Shelter for Sharla by Deanndra Hall

Author:Deanndra Hall [Hall, Deanndra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aces Press, LLC
Published: 2019-05-14T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

It had been his habit over the years to pick up a random book, open it to a random page, and start reading. He didn’t look at the cover or the spine, nor did he look at the top of the page. He didn’t want to know the name of the book; he wanted to read a bit in it and try to remember the title and author.

The book that evening had dropped open to page two hundred eighty-seven and he’d read three pages when he figured out it was a John Grisham novel. Time slipped by as he thought about it and decided it was The Client. He’d gotten through eight pages when his phone rang and he looked at the screen. I’ve got to assign her a ringtone, he thought as he answered it. “Hey, babe.”

“Hi. I think everybody’s down for the night.”

“They doing okay?”

“I gave them both a Benadryl before they went to bed. That’ll help them sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be hard. Did you have a good day?”

“Yes and no. By the way, everything’s taken care of. I dropped the department fund’s check off at the funeral home, and the excavation is paid for too. And according to the funeral director, Trinity Christian Church is going to pay for the headstone.” When she didn’t reply, Carter asked softly, “Honey, you okay?”

He could hear the sob in her voice as she answered. “I just … Thank you for taking care of all that. I don’t think I could. I’ve been a wreck all day. You can’t know how badly I’m dreading tomorrow, not just for me, but for Chelsea and Lionel. That poor boy … He feels like he’s lost everything. I’ve tried to be a good parent to him, done my best, but―”

“You’ve done a fine job, sweetheart. I can’t imagine how he feels, though. But at least he’s got you and Chelsea.”

“And you, Carter.”

“Yes. And me. Even though he doesn’t know it yet.” He had to smile just a little at the thought. It wasn’t just Chelsea he’d be taking on. Lionel would come with the package too. Yes, they were adults, but they were still Sharla’s children, and he’d still want a good relationship with them both. “So how do you want tomorrow to go down?”

“Can you sit with us?”

“I can, but I’d rather be up and keeping an eye out. There’s a possibility that if there’s something wrong going on with all this, somebody might turn up at the service or the cemetery. I want to be able to see what’s going on, and I can’t if I’m sitting in a pew. Will that be okay?”

“Yeah, I guess. Just knowing you’re there will make me feel better,” she answered, and he could hear the sorrow in her weak voice.

“But I’ll most definitely drive you to the funeral home, to the cemetery, and then back home. Oh, I meant to tell you, I got a call from one of the women in the alumni association at the school.

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