Cast Me Gently by Caren J. Werlinger

Author:Caren J. Werlinger
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Published: 2015-07-09T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 17

Ellie rushed home and changed out of her bank clothes into jeans and her favorite sweater. “Come on, little one,” she said to KC. “Let’s get you fed before she gets here.” She jumped at a rap on the door as she scooped some wet food into a bowl, but the knock came from the living room. Groaning, Ellie set the bowl down for KC and went to answer the door.

“Hey there,” Sullivan said, bounding in as soon as the door opened. “I thought we could spend another worthless New Year’s Eve together.” He held up a grocery bag in one hand. “I bought munchies and beer.” From behind his back, he produced a small box. “And look! I got a Betamax machine for Christmas. We can watch Phantasm!”

“Oh, Sullivan, I’m sorry,” she said, “but I have plans.”

He stared at her with a lop-sided grin on his face. “No, you don’t. You and I never have plans for New Year’s. We are our plans.”

She grimaced apologetically. “Not this year. I really do have plans. I’m going out.”

“Really?” He looked crestfallen. “Oh, well. Guess I’ll watch Phantasm by myself.” He looked at the grocery bag. “If I have a hangover tomorrow, it’s all your fault.”

“It would be your fault whether I was there or not,” Ellie said, laughing. “I don’t drink beer, remember?” She glanced at her watch. “Gotta go. See you later.”

“Have a good time,” he said as he slouched back across the hall to his apartment.

Ellie locked the door and hurried back to the kitchen. “Be good, little one,” she said to KC, who was cleaning her whiskers. “Not sure when I’ll be back.”

She ran down the stairs, yanking her coat on as she went. She smiled when she saw the VW pulling up to the curb.

“Hi,” she said breathlessly as she got into the passenger seat.

Teresa turned to her. “Hi.”

For a long moment, they sat looking at each other before Ellie cleared her throat and shifted in her seat. “We probably should move.”

“Okay,” said Teresa. “But you never said where we’re going.”

“Driver, take us to Station Square.”

Teresa glanced at her as she put the car in gear. “Station Square? Did you make dinner reservations?”

Ellie grinned mischievously. “You’ll see.”

“All right,” Teresa said, pulling away from the curb. She wove her way toward their destination. “I’m really glad you called.”

Ellie turned to her. “Tell me what you normally do on New Year’s.”

“The usual. Go down to the aunts’ house. Eat. Wait until midnight when everyone goes outside to bang pans and make a lot of noise. Go home and sleep.” She shook her head. “Same thing I’ve done every New Year of my life.”

“It sounds wonderful. Sorry. You must get tired of hearing me say that every time you talk about your family.”

Teresa shook her head. “No. Don’t be sorry. It’s made me appreciate my family more. I really do love them, although I may not have conveyed those sentiments to you.” Ellie smiled, and Teresa said, “It’s just like anything else, I guess.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.