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Donna nodded.
�But� thank you� for not telling anyone,� Toby said.
Donna nodded again and that was the last thing they said before they stumbled�Toby literally, Donna only figuratively�upon CJ who was sprawled out on the living room rug sorting through stacks of books.
�Damnit, Toby!� CJ cried out, curling up to protect her ribs from Toby�s bumbling feet.
�What happened?� Sam asked, poking his head out of the main floor bedroom that he had turned into an office and would be returning to its rightful state in short order.
�Toby was channelling you for a minute there, Sammy-boy, and my ribs were the casualty,� CJ said as she gracefully rose from her spot on the floor and moved to a safer position on the couch. �You have too many damned books, by the way. What do you need four copies of every book for?�
�I don�t have four copies of all of them. Two copies, max. One translation and one in the original text,� Sam said, coming out to see what CJ had done with the books she had grabbed from the office upon her arrival.
Donna glanced at the titles that lay at her feet. True classic authors like Tolstoy, Twain, Dostoevsky, Dickens, all the Bront� sisters, Shakespeare, Melville, Gogol, and Homer lay among law texts, poli-sci books, stacks of novels by more contemporary authors, and tomes on world history. And, as CJ had said, there were multiple copies of several of many of the books.
�You�re a geek, Seaborn,� CJ declared before standing up and heading for the office to get another load of books to box up until Sam could figure out what he was going to do with everything.
�Since when do you know Russian?� Toby asked.
�When I was going through school it was the language to know if you were going into politics. No one anticipated having to deal with genuine enemies anywhere other than Russia,� Sam said offhandedly as he headed back toward the office. �There�s food in the fridge if anyone�s hungry,� he called before disappearing around the corner.
Josh showed up twenty minutes later and he, Sam, and Toby started working on the filing cabinets that Sam kept in the office�mostly old speeches and copies of bills that they were keeping in a drawer until a more opportune moment�while Donna and CJ dealt with the desk that the boys had lugged out into the living room to give everyone more space to work.