Deep Breath by Alison Kent

Author:Alison Kent
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: Kensington Books
Published: 2009-11-01T04:00:00+00:00

8:00 P.M.

“I never thought in a million years I could get sick of eating cereal, but I am,” Tracy said, lifting her bowl to drink the last of her milk.

She sat on the floor beside Finn, both of them leaning back on the wall with their feet against the base of the counter between the booths and the alley.

Well, her feet didn’t quite reach. Finn’s did, and he still had to bend his knees.

“What do you eat for breakfast?” he asked.

They’d talked all day, and off and on last night of equally silly things. “Usually oatmeal.”

“Oatmeal is cereal.”

“I know, but it’s hot cereal. It doesn’t count. So either that or scrambled eggs since I like to give my daddy a good start to the day.”

“He lives with you?” Finn asked, pouring the rest of his milk from the bowl into his mouth.

She shook her head. “He lives next door. In the house where I grew up.”

“Wow. So you’re a real local girl, huh?”

“You could say that.” She set both of their bowls and spoons on the floor and smoothed her apron over her lap. “The only time I’ve even been out of Texas was once as a kid when we went to Lake Catherine in Arkansas for vacation. I almost drowned.”

Finn clicked his tongue. “That had to suck.”

She laughed. “It’s kinda pathetic when I think about it now. The water wasn’t even over my head. I just got scared and panicked.”

“How old were you?”

“Five.”

He huffed. “Five-year-olds are supposed to panic.”

She laughed again. He made it so easy to do. To forget that if she leaned across him and looked around the counter, she’d see men with guns. “I guess you’re right. Though I can’t see Freddy ever panicking, even as a kid.”

“Freddy. He’s your husband, right?”

She nodded. She couldn’t say anything else because she was afraid that feeling like she was going to choke meant she was going to cry.

“I figured he’d come here looking for you last night when you didn’t come home.”

She supposed it looked pretty sad to everyone that no one had come looking for either her or for Phil. Phil lived alone, had no family, and had been known to close up weekends to go fishing with no notice at all.

The diner wasn’t his income as much as a way to keep busy. He had some sort of retirement pension from his years making cars in Detroit. She was the one who should have had people come looking. Freddy for sure.

“We’re separated,” she finally reminded him. “He wouldn’t know I’m not home.” It hurt to say it. Hurt even worse that Finn didn’t say anything for awhile.

“What about your father? Wouldn’t he have missed breakfast?”

“Any other day, he would have. But he went into the hospital on Thursday. I know they think I’m a horrible daughter, not visiting him for two days.” She buried her face in her hands and sobbed. “And now they probably think I’m a deadbeat, too.”

“Aww, Trace.” Finn bumped her shoulder with his.

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