Pokrewne

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Chelsea Handler Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang (epub
Brit Brinson [Dia of the Dead Dia of the Dead (epub)
Cody Goodfellow [Radiant Dawn Radiant Dawn (epub)
Cate Tiernan [Immortal Belove Immortal Beloved (epub)
C J Busby [Deep Amber 01] Deep Amber (retail) (epub)
Carl Ashmore [Time Hunters 01 The Time Hunters (epub)
Drew Hayes [Super Powereds 02 Super Powereds Year 2 (epub) i
Beth Harbison [Shoe Addict 02 Secrets of a Shoe Addict (epub)
Cara Lynn Shultz [Dark World The Dark World (retail) (epub)
[Maggie Stiefvater] Forever id

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.“Come on, Jules.Let’s go.”“Wait,” Sara Jean’s mother said.She was scrambling around the room, collecting dry clothes and towels from the bathroom.“Please.”“That’s okay,” Mitch said.“We gotta hit the road.”“No, we don’t,” Julia said.“Jules,” Mitch warned.“Don’t have a job to go to, no one waiting on us.”“You’re out of work?” Sara Jean’s mother looked concerned.A couple of years ago, being unemployed was like having leprosy—only the poor and shiftless caught it.Now, so many people were out of work it was almost a pandemic.“Do you live in town?”Mitch opened his mouth, but Julia got there first.“No, ma’am.We don’t live nowhere.”“Anywhere,” Mitch corrected.“And we’re fine.” He emphasized the last word with another meaningful look at Julia.She scowled at him.Mrs.Blunt seemed to sum up the situation.“I’m sure you are, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t thank you properly.I’ve got chocolate chip cookies downstairs.” Julia’s eyes lit up.“If you’ll just wait until I can get Sara Jean dried off…”Jules took his hand and tugged him away.“Be happy to.” She smiled.But when they were in the hallway, Mitch yanked his hand away.“What do you think you’re doing?”“Nothing.”“You’re damn right.Because we’re going.”She hopped down the stairs and plopped onto one of the chairs that sat on either side of a table in the foyer.Crossing her arms and setting her mouth, she shot him a “make me” look.He knew that look.“Come on, Junebug,” he wheedled.“You know the rules.”“I hate your stupid rules,” she said.“One of these days, I’m gonna be old enough to make my own rules.”“Well, until then you’re living by mine.And rule number one is we don’t talk about our troubles, and rule number two is we don’t get involved in other people’s.”“Then why’d you jump in the river?”“That’s different.I couldn’t exactly watch Sara Jean drown.”“Well, I can’t let her poor mother feel guilty about not thanking us properly.”“Okay, that’s it.” He pulled her up.She weighed no more than a pea, so it wasn’t hard.“We’re going.”“I’ll scream.I’ll tell them you beat me.” He dragged her toward the door.“Mrs.Blunt! Mrs.Blunt!”“Stop that.”“Oh,” she groaned at the top of her voice, “I’m sooo hungry.Can’t remember when I ate last.”“You little—”“Mrs.Bluuuunnnnt!!”Mitch threw up his hands.“Okay, okay.” He held up a finger.“One cookie.”“And a glass of milk.”“All right.One cookie and a glass of milk.And no talking about us.”The commotion brought Sara Jean’s mother running down the stairs.“Everything all right?”“Just fine,” Mitch said, a wary eye on the kid.Sara Jean’s mother brightened a bit.“I put Sara Jean to bed.She”—the mother’s eyes darted away and back again—“she wasn’t up to talking.Would you mind?” She gestured for them to follow her into the house, and they walked through the rooms with their heavy farmhouse replicas, the rugs and ceramics, not to mention family pictures.Julia’s eyes popped and a look of worshipful awe crossed her face.The kitchen was large and bright.A dining area was carved out of one corner, where a window looked out on a tree-filled backyard.In lieu of chairs, a wooden bench sat below the window, and Julia bounded onto it, gazing at the yard’s October harvest of gold and red leaves.But Mitch knew her focus was probably on one tree in particular, where a homemade swing hung alone and idle.Sara Jean’s mother made coffee, and while they waited for it to brew, she brought a plate of cookies to the table.Mitch thought it better all around for Julia to be gone for this part, so he let her take a cookie, then gestured toward the window.“Go ahead,” he told her.She didn’t need a second invitation.She whooped, grabbed another cookie, and dashed out the back door.He sat across from the window, where he could keep an eye on her.She leaped onto the swing and was airborne in seconds.“She’s adorable,” Mrs.Blunt said with an edge of wistfulness.“You and your wife must be very proud of her.”Mitch nodded, his gaze still on his girl.“I am.But my wife… Julia’s mother passed away.”“Oh, I’m so sorry.”“Thank you.It was a long time ago.Julia was just a baby.”“Well, you’ve done an amazing job with her.I wish… I wish Sara Jean could be that happy again.” She brought Mitch his coffee, which he sipped gratefully.He was still wearing his wet clothes, and his skin was icy.Mrs.Blunt noticed the shiver that went through him.“Good gracious,” she exclaimed.“I can’t believe I’ve left you in those wet clothes.”“That’s okay.We’re not stay—”“Don’t be ridiculous.Let me get you something of Tommy’s, my husband…” She was already pushing him out the door and into a laundry room off the kitchen.“Stay here and I’ll bring you something.Then we can just pop this stuff into the machine and be done with it.”She was back in a few minutes with a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, which he dutifully put on, though the shirt barely covered his midsection and the sweatpants reached only to the top of his ankles.“Well, at least they’re dry,” she said when she saw him.He padded back to the kitchen in bare feet and saw Julia still happily ensconced on the swing.A few minutes later, Mrs.Blunt came back, poured herself a cup of coffee, and joined him at the table.“Now,” she said brightly, though there was the glisten of tears in her eyes.“Tell me what really happened at the river.”Mentally, he groaned.The house with its cozy warmth was like flypaper—no matter how hard he tried, his feet kept sticking.But he couldn’t bring himself to lie again.When he was done, tears snaked down her cheeks and she put her hand on his arm.“God bless you,” she said.“If you hadn’t been there…”“I promised her I wouldn’t tell you.She seems to think you wouldn’t understand.”Sara Jean’s mother sighed sadly.“She’s right.I don’t.”“Maybe she needs someone else to talk to.”“Someone else? Oh, you mean a therapist.I don’t know.We’re not much on that kind of thing here.”Mitch remained silent.Wasn’t his problem.The front door slammed closed.“Bitsy?”Mrs.Blunt—Bitsy—rose.“In here!”A worried-faced woman rushed into the kitchen, toting an overstuffed briefcase and an armful of binders.She dropped everything on one of the counters and flew to Bitsy, who burst into tears and rushed into her arms.The two women hugged, the newcomer tall and rangy next to the petite redhead.“Is she all right?” the newcomer asked.Bitsy nodded, sniffing and swiping at her eyes.“What on God’s earth happened?” She suddenly seemed to notice they weren’t alone.She stopped short, looked pointedly at Mitch.“Who are you?”“Oh, God,” Bitsy said.“That’s… that’s—” She reddened, and clamped a hand over her mouth.“I don’t even know his name,” she wailed.“My manners, my head just… just—”He rose, extended a hand.“Mitch Turner.”“Hannah Blunt,” the taller woman said.“Sara Jean is my niece.” She looked him up and down, taking in the too-short shirt and pants.“And you are?”“He saved her,” Bitsy rushed in.“He’s the one who pulled her out of the river.If it wasn’t for him, Sara Jean would be… would be—” She dissolved into sobs, and Hannah put an arm around her.Another door slammed, and a third person ran into the kitchen.Mitch assumed this was the husband, Tommy.He threw his briefcase on the counter, too, and, as Hannah had done, ran to hold his wife [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]