Typecast: a Novel by Andrea J. Stein

Author:Andrea J. Stein
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Girl Friday Books
Published: 2022-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

The air got crisper and colder over the following days, and the wind picked up. As expected, as soon as Lorraine heard the news, she wanted to fly up immediately. Not quite ready to cope with her mother, Nina put her off until the following week. Callie located an old dorm fridge sitting in the basement—sometimes her mother’s refusal to part with things was a blessing—and Michael set it up in their bedroom and stocked it with drinks, cheese, and fruit. Callie stacked books and magazines on the nightstand—next to the television remote and Nina’s phone.

Each day was a new adventure as they juggled the schedule. Most nights, Callie brought in takeout for dinner, but one evening she broiled chicken and steamed vegetables—she could hardly call it “cooking,” but at least it involved the oven. On Halloween, that Friday, Michael managed to come home early. Callie helped Zoe with her costume, delighted it was Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz and not yet another Disney princess. Zoe paraded in front of Nina, who got teary when Zoe asked if she could come trick-or-treating.

“It’s just you and me, kiddo,” Michael said. “Let’s see how much candy we can get!”

Zoe grinned at her father and they headed downstairs.

“Damn hormones,” Nina said as she wiped her eyes.

“Hormones?” Callie asked, her eyebrows raised.

“Well, they don’t help! This sucks.”

Callie nodded sympathetically. “Can I get you anything?”

“Permission to get out of this bed?” Nina replied hopefully.

“Nothing doing.” Callie smiled. “I’m going down to deal with the trick-or-treaters. I’ll be back up to check on you.”

Callie loved Halloween. She liked to wait on the porch for the children, so she put on her coat—along with a tall, pointed witch’s hat—and grabbed the large bowl of candy. It was dusk as she sat in one of the rocking chairs, watching the street. Several groups of kids, accompanied by parents hovering at the curb, climbed the steps in quick succession and rummaged around in her bowl for their favorites.

Callie watched the last bunch walk away, her smile fading. She had a sudden vision of herself standing on the porch of her parents’ house, giving out candy on Halloween. All she needed were a couple of cats and an old housecoat and she’d be all set.

Maybe Nina was right. Here she was in suburbia, surrounded by families with young children and empty nesters. What other thirtysomething singles were in the area? None. Was she here just because it was convenient—and cheap—or was she hiding out?

Rearranging the candy so the chocolates and gummy candies were equally visible, she didn’t notice the car pulling up in front of the house until the driver had exited the vehicle and slammed the door shut behind him. The sound startled her and she peered out, but the darkness had become too thick to see clearly.

As the person approached the house, he was illuminated by the porch light, but it wasn’t until he was nearly at the top of the steps that she realized it was Ben, the architect.

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.