Deep End of the Lake by Carol Grace Stratton

Author:Carol Grace Stratton [Stratton, Carol Grace]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: LPC Books
Published: 2021-03-08T16:00:00+00:00

Ally poured two cups of coffee, one for her and one for Will, and settled back into the shabby upholstered chair in her aunt’s kitchen. She glanced at the black-cat wall clock hanging above the stove. Its pendulum tail swung back and forth. Five o’clock. J Bean’s head moved in time with the cat’s tail as he growled intermittently, ready to pounce.

Will slapped his leg. “Benjie did what to that old battleax?”

“Will.” She tried to put on her sternest face.

“She is. The entire town knows it.”

“I’d be mad, too, if I were her. It’s the way she talked about Benjie that angered me.”

“Who said something mean to Benjie? I’ll tell them where to …” Kylie threw open the door from the garage to the kitchen, ushering a pile of fluffy snow onto the beige tile floor. She dropped her backpack and threw her black parka on the kitchen table.

“You’re late.” Ally put her hands on her hips.

“You’re never here to notice.” Kylie helped herself to a bag of Doritos, then slammed the cabinet door shut.

“Please, don’t start snacking. Dinner’s close to being ready.”

“You mean you didn’t make Aunt Nettie cook tonight? Wow, that’s amazing.”

“What’s amazing is your horrible attitude, young lady.” Ally pointed to the backpack on the floor to remind Kylie to hang it up on the hallway hook. “And you’re cooking dinner next week.”

Will walked over to Kylie and put his hand on her shoulder. “Guess you had a terrible day.”

“Every day in this dumb house is a terrible day.” She pushed Will’s hand off. “And don’t think you can fix it, Will, by praying it all away.”

Hitching the backpack strap onto her arm, Kylie slipped around Will and raced upstairs. The entire house thundered with her footsteps as she sped upstairs, and windows vibrated when she slammed her bedroom door.

Ally put her fingers to her lips. “Why don’t you let me handle this?”

Will put both hands over his head and drew his hands down over his face, attempting to pull an answer from his brain. He turned to Ally. “You can’t let her—”

“Let her what?”

“The way she talks to you.”

“How do you expect me to fix it? Like magic? You think I don’t correct her? That I don’t try?” Ally jerked open the cutlery drawer and rattled the knives and forks. “I feel you’re judging me.”

“I’m not. But if you let me—”

She started to set the table but instead slammed all the silverware down in a pile.

“You’re telling me you have the answer? You think it’s easy to raise a teenager?” She glared at Will, whose bewildered expression showed her outburst shocked him. She went to the pantry, picked up a pile of paper napkins, and dumped them in the middle of the table. “You have them for two weeks at camp, and they are angels, but try living with a teenaged girl. It’s a lot different.”

Will picked up his coat and car keys before glancing over at her. “Sounds like you don’t think I’ll be much of a father to your kids.

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