Summer's End by Lyn Cote

Author:Lyn Cote
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Pronoun
Published: 2017-08-21T00:00:00+00:00

The day had passed smoothly. With their windows down and warm air flowing over them, Wendy and Kirsi drove away from their final stop with Leo Schulz, who was recovering from a broken ankle. The sunny day made it hard for Kirsi to imagine how upset she’d been over another breather phone call this morning.

“Do you mind if we make a stop before I take you back to Grandfather’s and your vehicle?” Wendy asked.

“Where?”

“I want to stop at the Family Closet and drop off a box of clothes. It’s on our way.”

“Family Closet?” Kirsi asked.

“It’s the resale shop here in the county. It funds services for mothers and children in need.”

“Sure. I love thrift stores. You never know what you’ll find.”

Wendy turned right at the next intersection and drove down a road that crossed the highway and then meandered through many different farms. Farmers drove tractors over fields, loosening up the soil between the rows of corn or potatoes. Cows and their calves grazed in pastures. Daisies bloomed along the road.

Wendy drove up to a new house with a sign saying Family Closet in the window. She pulled in at the rear and jumped out. She opened the back of her SUV and dragged out a large cardboard box.

Happy for a break, Kirsi followed her up the few steps, where Wendy pushed open the door of the back porch and walked into a kitchen.

A familiar-looking woman was putting price tags on a stack of infant clothing on the kitchen table. “Hey, Wendy! Hi, Dr. Royston! Got some more goodies for me?”

“Hi, Patsy,” Wendy replied. “I managed to get Rodd to go through a few closets. He still had a lot of stuff from his great-uncle.”

“Men! Pack rats!” Patsy Kainz shook her graying head.

Wendy put the box down on the counter and turned to Kirsi. “Would you like to browse?”

“Show me the way!” Kirsi grinned.

Wendy led her to the front of the house. In each room racks and tables displayed used clothing for all ages, plus toys and housewares. The place had been decorated in pale yellow, like sunshine on a perfect summer day.

Kirsi began looking through the household gadgets and then moved on to a box of like new combs and brushes. Her hands paused as a thought struck her. Did I clean my brush last night or not? She couldn’t remember. But this morning when she’d picked up her brush it had been free of her long tangled hair.

She shook off the funny feeling that was trying to come over her again. Stop the paranoia. I was tired and simply forgot I’d cleaned it.

Wendy interrupted Kirsi’s thought when she introduced a petite, silver haired woman as Mabel Franz. Mabel approached Kirsi and asked if she could help.

A very pregnant young girl with dark hair was refolding and arranging items on one of the tables.

“How are you feeling, Carrie?” Wendy asked as the teen picked up a pair of frilly infant shoes.

Kirsi recognized the name and wondered if this was the girl who was carrying Weston’s child.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.