wall in the hallway, watching her worriedly. �Matthew Ryan Prescott, come here.�
Matthew, five, walked slowly into the room, his head down, watching his feet. �Yes, Mommy?�
�Did you take Eva�s doll?� She fixed him with a stern look.
�Yes, Mommy.�
�Why?�
Matt shrugged. Amazing how often that was his answer when asked why he did something. Never a reason, just a shrug.
�Give it back and apologize.�
Matt scowled at his sister and spat �Sorry� tossing the doll at Eva�s feet and storming from the room.
Carol rubbed her temples, then looked at Eva. �Everything ok now?�
Eva nodded and galloped down the hall to her room. Carol wasn�t sure where she had picked up galloping, but it was a regular activity now.
Just as Carol turned back to the computer, the front door opened. �Dear, could you help me bring these groceries in, please?�
She sighed and closed her eyes. �Yeah, just a minute.�
�Hey little man, what�s up?� Carol looked up. Matt had come back out on hearing the door.
�Fine. What�s in your pocket?� Fine? Since when was that an answer to the question �what�s up?�
�What do you mean, what�s in my pocket?� Trevor grinned at his son. �Why would there be anything in my pocket?�
�Da-ad.�
�Well, I don�t know. You better check.� He leaned down so that Matt could reach his shirt pocket, where he always had a piece of candy waiting when he got home from work.
�Me too! Me too!� Carol cringed as Eva came sprinting around the corner, doll clutched in her little hand, expecting a crash. �I wanna candy!� Rather than running into the shoe-caddy, today Eva ran into Trevor�s legs. At least that meant she didn�t cry and there was nothing to clean up.
�You want a candy? Well, I dunno. There might only be one today��
�Nuh-uh!� She rushed up and stuck out her hand to grab her candy, but was stopped by her father.
�Now wait a minute young lady. This candy�s not free, ya know.�
Eva grinned and kissed him on the cheek. Forced affection. That was wonderful. Nothing like sincerity to make a person feel loved. Carol rolled her eyes. �Now can I have a piece? Puh-lease?�
Trevor nodded and obligingly handed her a chocolate. With the kids happily munching, he walked over and kissed Carol on top of the head. �Whatcha doing, dear?�
�Writing. Well, trying anyway.�
He peered over her shoulder. �Still on the dinner scene, hmm?�
�Yes, still on the dinner scene. No, I haven�t gotten any farther. No, it won�t be finished this month. I�m sorry, Trevor, it�s just not going to happen.� She stood and pulled, none too gently, away from him, heading for the front door.
�Honey�� came Trevor�s voice from behind her, but she slammed the door behind her, effectively cutting him off. Rather than heading for the truck, Carol turned down the stone walkway that she and Trevor had put in the year before. After a moment, she reached the old log where she had loved to sit and write when they had first moved here, when she had still had a contract. That seemed like ages ago now. It had been three years since her last book had gotten signed. She had only completed two since then, and even she admitted that they were total crap, but there was nothing for it. She didn�t even have enough quiet time to think anymore.
It figured that Trevor didn�t come after her. There was a time he would have, immediately. She had always acted like it was aggravating, but now that he wasn�t following her to find out what was wrong, she found she missed it. Eventually, tired of sitting and sulking by herself, Carol started the trek back to the house, which always seemed to take twice as long as the trip out.
Trevor turned off the car with a sigh. He never thought he would be one of those guys that didn�t want to go home, but today he just couldn�t bring himself to get out of the car. He loved his kids dearly, and he felt terrible about sitting here, but they were a bit loud and argumentative lately, and Carol was�well, he wasn�t sure what Carol was, but it wasn�t pleasant. She had been downright ornery of late. He guessed it was because of her recent flops in the writing department.
Finally steeling himself to get out of the car, he made his way slowly to the house. He could hear an argument through the open window. When it was finished, he opened the door and, forcing a smile, looked for Carol.
She was sitting at her computer, as was usual these days. �Dear, could you help me bring these groceries in, please?� She needed to get away, farther than just to fetch groceries, but that was all he could do for her right now. With his business blossoming as it was, he couldn�t afford to take time off, and they didn�t have enough money to hire a nanny for the children.
�Yeah, in a minute.�
Trevor frowned, then quickly regained his smile on seeing Matt, his son. �Hey little man, what�s up?�
�Fine.� Matt answered absently, obviously not listening to a word he said, but that was alright. It was cute at this age, when it wasn�t causing any trouble. �What�s in your pocket?�
Trevor chuckled. �What do you mean, what�s in my pocket?� He grinned down at Matt. �Why would there be anything in my pocket?�
�Da-ad.� Matt knew perfectly well that there was candy in Trevor�s pocket. There always was when he returned home from work. Just as there had always been candy in HIS father�s pockets when he was a boy. Carol didn�t like it, said it would just encourage them to beg and eat junk food, but it was one of the few things he insisted on.
�Well, I don�t know. You better check.� He got down on Trevor�s level, a bit tired to pick him up just now.
Suddenly, a little person, with a surprisingly big voice, came hurtling out of the hallway, carrying her favorite doll. �Me too! Me too! I wanna candy!�
Trevor grunted and barely kept himself from falling down as Eva collided with his legs. �You want a candy? Well, I dunno. There might only be one today��
�Nuh-uh!� He hadn�t expected her to believe him, but it was such fun to pick on her.
�Now wait a minute, young lady.� He playfully batted at her hand. �This candy�s not free, ya know.�
He leaned down again, looking at her expectantly. She threw her little arms around his neck and kissed him on the cheek. �Now can I have a piece? Puh-lease?�
How could anyone say no to that face? Caving, he handed her the chocolate, then walked over to where Carol was sitting. He kissed her lightly on top of the head, sure she wouldn�t turn to face him. �Whatcha doing, dear?�
Carol continued to stare at the screen while she answered him. �Writing. Well, trying anyway.�
Trevor frowned. He hated to hear her putting herself down like that. He looked at what she was working on. �Still on the dinner scene, hmm?�
He felt her tense. �Yes, still on the dinner scene. No, I haven�t gotten any farther, No, it won�t be finished this month. I�m sorry, Trevor, it�s just not going to happen.� She twisted out of his grip and stormed to the door.
�Honey, I didn�t mean�� She slammed the door, so he stopped, fully aware that it was a waste of breath now. He really hadn�t ever meant to push her, but he knew that was how she had taken his last comment. She took everything as a personal insult when it came to writing lately.
�Daddy,�
He felt a tug on his sleeve. There was Eva, looking up at him, chocolate all over her pretty face. �Yes, dear?�
�I�m hungry.�
Trevor looked at the door, wanting desperately to follow her, but he couldn�t leave the kids in here by themselves. There was no limit to the amount of trouble they could cause. With a sigh, he turned and headed to the kitchen with Eva, forgetting about the groceries altogether.