QUALITY TIME
by
CQB
Chapter 1
THE CHAPTERS
Joe Hardy shuffled into the kitchen of their century-old home and poured coffee into his favorite ‘smiley face’ mug. He added plenty of sugar and a generous portion of milk before plopping his 6’ frame into a chair at the table. He slid his body into a dejected slouch, sighing loudly as he stirred the mixture in his mug.
Pretty, petite Laura Hardy tucked a strand of shoulder-length blond hair behind her ear. She gazed at her 17-year old son’s forlorn position and sad blue eyes. She couldn’t help but smile at Joe’s miserable state.
"Oh, Joe," she said, working to suppress her smile, "It’s really not that bad. Frank will be home before you know it!"
"I-AM-SO-BORED," the blond boy sighed, "I am going to go completely crazy this week! What a way to spend spring break!"
"Surely there’s someone you can hang out with while Frank’s gone?" Mrs. Hardy asked.
"Vanessa is in Florida with her mom," Joe replied, referring to his tall, blond girlfriend, "the guys are all working or visiting relatives with their families; and now Frank has abandoned me to go with Phil for a week. What am I suppose to do all week by myself?"
Frank was Joe’s year older brother. He had left the previous night with a friend, Phil Cohen, to attend a computer convention in New York City.
"You could come to the mall with us," offered Gertrude Hardy, Joe’s unmarried aunt who lived at their house. Joe rolled his sapphire blue eyes and wrinkled his nose in distaste. Escorting his mother and aunt on a shopping trip sounded like about as much fun as getting a root canal done.
"Think I’ll pass on that one, Aunty," Joe replied, rising from his seat, "Too much excitement for me! I’m going upstairs to e-mail ‘Nessa and maybe my prodigal brother." Laura and Gertrude exchanged smiles as Joe stomped up the back staircase.
Laura and Gertrude headed out to the garage and climbed into Laura’s SUV. She opened the garage door and began backing her Toyota Highlander down the driveway. She stopped suddenly, seeing a silver Concorde pulling up beside her in the driveway. A tall, distinguished, dark-haired man exited the vehicle and walked to Laura’s window.
"Hello, Darling," Mrs. Hardy said, her blue eyes sparkling as she greeted her husband. "You aren’t due back until next week. This is a surprise!"
Fenton Hardy was a former NYPD officer before becoming one of the top private detectives in the world. He and his operative, Sam Radley, had just finished a case a week earlier than expected.
"Hello, Love," Fenton Hardy bent to kiss his wife and smiled at his sister. "I finished up ahead of schedule. Thought I’d take you to lunch, but looks like you already have plans."
"Yes. We are going to do a little shopping, then meet some friends for lunch," she responded. Laura Hardy gazed into her husband’s warm, brown eyes. "You know, Fent, your coming home early might be a god-sent," she added, smiling at his handsome face.
"Why is that?" he asked, quizzically raising an eyebrow.
"Well," Laura replied with a grin, "there is a very lonely, very bored teenager sitting up in his bedroom right now who would LOVE your company."
"Which one?" Fenton asked, unconsciously looking up to the second story windows.
"Frank left last night with Phil for that computer convention in New York City," Laura stated, "and Joe is feeling very left behind and forgotten." Fenton Hardy sighed. He loved both of his sons passionately, but he seemed to have far more in common with Frank. Frank not only looked like his father, but had many of his father’s interests as well. Frank was a ‘thinker’, who enjoyed computers, loved to read and was always anxious to learn new things. Joe was quite the opposite. He was emotional, impulsive and full of energy. He would much rather be outdoors or playing sports than just about anything. The only thing all three of them had in common was their love of solving mysteries. Still, Fenton had a much more difficult time relating to his younger son.
"Fenton, this is a great opportunity," Laura continued, seeing a look akin to distress in his eyes, "Honey, Joe knows you love him, but he’s not so sure that you like him."
"What in the world does that mean?" Fenton asked, frowning, "Of course I like Joe, he’s my son!"
"That’s love, not like," Laura said with a shake of her head, "You rarely spend time alone with Joe, like you do with Frank. Sometimes Joe tags along, but when was the last time just you and Joe did something together?"
"It’s easier to find things to do with Frank." Fenton said, thinking out loud.
"Maybe you could just get to know Joe a little more," Laura suggested.
Fenton reached over to touch his wife’s soft blond hair. ‘Just a shade darker than Joe’s’, he noted absently.
"You’re
right. In fact, I’ve got an idea." Fenton smiled, "I’ll
need your help. First, before you leave, send Joe on an errand that will
keep him occupied for a couple hours. As soon as he is gone, I’ll sneak
in the house and....." Laura Hardy smiled at her husband’s plan
and agreed to help. She called Joe from her cell phone and asked him to
do some errands for her in town while she was gone. Relieved to have
something to do, Joe readily agreed and was out the door in 10 minutes.
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the authors know what you think of this story
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Disclaimer
The Hardy Boys belong to Simon and Schuster and the Stratemeyer Foundation. The authors have just borrowed them for an adventure or two. The authors promise to put the boys back when they are done with them. The authors do claim copyright to the original characters in this story. Please do not borrow original characters without express permission of the authors.