Spring's Storm by Lyn Cote

Author:Lyn Cote
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Lyn Cote

Chapter 7

After a long day, Thea took the frozen pizza she’d baked for supper out of the oven. Bone-tired, she did not want to confront her stepsister about calling her mother. But time was passing and it needed to be done.

“I could have eaten better if I’d stayed next door,” Hailey groused from her place at the table.

“Well, you live here now, and tomorrow you can cook supper.” Thea set the pizza on the table and sat down, staring into her stepsister’s blue eyes.

Her arms folded, Hailey taunted, “I hope you like boxed mac and cheese.”

“I don’t.” Thea deftly cut the pizza into wedges. “Perhaps Irene can show you something else to make?”

Hailey shrugged.

“If you stay for the summer, you’ll need to carry your share of the workload. That includes cooking.” Thea served herself a wedge.

“Does that mean I can stay?” Hailey’s grumpy tone changed to hopeful and not a little challenging.

Thea realized the moment she’d been waiting for had arrived. She sighed. After tangling with her grandmother earlier, now she must deal with this. “Hailey, you need to call your mother.”

Her stepsister didn’t reply directly, merely nudged a piece of pizza with a finger. “When I was next door today helping Irene in the kitchen, two of their daughters called. Irene spoke so happy to them.”

The note of longing in Hailey’s voice touched Thea. “I’m glad to hear that. Irene seems to be a very lovely person, but we don’t get to choose our parents.”

“Yeah, unfortunately.” Hailey selected her first slice of pizza.

“But our parents are still our parents,” Thea said quietly.

Hailey counterattacked. “You can’t tell me you haven’t wished you had a different grandmother plenty of times.”

Thea felt convicted, guilty as charged. “Hailey, I’m not talking about my grandmother right now. Even though you and I aren’t related by blood, we do share your mother and my father.”

“I guess.”

After a brief grace, Thea tested her pizza to see if it was cool enough to eat. “I’ve been thinking about your mother over the past few days.”

“Why?” Hailey asked and then bit into her pizza.

“It’s made me think of my mother.” As the moment to talk about something Thea rarely spoke of came, she grew serious, her spirits on edge. “My mother died when I was eleven years old. It’s hard to describe what that felt like.” She paused. “It was like I kept feeling doors slam inside me. I felt dead, too, but I was still living.”

Hailey’s voice became subdued again. “You don’t know what it feels like to have a dad just walk out on you.”

And choose the company of his new bride over his daughter, Thea added silently. She nodded soberly. “No, but I know what it’s like to be ignored by a dad. That’s not really the point I’m trying to get at. We could sit here all night trying to decide who’s had it worse.” She bit into the melted mozzarella, marinara, and chewy crust.

“What’s your point?” Hailey eyed her warily.

Thea held up a hand while she chewed.

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