Center of Gravity by Laura McNeill

Author:Laura McNeill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ebook
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Published: 2015-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 33

AVA

SUNDAY, APRIL 18

The sun’s barely up over the horizon. Sitting on the back porch steps, wrapped in a blanket with an untouched cup of hot tea in my hands, I stare aimlessly at the new swing set in front of me. Empty seats sway on long chains. The red slide, slick and sturdy, juts from a small lookout platform on one side. There are monkey bars, a rope to climb, and a sandbox.

It was my big surprise for Jack and Sam, despite Mitchell’s complaining about the frame turning to rusty metal and the sight of it cluttering up our pristine yard. At the time, it sounded glorious and nostalgic. I’d scrimped and saved, squirreling away dollars for the last year and a half.

It arrived in the driveway last night on the back of a huge flatbed truck. In the chaos, I’d forgotten about it. I didn’t have the heart to send it back. The workers took one look at me and asked for a mere twenty bucks to unload it and set it up. Deal. I threw in a few glasses of sweet tea for good measure.

Red streaks thread their way across the sky now, cutting through the morning’s silvery mist. Miles from the porch steps, the whistle of a train echoes into Mobile Bay. A second blast, faster, longer, rushes past, carried by the breeze.

Graham’s warning to make no contact with Jack and Sam hangs above me like a neon stop sign. Mitchell’s staged “break-in” has me glancing over my shoulder on every corner, checking the backseat of the Jeep to make sure no one is waiting. Sure-fire scare tactics, I’ll give him that. But my love for my children is stronger.

I see them everywhere, especially in their bedrooms on dark nights. I catch myself padding by Sam’s crib so as not to wake him. I pass Jack’s room, hoping to catch a glimpse of dark, tousled hair on his pillows.

In the folds of the blanket, I find my phone, pull it out, and stare at the blank screen. One call. It can’t hurt. It’s early, but the boys are up.

I press Mitchell’s number. “It’s Ava,” I say when he answers, summoning strength at the sound of Jack’s voice in the background. A door slams. “I’d like to say hello to the boys, please. It won’t take but a minute.”

The scuffing sound of a hand over the phone muffles any noise. Mitchell says Jack’s name once, then again. I wait. Nothing. Mitchell seems to talk to someone. Again, no answer.

“It’s not a good time.”

I bite my lip and barter for time. “Um, are the boys okay? Are they sick?” I tread lightly, a gingerly placed footstep on ice.

“They’re fine.” Mitchell jumps on the defensive, volleys back. “I have everything they need right here.”

Except a mother. “Tell me how they’re doing, then—”

Mitchell interrupts. “Jack doesn’t want to talk to you.”

The phone goes dead. He’s hung up on me. In my brain, I rewind and replay the conversation, trying to slow my racing heartbeat.

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.