Purling Road - The Complete First Season: Episodes 1-10 by Gardner M.L

Author:Gardner, M.L. [Gardner, M.L.]
Language: eng
Format: azw3
Published: 2015-03-13T16:00:00+00:00

***

Aryl walked in the front door and his mood hadn’t much improved. What Claire told him when he sat down on the sofa didn’t help.

“Aryl, darling,” she said, sitting close to him.

“Oh, no.”

“What?”

“You never use darling unless you’re preparing me for something.”

She flashed a tight smile. “Would you like to warm up with some coffee first?” she asked.

“It’s too late for coffee. Just tell me,” he said, stretching his arms out with a yawn.

“I heard from my parents today,” she said, slow and leading.

“Oh? How are they?”

“They’re well.”

“So what’s the big news?” he asked, rolling his head to look at her.

She clasped her hands. Claire was never any good at pretending. So when she put on a bright excited face, he could read the dread behind the mask.

“They’re coming for a visit,” she said, biting her lip.

He rolled his head back, stared at the ceiling and groaned.

“When? Do we have time to move?” he asked, not at all joking.

She scooted closer. “They want to come for New Year’s.”

“New Year’s! How about a little warning? That’s not even two weeks away.”

“It’s just for a few days, Aryl. We’ll survive. They have never seen Jac and are so happy you’re…better,” she said delicately.

“I know your parents, Claire.”

Glancing around the living room, he sighed and closed his eyes. “All I’m going to hear from them is how I’m not providing well enough for you.”

“They understand that what happened wasn’t your fault.”

“I highly doubt that. They were one of the few to escape with most of their money. They say they understand, but they really don’t. At the very least, they’ll wonder why I haven’t fixed everything by now.”

“You don’t know how they are going to act, Aryl. Besides, there’s plenty to be proud of. You are the owner of your own fishing company,” she said, sitting taller.

He rolled his head over again, expressionless.

“Well, you are,” she said, losing some of her enthusiasm.

He could have argued with her. He owned three boats that, even with Jonathan’s help, he couldn’t keep fully manned. As it was now, fishing kept them alive and not much more. Where was the pride in that?

He grumbled and groaned under his breath.

“Oh, cheer up, Aryl. Christmas is just a few days away.”

The small Christmas tree in the corner was decorated nicely, but not much else adorned the rooms. Without that small tree, no one would even know what season it was. He wondered why Claire hadn’t done more, but then, he likely knew the reason. Not a lot of money and a bit of the seasonal blues had her doing the bare minimum this year and no doubt that was likely only for Jac’s sake.

“Did Caleb say he’d come back?” Claire asked, pulling both his arms around her and his mind from his thoughts.

“Yes, temporarily. We’ll see how long it lasts.”

“You think it won’t?”

“I think there is something brewing between Jon and Caleb.”

“Such as?”

“I don’t know.” He thought for a moment, pulling Claire’s head down to rest on his shoulder. “Frankly, I think Jon is jealous.

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