Broken Toys

Chapter 35

"They're here," Casey yelled in through the open window. He waved to the group in the weather-beaten blue sedan and hurried down the steps to greet them. Billy raced past, giving Casey a grin.

"Wait till I get this cast off, Tepper," Casey called.

"Yeah, like I have to worry about those little legs, Conner." Billy opened the passenger door before Snuffy could and yelled in, "Come on slackers, there's work to be done."

"Give it a rest, Billy, I've been stuck in the car with these clowns for the last half-hour. I need a break." Hank slid out of the driver's seat and stretched.

"And some food," Snuffy added, getting out of the car.

"Yeah," Ricardo agreed. "And some caffeine. Snuffy here kept us up half the night watching one of his awful sci fi movies."

"The Monolith Monsters is a classic," Snuffy said, following Billy and Hank towards the house.

"Yeah," Casey agreed, ignoring the laughter and groans.

"This is a great place, Casey," Yogurt said, hanging back to take in the surroundings.

"Sure is," Snuffy agreed, pausing to consider the view. "Pretty nice that it's in the middle of nowhere."

"Yeah. It's quiet," Billy chimed in. "Except for all the birds and stuff. Worse than city noise."

"Spoken like a city boy," Ric replied, throwing an arm around Billy and mock choking him. "Right Billy?"

"And proud of it. Come on, we'll give you the full tour after breakfast."

"Pancakes and sausage," Casey said enthusiastically. "Blueberries optional."

"How many have you had already, Casey?" Hank teased.

"Just two. Zeke needed a taste tester."

"I'll bet," Billy said, raising his eyebrows and smirking. Casey thwapped him.

Zeke greeted the crowd as they invaded the kitchen. "Pancakes are up, sausage is on the way. Billy, why don't you point out the important stuff while Casey and I get the food and drinks ready? We're going to set up a buffet line."

"I cleaned up the dining room but it might be nicer to eat on the porch. Just watch out for rogue dust bunnies."

"More like dust elephants," Zeke commented in an undertone.

"Hey, I swept this morning." Casey protested.

"And lived to tell about it," Billy added cheekily before leading the group away. "Come on people, I'll give you the ten cent tour before we eat."

As soon as they were out of sight, Zeke caught Casey and stole a kiss. "Might not get to do that again today."

"However will you survive?" Casey teased, batting his eyes and kissing back. "Thanks for cooking, Fin," he said, smiling wickedly.

"Welcome, Cupcake," Zeke responded dryly. "Now get those glasses and plates out. I've got to turn these pancakes or they'll burn. Then you'll have to eat them."

"Charcoal pancakes? No way. Flip to your heart's content. Some of us have work to do."

By the time the group returned, the kitchen counter was loaded with food, dishes and utensils. The orange juice and soda sat near the coffee pot and an ice bucket was nearby. Casey had set out the syrup, butter and applesauce beside the platter of pancakes. The box of powdered sugar donuts was off to one side.

One lone pancake survived the breakfast massacre. Casey offered it around but no one had room for it.

"This is why we need a dog," Billy said with a smile, continuing the ongoing discussion they'd been having all week. "No leftovers."

"Man, if everything Zeke makes is this good there won't be many leftovers," Hank stated.

"Wait till you see what he has planned for tonight." Casey grinned. "But don't even think of asking what it is yet. You're only getting the good stuff if you earn it."

"I see how this works," Snuffy huffed, crossing his arms.

"Yup," Billy grinned.

"So what do you need us to do?" Ricardo asked, leaning back in his chair and stretching.

"Zeke and I are on kitchen clean up. You're going to work with Billy to clear out the attic and take the stuff to the barn. If there's time we'll work in the summer house."

"Sounds like a plan," Hank nodded, standing up. "Let's get to work."

Billy led the group upstairs while Zeke and Casey cleared away the dirty dishes. Casey winced at the sound of more than one thing falling or being dropped. When the dishes were all clean, dry and put away he hurried off to see what was going on. Zeke trailed along behind.

Billy had arranged an assembly line and Casey and Zeke had to time their journey up the stairs to avoid the people and the items that had only been carried that far.

They had decided to carry everything as far as the front porch and then move it the rest of the way to the barn using the old wheelbarrow Billy had found. Right now they were carrying out the smaller items. Then they'd work with the heavier, more awkward pieces.

"No horseback ride today," Billy told Casey when he joined them. "This horse is getting tired."

"Take a break if you need it," Casey frowned with concern. "Don't overdo."

"Don't let him fool you, Casey. He's just looking for sympathy." Hank grinned and dodged the friendly punch Billy threw at him.

Yogurt walked by lugging a misshapen box. "More bricks," he muttered, panting.

"Give me a minute to get up there." Casey suggested. "I'll see if I can do anything to help."

"You can help by cleaning up after, Case. Don't try to carry anything heavy."

"Yeah, I'm not giving you a horseback ride across the stage to get your diploma," Billy said.

"I'll be careful," Casey said, rolling his eyes. Sheesh. Zeke followed him up, offering a steadying hand when Casey wavered a little.

The attic looked quite different with most of the clutter gone. There was an old rocking chair with a broken seat and several large trunks as well as an old double bed frame.

"The floor's not as nice up here." Casey commented, eyeing it critically. "Maybe we could get a nice rug. It'd be warmer, too."

"Got any furniture in mind?" Zeke asked as he pulled one of the trunks closer to the entryway. It was heavy and would be tricky to get down the stairs.

"Simple stuff up here, I think, maybe modern. Light wood. Maybe a recliner for Billy. Something nice for you. Wall unit for the stereo and stuff. Maybe we could build in some bookshelves; there are a lot of niches and alcoves that would be good for that. Lots of lamps." Casey stopped and grinned sheepishly. "Sorry, I get carried away. Never did anything like this before, it's kind of like an art project in 3-D."

"'S ok, Case. Have fun with it. Go wild."

"Not too wild. We do have to live here." Casey shrugged, "It's mostly wishful thinking anyway. Furniture's expensive."

"There's a thrift shop on the way back to school."

"Really?" Casey was surprised. "I thought...I mean, you wouldn't mind getting used stuff?"

"This house is full of used stuff. Besides, I want to see you turn rejects into something useful."

"Yeah," Casey grinned. "Rejects. We know about that." He smiled softly at Zeke, a wealth of emotion in his eyes. "We'll do it together, the three of us."

"The three of us," Zeke repeated, nodding his agreement.

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