Switched, Bothered and Bewildered by Suzanne Macpherson

Author:Suzanne Macpherson [Macpherson, Suzanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
ISBN: 9780061755071
Google: XvMzoKTJIU0C
Amazon: 0060774940
Publisher: Avon
Published: 2005-11-28T16:00:00+00:00

The sound of a pounding hammer worked into Jillian's deep, dreamless sleep until she stirred to a slightly more conscious level. Then the buzz of a power saw, the rustle of plastic sheets and the giggling of girls seeped in. She pulled her sweater over her head. How long had she been asleep? The old quilt and squishy pillow had formed a warm pocket beneath her. She breathed in the comfort and slowly opened her eyes. Sun filtered through the fabric of the sweater, tinting everything blue.

Her legs felt heavy and somewhat cramped from being in one position so long. She wiggled her toes and made them come alive, stretching and squirming like an inchworm.

She thought about coffee, then remembered she drank too much coffee. They'd told her at Serenity Spa that cutting back on caffeine would help her attacks.

The memory of her panic attack rolled over her quickly like the realization you've just backed into someone else's car in the parking lot. Oh God, Dean had just watched that, hadn't he? She curled back up in a ball and wished that away. She wished she could stay here on this lumpy, warm, makeshift bed forever.

Her mouth was dry, which was typical of her post-nutcase symptoms. Once she started thinking about how dry her mouth was, getting water became a more pressing need than staying curled in a ball and hiding from everyone.

Jillian sighed and gathered herself. She pulled on Jana Lee's comfy old sweater to ward off her chill. The sun was still above the mountains, orange and patient, but she felt shaky and cold.

Easing herself into a standing position, she pushed her feet into her slip-on Keds, which Dean must have slipped off. They were spackled with paint splatters: lavender blue from Carly's room, pale cottage yellow from Jana Lee's room, and the robin's egg Wyeth Blue from the kitchen and living room. Her sneakers had turned into art.

Shuffling through the open sliding glass door she surveyed what had become of her sister's

kitchen. Her mother's kitchen. The family kitchen. She wondered what Mom would say about it.

Suddenly Jillian missed her mother and the way she used to smooth down her hair and tickle her under the chin to make her less cranky. It was strange to think of her now and how Mom had slowly evolved from this hippie existence, living on the beach in Seabridge, to being a stylish Scottsdale woman surrounded with Southwestern art.

Why Mom and Dad had had to go live in Arizona beat her. They'd dumped this house on Jana Lee and Bill, ranted about rain and dampness, and split to their Scottsdale stucco condo. Dad did have allergies, and Jillian guessed that was about as good an excuse as any, but they hardly saw them except on the holidays. They'd sure looked all tan and Southwest at Christmas. Her mother had looked slim and pretty in her designer clothes, and her dad had looked very . . . golfy.

Sometimes Jillian felt like she'd only had her sister to talk to while they were growing up.

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