Loving Miss Libby Read Online Free Page A

his bright yellow cupcake.  It looked like a green blob, but
he was clearly happy with it.
    He studied it briefly, and then promptly bit into
it.  “This tastes even better than it looks.”
    “Yeah, I’m sure it does,” Kate said in a droll tone.
    Libby gave her a mock warning glance, and couldn’t
help smiling when Kate giggled in response.  “Well, kids,” she said, “baking is
fun, but you know what comes after…?”
    “Eating!” Marky yelled.
    “After that, I mean,” she said, giving him a rueful
look.
    Kate immediately understood her meaning.  “Cleaning
up.”
    “Good girl.  You’re right.”
    With the kids’ help, Libby soon had the baking
supplies stowed away and the kitchen sparkling clean.  She checked the clock. 
It was now mid-afternoon.
    “Can I call my grandma?” Kate asked.  “So I can
check on Grandpa.”
    “Sure you can.”
    The little girl crossed the kitchen and entered the
attached family room.  She picked up the cordless phone Libby had left on the
coffee table.  She dialed from memory.  When no one answered, she gave a long
sigh.  “Nobody’s home.”
    “Sometimes tests take awhile,” Libby told her.  “And
they may have had errands to run after the appointment.”
    “Maybe,” Kate mused.
    “Maybe they just needed a break from us,” Marky
said.  “I heard Grandpa say we’re a…?”  He crinkled his face, as if struggling
to remember something of importance.
    “He said we’re a handful,” Kate said, glaring at
him.  “And he meant you !”
    “I’m sweet,” Marky announced, returning her angry
stare.  “At least, that’s what Miss Libby said earlier.”
    “Yeah, well, she was just being nice.  And you
weren’t supposed to be listening in on Grandma and Grandpa’s conversation
either.”
    “Yeah, so?”
    “Well, Daddy says if you listen in on peoples’
conversations, you might not like what you hear.”
    Marky stuck his tongue at his sister, dismissing her
all together, and turned to Libby.  “Can we go outside?”
    “We sure can,” Libby answered, glad for the
distraction.  “I need to get back to mowing.  Maybe you two can help me with
some yardwork.”
    “Or…” Kate said, watching Libby pointedly.  “We
could stay in the family room and watch a movie.”  She nodded almost
imperceptibly in Marky’s direction.  “Sometimes, some people in this room need
a nap, or they get really cranky.”
    “Hey, you’d better not be talking about me,” Marky
protested, watching his sister through narrowed eyes.  “‘Cause you’re crankier
than me most of the time.”
    Libby suddenly decided Kate’s idea of staying in
sounded like a good one.  If Marky typically took a nap in the afternoon, she
figured she should probably keep him on a schedule.  “What do you kids like to
watch on TV?” she asked.
    “Daddy only lets us watch educational programs,”
Kate said, and Marky gave her a dirty look.  “What?” she demanded, glaring at
him in return.
    “You didn’t have to tell Miss Libby that!  I like
cartoons!”
    “We’re not supposed to tell lies,” Kate scolded
him.  “God doesn’t like it when people tell lies.  Does He, Miss Libby?”
    “We should always try our best to tell the truth,”
Libby agreed, and then attempted to divert the kids’ attention once again. 
“Hey, why don’t we watch a Disney movie?  Your dad wouldn’t object to that,
would he?”
    “No,” Kate said.  “As long as it isn’t too scary for
Marky.”
    Marky rose to his full height and balled his fists
at his sides.  “I’m not scared of nothin’!”
    “Okay, okay,” Libby said, “let’s just pick a movie.”
    Surprisingly, the kids agreed on a movie fairly
quickly and settled in, Kate on Libby’s couch, and Marky on the loveseat.  She
gave each a throw blanket and they soon became engrossed in the movie.  Before
too long, Marky fell asleep.
    “That’s a relief,” Kate whispered, when Libby smiled
in the little boy’s