Distracting Dad. Terry Essig

my heritage. See my freckles? Irish. And a little Scots.”

      Was he good or what? Nate thought.

      “Are you folks ready to order?”

      “Yes. I’d like the house salad, please. Light Italian dressing. Thank you.”

      “Chop some chicken on there for her, will you?” Ted directed. “She needs the protein. We’re trying to build her up a little bit. Maybe some egg, too.”

      Allie gave up. “Fine. Put chicken on it. Put an egg on it. Use Geritol for the dressing. That ought to give me a blood count right off the charts and make everybody happy.”

      “Uh, I don’t think we have any dressing like that.”

      Allie just sighed and put her head in her hands. “Mom, I really think you can do better than this. Honest to God, I really think you could. Put a little heart and soul into it, why don’t you? Try harder, darn it.”

      Nate put a hand on Allie’s shoulder, patted her soothingly. It was her first exposure to his father, after all. She was bound to be a bit stressed. “Excuse me? I didn’t catch that. Can you lift your head? You’re mumbling.”

      Allie turned her head out of her hands and glared at Nate. “I’m not talking to you.”

      “Oh, sorry. Dad, Allie’s talking to you. Pay attention, will you?”

      “Not him, either.”

      “Not him and not me. Fine. Then you were speaking to…whom?”

      She glared harder. “If you must know, I was speaking to my mother. And it was a private conversation.”

      Nate cleared his throat. “Your mother? The one who’s—”

      “Yes, that’s right. Frankly, I’m very disappointed in the way she’s handling things up there and I just told her so. I’m sorry, but she could do a better job of watching out for me than she’s currently doing. She is a lot nearer to the final seat of authority than I am, after all.”

      “Is that so?”

      Allie nodded stubbornly. “Yes, that’s so and that’s just what I told her.”

      “Uh-huh. Okay, you told your mom off. Did she, um, have anything to say in return?” He held up his hands. “Just wondering.”

      “No, she doesn’t talk back. Dead people don’t, as a rule,” Allie explained kindly. “Which doesn’t mean she isn’t listening, though,” Allie stubbornly insisted. She raised her voice a little bit. “And I expect her to get her act together and do a better job.”

      “Oookay.” Nate sat back in the booth, eyeing Allie warily. And she’d looked so normal. The waitress returned with their drinks. Nate took his and released the straw from its paper wrapper. He stuck it in his drink and sucked up half the liquid in his glass. So maybe he’d steer clear of Allie all together and forget even the mutually satisfying enjoyment of each other part of the deal. He might have been able to avoid the three brothers. Maybe even handle both fathers as well. But a knows-all, sees-all mother spirit? He didn’t think so. And Nate liked his private life…private.