Saints of Augustine Read Online Free PDF Page B

sofa cushions. Sam’s mom would have had a fit if shesaw Sam or Hannah doing that. But chunky, clunky, loudmouthed Teddy walked on water.
    â€œYou and Crabcake going to help me hang some wall sconces?”
    Hannah giggled, which only irritated Sam more. “Her name’s Hannah,” he said. “And I’ve got stuff to do.”
    â€œSam,” his mother called out sharply. She was in the kitchen, leaning back from the sink to put Sam in her sight line. “What have I told you about being rude?”
    â€œSorry,” Sam said, looking away from both his mom and Teddy, glancing at Hannah, who was perched on the arm of the sofa.
    â€œI’m going to give you stuff to do if you don’t straighten up, young man.”
    â€œI said sorry.”
    Teddy either didn’t notice or didn’t care when Sam got smart with him. He raised the drill and squeezed the trigger, tearing into the wall.
    Sam poured himself a glass of juice. He took the scrambled egg his mom had cooked him and made a sandwich with toast and a few pieces of bacon.Jasbo watched him. Sam tossed out a sliver of egg, and the dachshund caught it in midair. His mother was loading the dishwasher. Her blond hair, the exact same shade as Sam’s and Hannah’s, was pulled back into a ponytail. She’d started wearing it that way when Teddy came into the picture. That was also about the time she’d decided that the entire look of the house had to change, as if leaving it the way it was when his father had lived here was unthinkable. What did they need with wall sconces? She glanced at him, then folded her arms over her stomach and nodded toward his plate. “Put that in the dishwasher when you’re through eating.”
    â€œAffirmative, captain.”
    â€œTell me something, because I really want to know. I’m going to mark it on my calendar. When are you going to snap out of this attitude?” she asked.
    Sam shrugged and said through a mouthful, “What are you talking about? I’m just standing here eating an egg.”
    â€œThe boy needs his protein!” Teddy called from the living room, over the shriek of the drill. “Got to put some meat on those bones. He’s going to need’em to wax that new shed to keep it from rusting.”
    Sam rolled his eyes.
    â€œ That’s what I’m talking about,” his mother said softly, so that only Sam could hear. “I don’t want to see you roll your eyes or hear that sarcastic tone in your voice. We’ve talked about this.”
    Sam swallowed, then reached for the juice glass. “Affirmative. No more eye rolling.”
    â€œDarn it!” Teddy announced to the wall. “Brenda, do you have any screw anchors?”
    â€œI don’t think so. What are they?”
    â€œThose little plastic jobbers that hold the screws into the drywall. I’ll bet the guy who invented those is a millionaire. Probably a Japanese.”
    â€œI don’t think we have any.”
    â€œDarn it. Who wants to go to the hardware store?”
    â€œMe!” Hannah shouted.
    What a pushover, Sam thought. You’d think the hardware store was Disney World.
    Teddy blew drywall dust off the drill bit and said, “Sam?”
    â€œI’m going running,” Sam said. “Thanks, though.”He set his plate down, leaned forward, and kissed his mom’s cheek. “See?” he whispered. “I’m a model of politeness.”
    This time she was the one who rolled her eyes. Sam headed off toward his room.
    Â 
    His ancient Discman wasn’t working. He put new batteries in it, but it was still dead. That’s what he got for buying a cheap model he’d never heard of. He wanted to get away from the house before Teddy and Hannah came out to leave for the hardware store, so he didn’t stretch for nearly as long as he normally would have. For the first ten minutes, he suffered. But eventually the muscles in