After the Fall by Brad Graber

Author:Brad Graber
Language: eng
Format: azw3, epub
ISBN: 9780997604221
Publisher: Dark Victory Press
Published: 2018-05-13T22:00:00+00:00

10

“Are you sure we shouldn’t be calling Barney’s family to let them know where he is?” Evelyn asked Rikki as she made up the guest bed after settling Barney on the sofa in the living room. “They might be worried about him,” she continued as Rikki stuffed a pillow into a fresh pillowcase.

“You better talk to Barney about that,” Rikki advised, unwilling to discuss Barney’s circumstances.

“And as for you,” Evelyn said, sitting down on the edge of the bed, “what shall I do about you?”

Rikki stood wide-eyed, unsure what to say.

“Come sit.” Evelyn patted the spot next to her. “I know all about your grandmother. Believe me, I do. But she doesn’t deserve to worry. That really isn’t fair.”

Rikki sighed. “I know that she’d be upset if she knew I was in Michigan and not with Barbra—but there is no way for her to know. And if I had told her, well, I’d be right back in Queens, and I’d never have had the chance to visit with you.”

Evelyn smiled. “You know, you have that same look in your eyes that your mother had.”

“Really?” Rikki said.

“Whenever your mother wanted me to do something for her, all she had to do was look at me. She had these beautiful blue eyes. The shade of a robin’s egg, I used to tell her. It’s an unusual color.”

Rikki leaned in.

“And I always promised your mother, no matter what, I would be there to help her out. You know, it’s not easy for a single mother to raise a daughter.”

Rikki listened.

“And so, I’m about to do something I hope I don’t regret.”

Rikki waited.

“I do know about Richard.”

Rikki gasped. “You do?”

“Yes. I do,” Evelyn confessed.

“But why the secrecy? Why didn’t you come out and tell me right away?”

“I guess I needed to see that look in your eyes. I had always thought it was the color that set your mother’s eyes apart. But your eyes are brown, and still . . .” Evelyn stopped talking as if she was lost in thought. “It wasn’t the color at all. It was something deeper. Something I can’t quite explain.” Evelyn shook her head as if coming out of a dream. “It made me realize that I had no business helping Rita alter the past. As we discovered, she’s already cut me out of your life. So what harm can any of this do now?”

◆

Harry slipped out of bed, searching for his underwear. Beetle looked up at him from his locked crate.

“Where are you going?” Edward asked, suddenly roused as he rolled over.

“I need something for my indigestion,” Harry admitted. “I love barbeque, but it doesn’t love me.”

Edward laughed. “Maybe we should have waited until you’d had more time to digest.”

“I thought we did,” Harry said.

“Lightweight.”

“Hey,” Harry answered. “When you get to be my age, you’ll see.” Harry spotted his black shorts by the side of the bed. He bent over and picked them up.

“Oh, Harry. You’re not so old.”

“Older than you,” Harry snapped, stepping into his Calvin Klein’s.

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.