Livvy jumped, then slid her cell phone out of her pocket. “Hi, Mother.”
Pinned down by the baby in her lap, Livvy was facing away from the front windows, but Socko could see a car in the driveway across the street. Livvy’s mother stood next to it, a cell phone pressed to her ear.
“Can I stay a little longer?” Livvy smiled at Emily, who was waving the spoon around. “I already ate.”
Socko watched the man who had accused him of vandalizing Moon Ridge get out of the car. He was holding a big sack of carryout, this time from a restaurant called Thai-One-On.
“Livvy,” said the General. “Ask your parents to come over. It’s time we got acquainted.”
“Can you guys come over here a minute?” Livvy’s eyes closed as she listened to their conversation. Although he couldn’t hear a word they were saying, Socko could tell the couple in the driveway wasn’t exactly thrilled about the invitation.
“Great!” Livvy’s eyes opened wide. “See you in a sec!” She handed Emily to Delia and ran to the door.
“Wipe your chin, Luke,” rasped the General. “And look intelligent. You’re about to have a job interview.”
Luke took a swipe at his chin with his paper napkin and stuffed the napkin in the pocket of his jeans.
Livvy leaned out the door and pulled her mother and father inside. “Everybody, these are my parents, Tim and Marsha Holmes!”
Socko noticed the way his own mother smoothed the front of her blouse as she looked at Marsha Holmes. Livvy’s parents obviously spent a lot of money on clothes, haircuts, and manicures. They looked like they belonged in a place like Moon Ridge. But they also looked tired. The tie around Mr. Holmes neck hung crooked. His wife had circles under her eyes that makeup didn’t hide.
Tired or not, their smiles flashed on like emoticons. Everyone shook hands. Delia gave Mrs. Holmes a hug. “So glad to finally meet you!”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you too,” said Mrs. Holmes, taking a step back. “Livvy says such nice things about all of you. We’ll have to have you over for dinner sometime.” She eye-signaled her husband with a quick glance at the door.
“Absolutely,” said Mr. Holmes. “You’ll have to excuse us for now, though.” He held up the bag of carryout. “Dinner isn’t getting any warmer.” With his free hand on his wife’s back, Mr. Holmes turned toward the door.
A battered wheelchair cut off their retreat. “Now that we’ve got the nicey-nice out of the way, let’s cut to the chase. Mr. Holmes, from the look of things I’d say you’re in a pickle.”
Socko saw the shock on Livvy’s face.
“I beg your pardon?” said Mr. Holmes.
“Nothing dishonorable about it, son. The way I hear it the whole country’s in a pickle. And that includes Luke here.”
Luke dipped his head in agreement and stared at the floor.
“The economy being what it is, Luke and his wife and baby are living in a car at the moment, but normally Luke is a landscaper. The subdivision he was working on went belly-up.”
“Which subdivision?” Mr. Holmes asked Luke.
“Buena Vista.”
Mr. Holmes nodded grimly. “Dave Mason’s project—I didn’t know it had gone under.”
“Oh, yeah,” said Luke. “A couple months ago.”
Mr. Holmes dragged a hand down his face.
“Mr. Holmes, I don’t see you selling a lot of houses,” the General pressed. “And you won’t if you don’t get a little greenery going. I’m thinking that maybe the two of you could help each other out. Put Luke and his family up in one of these houses you have so many of, and in trade he’ll plant up a few of the yards, as well as that bare dirt around the entry to the project.”
Socko stared at the General as though he had just pulled a rabbit out of his hat. But would Livvy’s dad go for the idea?
“Tim?” Mrs. Holmes said quietly. “This is ridiculous! We are not that desperate.”
Livvy looked back and forth between her parents. “How desperate are we?”
“Cash flow is a little tight right now, honey,” her father said, “but we’re fine.”
“Then why can’t we help Luke and Ceelie?”
“It’s kind of complicated, Liv.” Mr. Holmes turned to his wife.
“Mother, please?” Livvy begged.
“We are not a charity, Olivia,” Mrs. Holmes whispered.
Socko saw Luke stiffen.
“We don’t want charity, ma’am,” Luke said. “I do an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. You can call Dave Mason. He’ll give me a reference.”
Livvy stood between her parents, looking back and forth. “Mother? Daddy? We’ll help the Olsons, won’t we?”
Mr. Holmes put a hand on his wife’s shoulder. “What do you say?”
She sighed. “All right.”
“Thank you, thank you!” Livvy gave her mother a hug.
Having given in, Mrs. Holmes looked even more tired, but the emoticon smile switched back on.
“Now, if you’ll excuse us,” said Mr. Holmes, steering his wife toward the door. “It’s been a long day. We’ll firm up the details in the morning, Mr. Olson.”
“Thanks,” Luke said, watching Mrs. Holmes’s stiff back as she walked out.
“One hand washes the other,” the General called after them. “This’ll turn out good for everyone.”
Mrs. Holmes was opening the door when Delia said, “Just a second, Marsha.” Delia had been walking back and forth to the laundry room all evening, delivering stacks of clean clothes. She walked into the laundry room one last time and came out with Livvy’s mountain of towels. “Thanks for the loan.”
Mrs. Holmes raised her eyebrows at her daughter before turning to Delia. “Keep them, please.”
“Are you kidding?” Delia tried to force the towels into the woman’s arms. “Take ’em! Towels cost money.”
Mrs. Holmes held up a hand. “No, really. I insist. They’re not the right color for any of our new bathrooms.” She slipped her arm through her husband’s and headed for the door. “Olivia, I expect to see you at home in fifteen minutes. Good night, everyone.”
“Night,” added Mr. Holmes.
“Come over anytime,” Delia called after them, hugging the stack of towels.
Livvy didn’t do anything with her fifteen minutes. She just held the baby and rocked nervously back and forth.
“I’ll walk you,” said Socko when the time was up.
“No kissing on the first date,” the General rumbled as they walked out the door.
Livvy didn’t even blush—so Socko didn’t bother to either.
“Sorry I got you in trouble about the towels,” Socko said. “But I don’t get why your mom was so bent about taking them back.”
“Mother’s acting weird lately. Plus she’s a germ freak.”
“You can’t catch homelessness.” He thought it was kind of funny, but Livvy didn’t laugh.
As they walked through the open door of the three-car garage, Socko spotted a large map leaned against the wall. Having spent days making a map, he had come to appreciate their ins and outs, and this one was as big as the classroom map that had been his bedroom wall at the Kludge. “Nice map.”
“Map?”
“Yeah, over there.” It was only when he walked over to it, Livvy at his heels, that Socko realized he was looking at Moon Ridge Estates.
He was about to check it out and see how it compared to his own map when Livvy whispered, “That should be hanging on the wall of their office.” She stared at Socko, a look of panic on her face. “They’re going out of business!”
“No way. They’d tell you if it was that bad.”
“Really? I didn’t know we were moving until my mother began putting things in boxes! They don’t tell me anything.”
Not being told anything was hard for Socko to imagine. Delia shared all her worries with him—her hours were going to be cut, she didn’t have the rent money— sometimes way more than he wanted to know.
Livvy’s eyes darted around the unfinished garage. “What if we can’t keep this house?”
“Why wouldn’t you? Your dad owns Moon Ridge.”
“It’s not that simple …” She put her hand on the doorknob, then rested her forehead against the door. “Oh, Socko. I don’t want to live in a car.”
“You got two nice ones to choose from.”
She slipped into the kitchen without looking back.
“Just trying to cheer you up,” he told the closed door. “Sorry.”