After some time had passed, there was a knock on the door and Rico poked his head into the room.

“What’s the point of knocking if you’re just going to barge in?” Dallas asked with annoyance.

“I miss you,” Rico answered sweetly.

Nathaniel let out an ‘Awww’ but Dallas scowled.

“Don’t believe him,” he warned Nathaniel. “He’s bored and wants us to watch cartoons with him.”

At this, Rico wrinkled his nose.

“Please?” he begged. “I hate watching TV alone and I don’t care about Fernando or Esteban or stupid Stefania who cries too much! Who’d want to have a baby with her anyways?”

The little boy turned his wide, pleading eyes on Nathaniel and Dallas knew the other teen was a goner. Sure enough, Nathaniel glanced at Dallas with a similar pleading expression.

“I’m all done with my homework,” he said. “And I can stay for another hour – I don’t have to be home until 6!”

“Fine,” Dallas grunted, but his reluctance faded when he saw how pleased Nathaniel looked as he took the hand that Rico offered him. Dallas got up and followed them down the hall to the den/playroom, where another TV was blasting Ninja Turtles. They sat on the floor with Rico between them and Nathaniel looked around at the pictures that hung on the wall. Dallas noticed his gaze fix on a photo of a younger Dallas with Madeline.

“Is that your mother?” Nathaniel asked, but he quickly winced and added, “I’m sorry, you don’t have to talk about her if you don’t…”

“It’s OK, we talk about Madeline,” Rico chirped. “Don’t we, Dallas?”

“Yup,” Dallas agreed.

“I talk to her on the phone!” Rico added. 

Nathaniel raised his eyebrows. “Really?”

“Madeline calls every month or so to see how I’m doing,” Dallas explained to Nathaniel. “One time Rico got to the phone before Dad could reach it. Now she talks to him too whenever she calls me.”

“She says I’m a sweetie and she sent me a birthday card from FRANCE,” Rico continued. “That’s where she lives. Right, Dallas?”

“Yup,” Dallas agreed, and because Nathaniel was staring at him with avid interest, he continued to explain. “Madeline met an Algerian businessman a few years ago at a work event. His name is Saidi and he runs a company in France. Madeline always wanted to travel – she hated it here in Cooper’s Creek – so when Saidi asked her to move overseas with him, she went. She likes it there, I think, and Saidi makes her happy. She says I’m welcome to visit them once I’m old enough to fly alone. Dad already agreed he’d pay for my ticket.”

“Do you miss her?” Nathaniel’s question was almost a whisper and Dallas could tell that he was trying really hard not to upset Dallas. Dallas smiled at him reassuringly.

“Honestly, no,” he answered. “Madeline never really wanted to be a mother, not like Rosalie does. She married my dad because she thought that as a lawyer, he’d go to interesting places, but all he did was end up in Cooper’s Creek. They argued a lot – Dad says he’s never afraid to argue in court now because he had all that practice with Madeline. But it was an amicable split and Dad was granted full custody of me after she moved out. I was about eight when she left and I was ten Dad married Rosalie. Shortly after that Rico was born and so here we are.”

“I’m the reason we have a family!” Rico said with pride, as if he’d done all the hard work to bring them together. Dallas patted his head, unable to hide his affection for the kid.

“Yeah,” he said. “Dad is a whole other person around Rosalie. I knew right away that he was in love with her. I loved her right away, too.”

Nathaniel smiled. “Really?”

“Yup,” Dallas agreed. “She was already pregnant with Rico the first time we met. She brought a cake to the house - yellow cake with chocolate frosting, which is my favorite - and she told Dad to go away so the two of us could be alone. We sat on the couch together and she put the cake on top of her baby bump. She told me I was supposed to call her Rosalie and that she was going to need my help with my brother because Dad is useless around babies. Then she gave me a fork and we ate that cake right on top of Rico’s head while I told her about my favorite cars.”

Dallas playfully ruffled Rico’s hair, making the younger boy squeak and leap up to pull at his face. They wrestled until Dallas got Rico in a headlock, but they were both giggling by that point. Dallas released Rico and the boy went back to watching the TV, while Dallas glanced over at Nathaniel. The other teen was watching him with such a soft look, Dallas was sorely tempted to lean over and kiss him. But he didn’t. Instead he smiled and they went back to watching the noisy cartoons.

Not long after that Nathaniel’s phone buzzed with a message. He glanced at it and his relaxed expression fell away.

“It’s my mother,” he said. “She’s on her way to pick me up.”

Dallas wanted to beg Nathaniel to stay, but he understood it was pointless to try. He nodded and they went to his room to collect Nathaniel’s things before waiting in the front hall for Mrs. Westerson. Rosalie left the couch to join them.

“Are there any snacks that you would like for next time you come over to study?” she asked Nathaniel.

“I enjoy everything that you send with Dallas for lunch,” he admitted. “You’re such a good cook, but your Mexican food is the best!”

“You’ll have to thank my abuela for that,” Rosalie admitted. “I simply follow her recipes. The lady had a genius for food.”

A silver minivan pulled up along the sidewalk in front of the house and Nathaniel sighed, before thanking Rosalie for everything.

“I really had a wonderful time,” he said earnestly.

“Oh, mijo,” Rosalie said, “We’re so happy to have you - you have no idea how glad I am to know that Dallas has a friend like you! May I give you a hug?”

Nathaniel was surprised by the request, but not displeased, and he allowed Rosalie to hug him. Then Rico gave Nathaniel a hug too and demanded to know when he was coming back so that he could see Rico’s action figures. Dallas pried Rico off Nathaniel’s legs and opened the front door.

“Don’t worry, I won’t hug you,” Dallas said teasingly (although he desperately wanted to). “I’ll see you tomorrow at lunch.”

“I’m looking forward to it,” Nathaniel replied, and he walked down the drive to the minivan. Dallas, Rosalie, and Rico waved as he got into the passenger seat and the van pulled away. Once the front door was closed again, Rosalie told Rico to bring her all the dirty dishes from around the house.

“It’s your special mission!” she told him. “And in return, I’ll let you eat dinner tonight!”

Rico groaned, but he obediently went to do as she asked. After the little boy was gone, Rosalie took Dallas’ hand with hers and squeezed it.

“Nathaniel is a very sweet young man,” she said, “but he is much too skinny. I am going to send more food with you at lunch and you will make sure he eats it. Do you understand, Dallas?”

She looked at him with a stern expression and Dallas nodded. He tried to pretend he didn’t see the worried look in her eyes; he wasn’t sure why, but he was worried too.

* * * * * * *