Killing Me Softly by Julie Mulhern

Author:Julie Mulhern [Mulhern, Julie]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: J & M Press

Chapter Nine

Beau needed a ride home from swim practice. So, rather than go home after lunch and an extended afternoon of shopping (after Hall’s, we went to Swanson’s and Woolf Brothers), I drove to the club, found a chair at a shady table near the pool, and watched the kids swim.

The coaches were hardly more than children themselves—country club swimmers who’d graduated from high school, gone to college, and come home for the summer to coach (I used the word loosely) kids at a club where their parents didn't belong. In theory, the coaches taught the youngsters how to swim. In theory. In reality, they were better at yelling encouragement than teaching proper technique.

"Come on, Beau. You got this!" A boy—young man—I didn’t recognize stood at the edge of the pool and hollered for Beau to swim faster.

Hollering was not the answer.

Beau would swim faster if the coach told him to straighten his legs and bring his arms closer to his body. Maybe the coach didn’t know to tell him. I resolved to help Beau with his technique. He might even get up early to swim with me. Something Grace had done exactly once.

Practice ended, and the kids emerged from the pool, sleek and brown as seals.

Beau spotted me and headed for my table. “You came.” His mother had made a habit of forgetting him. Something I’d silently vowed to never do.

“I did. Do you have everything?”

“My tennis racket and sneakers are in my locker.”

“I'll wait here.”

Beau scurried off, leaving wet footprints on the concrete behind him.

“Ellison, I'm so glad you’re here.” Charlotte Simons approached me with a hopeful smile on her face. “Beck is having a slumber party this weekend, for his birthday, and we'd love for Beau to come. Nothing fancy. The boys will camp out in the backyard. Hot dogs. S’mores. Ghost stories. That sort of thing.”

Charlotte was seven years my junior, and I didn’t know her well. What I did know, I liked. "Thank you for including him. May I check with him before I give you an answer?"

She nodded. “Of course. That boy has been through so much. We don’t want to push him. That said, we hope he’ll come. It won’t be the same without him.”

“I appreciate that.” More than I could say.

Her lips quirked. “I hear your mother hosted quite a dinner party.”

“She did. It will be burned in memory forever.”

Charlotte’s laugh was as bright as the afternoon sunshine. “You lead an exciting life.”

I wished it was boring. Truly.

Beck, who was as towheaded as Beau, joined us. “Good afternoon, Mrs. Jones.” He extended his right hand.

“Good afternoon, Beck.” We shook. “How was practice?”

He grimaced. "Long."

“I understand you have a birthday coming up.”

“Yes, ma'am.”

“Well, I hope it’s a good one.” What did one buy for boys? I’d need a gift whether Beau attended or not. Any boy with manners as perfect as Beck’s deserved a nice present.

“Let’s go, Beck.” Charlotte nodded toward the path that led to the parking lot. “Ellison, I’ll look forward to talking with you soon.

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