Angels in the Snow by Rexanne Becnel Page B

interjected. But for once his grin was good-natured. “Watch out, Lucy. Jenn invents her own rules in Monopoly.”
    â€œI do not.”
    â€œYou guys want to play?” Lucy asked. She scooted over to make room for them to sit. “We can start again, can’t we, Jennifer?”
    Jennifer stared up at her brother, then over at Robbie, who was already shedding his coat and crossing to them. “Sure,” she finally said. She edged over as well, then followed Lucy’s lead by collecting the paper money and redistributing it in four equal piles.
    Charles stared at the scene before him. The four children gathered around the low table, amicably jostling for the most comfortable positions. They took the pillows Judith handed them, then settled down to the serious business of rolling the dice.
    Joe and Marilyn sat on the hearth and talked quietly while Joe tested the coffee sitting in a pot to the side. He started to tuck a loose strand of Marilyn’s hair behind her ear, but stopped first to wipe the soot from his hand before finishing the gesture.
    Charles looked away and met Judith’s hooded gaze. He shifted from his left foot to his right. Finally he moved to one of the couches.
    â€œWhy don’t you come sit over here,” he began, indicating the couch. “It’ll be warmer.”
    â€œI’ve got this spot all heated up,” she answered after only a brief hesitation. “There’s a comforter behind you.”
    â€œThat’s okay.”
    There was an awkward silence between them that not even the children’s chatter and the Walkers’ quiet conversation could disguise. He felt defeated already. But with no alternative—no other rooms warm enough to retreat to and no phone or television for distraction—Charles sat down on one of the couches. Just beyond his feet Lucy perched on her knees, shaking the dice in her hands, trying to talk the plastic cubes into the best pattern for her.
    â€œSix. Yes!” She moved her piece forward with six enthusiastic jabs.
    â€œMarvin Gardens. Don’t waste your money on it,” Robbie advised her. “I already own one of the yellow ones, and Alex has the other. It doesn’t do you any good to buy it.”
    Charles leaned forward. “No real estate investment is ever a bad idea. If nothing else, you can always trade it. Before this game is done, I guarantee someone will want it.”
    Lucy looked over her shoulder at him and grinned. “All right. I’ll buy it.”
    Robbie and Alex both groaned, but Jennifer laughed. “My dad knows everything about real estate.”
    â€œReal estate?” Lucy asked.
    â€œYeah. You know, buying land and buildings and stuff. Just like in Monopoly. Only he builds real hotels.”
    Joe looked up. “A real estate developer? I guess business must be a little down these days.”
    Charles relaxed back on the couch. “For some people. But a tight economy doesn’t have to be a curse. There’s always a good deal waiting to be made if you’re smart. The people who lose out are the short-term players. If you plan for the long haul, you’ll always come out to the good.”
    Joe nodded and glanced at the game board as Alex rolled the dice and moved his piece. “We bought nineteen acres a long time ago. North of Edgard. Built a dome first, then later on we built a bigger house.”
    â€œA dome?” Charles grinned. This family was even stranger than he’d thought.
    â€œYeah.” Joe looked at him with a patient expression, much like a tolerant parent gives a difficult child. “We built it in one long weekend with the help of a lot of friends. I’m sure you can appreciate the fact that for less than two thousand dollars, we built almost a thousand square feet of space that’s still in use twenty years later. With only routine upkeep, I might add.”
    Charles studied the other man. “Not a bad