Nobody’s Hero Read Online Free PDF Page B

she looked. She wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs gripped him at his waist.
    Brightly colored cartoon character barrettes decorated her black hair. Large eyes, nearly as dark as her hair, dominated her chubby face. She was simultaneously adorable and terrifying. Growing up, it had just been him and his older brother. There weren’t even any cousins, so he’d never been around babies.
    Danny looked on with a smirk.
    She giggled and cuddled close, resting her head on his shoulder. The scent of soap and maple syrup enveloped him, oddly comforting. “Here.” He tried to hand Veronica back to Danny. She tightened around him like a boa constrictor.
    Danny stepped forward. He reached over and tried to pull her away from Brad. “Veronica,” he said in a firm voice, “go back to the kitchen.
Abuelita
will be looking for you and I’ve got to show Brad around.”
    Her bottom lip stuck out, but she relaxed her hold on Brad’s neck and let her uncle set her on the floor. The terrier, apparently happy to have someone on his level again, jumped up, his whole body quivering in excitement, then raced around Veronica’s legs. His long pink tongue darted out, catching the toddler on her ear. She squealed and raced to the other side of the house.
    “Sorry about that,” Danny said, stepping aside and gesturing Brad to follow him. “Mamá watches some of the grandkids a few days a week.”
    “No problem.” Brad trailed behind Danny, racking his brain for a way to say what needed to be said.
    They passed the living room again, but instead of heading straight on toward the front of the house and the door, they followed a connecting door into a dining room. The farther they went, the stronger the scents of apples, cinnamon and brewing coffee grew. Brad’s mouth watered, even though he’d already had a muffin and a glass of orange juice.
    The dining room led to a huge kitchen bursting with color. Dark reds and golds on walls and blue floor tiles painted with flowers. A short, plump woman with shoulder-length curls had a phone perched between her ear and shoulder. Her hands were busy kneading dough on the counter and flour dusted her arms up to the elbows. She let loose a rapid stream of Spanish as she slammed the dough onto the yellow counter.
    At Brad and Danny’s entrance she looked over and waved in acknowledgment before saying goodbye. “Danny,” she said, “grab the phone for me.”
    Unlike her husband or son, whose accents were mild, she had one thick enough it took Brad a minute to understand what she’d said.
    Danny grabbed the phone and set it on the counter a safe distance away from the flour. “Mamá, this is Brad. Papá hired him for the summer and is going to rent him the garage apartment.”
    “Hello, Mrs. Ortega.” Brad held out his hand.
    She didn’t have the same outgoing personality her son and husband had, but there was a pure mom-vibe that made him immediately comfortable. She couldn’t have been more than five foot two, but there was a no-nonsense attitude about her. He figured she could probably accomplish anything she put her mind to, including riding herd on some forty-odd relatives at a family gathering.
    She looked up at him with a warm smile. “Welcome,” she said, reaching for a towel, wiping her hands. She shook his hand with a strong grip.
    “Call me Anna. You let me know if you need anything, yes?” Her chocolate-dark eyes assessed him. “You are too skinny. You need to eat more.”
    “Thank you.” Brad took his hand back.
    “I’m going to show him the apartment and help him get settled,” Danny said. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
    “Wait,” Mrs. Ortega said. “I have food.”
    Brad didn’t know what that meant, but by the indulgent look on his face, Danny did. Brad glanced between the two Ortegas and rolled the employment papers nervously in his hands.
    Mrs. Ortega went to a cupboard and pulled out a plastic grocery bag, then went to the freezer and started filling it