Squeezing her hand as he chuckled, “It’s not like we would have to pay a girl, Joseph is a nice-looking kid,” Arthur said.
Nodding her head, “You know, I think I was the only mom who, when Joseph was in high school, wanted my son to knock a girl up,” Wendy admitted.
“That would’ve killed his dream, though,” Arthur sighed and Wendy sighed after him, agreeing. “I want you to promise me that you will have a good time.”
Slowly turning to look at Arthur, “I will be stuck in the same room with my baby sister for twenty-one days and you want that guarantee?” Wendy scoffed.
“Gloria is a sweetheart,” Arthur snapped.
“Shit, you didn’t grow up with her ass,” Wendy huffed. “I should steal some of her kids, she has four. She won’t miss one.”
“Nah, I hate to say it, but they are brats,” Arthur said. “Every time they come to stay, I want to run and hide in the woods until they leave.”
“Hun, Gloria was much worse, so I see them as an improvement.”
Getting out of the chair, Arthur kneeled down in front of her. “Love, I want you to have fun. This will be the first vacation you’ve had without me up your ass in the twenty-six years we’ve been married.”
“I would have more fun if you were there,” Wendy mumbled.
A grin spread across Arthur’s face. “I want you to come back with tan lines, so I can request light meat.”
Throwing her arms around his neck, Wendy busted out laughing again. “You are so bad,” she laughed. Wendy was spoiled and she knew it. For the last decade, Arthur had bought her a new BMW every two years. The only reason was when they were in college, Wendy had seen the rich kids driving them and had told Arthur she wanted one just to flaunt it.
Being Arthur, he’d taken it seriously and did buy her one after they graduated, but only after finances allowed. Then ten years ago, he had started buying her a new one every two years. No matter how much she bitched, Arthur still bought her a new one. To date, only Wendy had ever had a new car. Arthur bought used ones and fixed them up.
The one time she’d tried, Arthur had found her researching new pickup trucks on her laptop and holy shit did a fight ensue. Wendy did buy him a new tractor and Arthur was only mad for a week. Finally, he’d hugged her and said. “Babe, I like building them so if something breaks, I already know how to fix it.”
So that was the only new thing she’d bought, except guns. Not even Arthur would bitch when she bought him a gun. The electric carts, four-wheelers, and side by sides they had, Wendy bought them used and helped Arthur and Joseph when he still lived with them, fix them up.
Even Joseph was corrupted on new cars. On his sixteenth birthday, he wanted a classic Camaro and he got a ’67.
“I will have fun, but it’s not fair that you don’t get a vacation,” Wendy said.
“I went to that six-day combat class in Arizona last year alone,” Arthur reminded her as Wendy sat back.
With a flat expression and voice, “You shot guns in the desert,” Wendy said. “We’ve been to those classes together and shoot all the time here.”
Shrugging, “I know, but it was still fun,” Arthur smiled. “You realize you won’t be able to take your pistol, right?”
“Yeah,” Wendy snapped. “I can’t even take your damn dogs. I’ve never been unarmed that long.”
“I like looking at you holding weapons,” Arthur chuckled. “How about you put on a swimsuit and let me take some pictures?”
Standing up, Wendy grinned down at him. “How about nudes?”
She laughed as Arthur scooped her up in his arms and ran into the house.
Chapter Four
Disaster looming
April 19
Walking into the White House, Dr. Scott Sutton held up his ID to the Secret Service agent. “They’re waiting for you, sir,” the agent said and led Sutton through the halls. Sutton had been the assistant director of the CDC for over a year and this was the first time he’d had to give a report to the president.
The agent held open a door and, seeing the president and his cabinet sitting around the table, Sutton nodded at the agent as he walked in. “Mr. President,” Sutton said, moving to the other end of the table.
Setting his briefcase down, Sutton opened it to take out bound reports. Passing a stack to each side, Sutton took one for himself and sat down while opening it up.
“Can I ask what is so important that I’m missing my tee-off time? I was feeling hot today,” the President said, taking one of the bound reports.
“Mr. President, a lethal virus has sprung up in China,” Sutton said and everyone around the table groaned. “We are basing our preliminary information on what the Chinese have researched on the virus. We are working on confirming this now.”
“Dr. Sutton, you do realize China is on the other side of the globe, right?” Kenner, the Secretary of Defense said.
Stopping a smartass comment on the tip of his tongue, “Yes I do, but there is a confirmed case in London,” Sutton replied and everyone became very interested. “The first death was on the fourteenth of this month and as of today, over fifty more from one village. We have a team on the ground and the report you are holding is what we have so far.”
Opening his report, the president saw the map and where the village was at. “How did someone in London get infected from this little farming village?” the President asked.
“We are looking into that,” Sutton
