This Thing Called Love by Miranda Liasson

Author:Miranda Liasson [Liasson, Miranda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Women
ISBN: 9781477829066
Google: _8-zrQEACAAJ
Publisher: Amazon Publishing
Published: 2015-04-30T16:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 11

“You can’t make me stay. You can’t!”

Olivia froze on her porch swing, the last bottle of the day inches away from Annabelle’s eagerly awaiting mouth, just as the voice of a woman hurled through Brad’s open door, packed with outrage and vinegar.

What in the world? He wasn’t the type to force a woman. Maybe some unusual sexual activity was going on, like role-playing? Ew. She started to gather her things to go back into the house, but Brad’s voice from next door halted her.

“You’ll do as you’re told, or I’ll ship your hiney right back to college.” Oh, oh. No kinky sex games. He was speaking—okay, yelling—at his sister, Samantha.

“You can’t do that. The dorms are closed for summer.”

“Then I’ll ship you to a summer camp somewhere. You can be a counselor.”

“Brad, you know the plan. Buzz already has me signed up for shifts at the diner. I’m staying in town.”

“Then you’ll stay here.”

“I’m not living in your bachelor pad. That’s disgusting. And I’m not staying with Tom and Alex, either. Spike says there’s plenty of room in his apartment above the auto shop garage.”

“I didn’t raise you to come home and parade the fact that you’re moving in with some tattooed biker in front of the whole town. What will Effie say?”

“She loves me. Unlike you!”

The screen slammed, making Olivia jump. Annabelle startled. “It’s okay,” Olivia soothed. “Just those noisy Rushfords going at it as they’re apt to do. Let’s hope you got your temperament genes from our side of the family.”

A slender young woman with an athletic build stalked across the yards and came to stand, arms crossed, on the side of Olivia’s porch.

“My brother’s impossible.”

Olivia smiled. Can’t argue with that.

“I’m not going back there.”

“I have brownies and leftover picnic food. Come on up.” Olivia did not want to entangle herself with any more problems involving Brad. God knew she was already in neck-deep. But she understood firsthand how stubborn and opinionated he could be and couldn’t help but reach out.

Her visitor scaled the porch stairs in a few graceful jumps and plopped into a wicker chair. She brushed tears from her eyes and pulled a hair elastic from her wrist, twisting a dark mass of spirally curled hair on top of her head in a few quick movements.

“Samantha Rushford, all grown up and so beautiful. Come here and give me a hug.”

Samantha complied, and kissed Annabelle on the forehead.

“Everything sucks so bad. My brother is riding me about everything. He doesn’t even know I didn’t start my summer class. Or that stupid research project I’m supposed to be doing. And my professors all gave me incompletes on my spring semester work and I have to retake every single one of my exams. I went back after the funeral but I-I just couldn’t . . .”

Olivia reached over and squeezed her hand, doing her best not to disturb Annabelle as the baby finished her bottle and nodded off to sleep. “Oh, honey. It’s okay to take some time to heal.

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