Those twists and turns eased her troubled heart. They lulled her into believing everything would be all right with the Parkers’ store. They kept her from worrying about Roy’s antics over at the Hammer and Nail or his warped idea to rob a bank. “What are we going to do with that boy?” she asked Copernicus, who was stretched out in a triangle of sunlight by the refrigerator. Copernicus rolled over, facing the opposite direction. “You don’t think I should encourage his idiotic plan, do you?” Copernicus turned his head back and meowed. “Well,” Jade said, “then you’re just as crazy. Two kids cannot rob a bank and get away with it.” Copernicus blinked. “They can’t!” The cat licked his paws, stood up, and left the kitchen. Jade leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. “I’m arguing with a cat,” she said to the empty room. “A cat!” “It happens to the best of us.” Aunt Elise came through the back door. Tufts of dog fur dotted her sweater-vest. When she noticed Jade noticing, she said, “Astro likes to wrestle and Genghis Khan needs a cuddle from time to time, even if he won’t admit it.”
