In the House On Lakeside Drive Read Online Free Page A

like a toy soldier holding a gunny sack in front of him. “Why are you out here?” he said. “I mean, you’ve never got money problems…”
    “True. Dad sends the check like clockwork. Wish he’d come to see me, though.”
    Remy stopped in mid-rake. “He hasn’t seen you?”
    “Nope. Not in over a year. It’s okay.” The look on Sam’s face said otherwise.
    “No, it’s not. Why hasn’t he come to see you?”
    Sam shrugged. “Dad’s been focused on getting me more mobile, better equipped to take care of myself. I can’t complain—I want that too—but sometimes I think he wishes he had a son that wasn’t, y’know, broken.
    “You’re not broken,” Remy said sharply. The idea of someone not liking Sam just because of his blindness bothered Remy. “Wired different, parts slightly settled in shipping, but not broken.”
    “True. But I have an older brother who’s planning on going to med school, and an older sister who’s graduating summa cum laude from U of M law school next month. Which kid sounds like the best choice to talk about during Thanksgiving dinner with the other relatives?”
    “Well, don’t you see your brother and sister?”
    “Loren called me last week. He’s stuck studying for his finals all through the holiday, and Leslie’s about to start a new job with a good firm in Grand Rapids. Even I know that it’s not a good idea to take time off when you first start a job.” Sam smiled a half-smile. “And then there’s me. I’m still in school, no diploma at nineteen, and my only real ambition is to try and teach life skills to other folks like me.”
    Remy smiled. “You’re doing great at it. Plus, I don’t know a whole lot of blind people who can fence.”
    The mention of the word made the six-foot-tall Sam suddenly leap into position, his feet at perpendicular angles to each other and his stick pointed out like a fencing sword. In one graceful motion, he leaned forward and lunged, extending his arm and stick out as though he were about to run Remy through. Remy quickly turned his rake handle toward his friend and parried Sam’s lunge, and soon the two were locked in a good-natured bout of fencing. Sam finally followed through on a feint, jabbing Remy in the shoulder and claiming the “point.” “And I’m good at it, too.” He smiled.
    “Hey, guys,” Evan called out. “Almost done? We’ve got at least one more yard to do before it gets dark.”
    “Yeah, Evan,” the pair called back, scrambling to bag up the rest of the yard litter. Folding up the last bag, they scurried down the street, following the sounds of excited voices eager to collect their day’s pay. Behind them, a lone figure followed, keeping slightly off to the side and out of notice. He had been watching Remy and Sam with an appraising eye, and he had been mildly surprised at Sam’s miniature fencing demonstration. Not a sight I thought I’d ever see, the man thought as he casually sidled on by, escaping any real scrutiny through the din.

Chapter 5
    “I hate winter.”
    “Babe, you hate being cold. There’s a difference.” Evan came up behind his green-eyed woman and rested his head on top of her shoulder as the couple stood near the fire. The sounds of three grown-up kids snoring around the living room played like classical music to dance to. Pale orbs took in the sight of Remy sprawled out over half the worn white couch, his hand tucked inside a half-eaten bowl of popcorn. Sam lay next to him, his head tilted backwards as he used the opposite corner of the couch as a makeshift pillow and the particle board coffee table as an ottoman. Josh’s heart-stopping snores were muffled through the large floor pillow he laid on, his form nearly enveloped by a large fuzzy blanket pulled from his bed upstairs. “Looks like movie night was a success.”
    “You mean after the hour it took for them to pick a movie or the second hour it took for them to make their snacks?” Rachel pointed out. Josh’s ice