Beach Rental by Greene Grace

Author:Greene, Grace [Greene, Grace]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
Publisher: Turquoise Morning Press
Published: 2011-07-09T06:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

Ben slept late on Friday morning and Juli became anxious. The floorboards squeaked overhead when he rose from bed and walked across the floor. She jogged up the stairs, relieved to hear him stirring. He was groggy as he often was when taking his pain medication.

“Good morning, sleepyhead.”

He made a noise that didn’t qualify as an actual word.

“I’ll start breakfast when I hear the shower stop.”

He gave her a look that seemed to challenge her assumption that he would start this day as every other day, but then he gave in and nodded.

When the sound of water stopped, Juli started cooking breakfast. Two fried eggs, over easy. The English muffins sat in the toaster oven, waiting for the button to be pushed. The grape jelly sat on the counter.

“Ben? Breakfast is almost ready.” Juli called up the stairs.

The eggs cooled on his plate. Not a big deal, there were more in the fridge. She dumped them into the trash. The English muffins still waited for her to start the toaster. Not a problem, they weren’t going anywhere.

Juli put his juice back into the fridge to keep it chilled.

She refused to acknowledge that today would be, could be, any different from the preceding days. Their usual routine suited them.

Ben came to the breakfast table and Juli cooked up fresh eggs.

“Just toast, I think.”

“Too late, the eggs are already cooking. Just eat what you can.”

She pushed because even two bites were two bites more than he would’ve eaten otherwise.

During the meal, he said, “I think you should take your GED exam now. You’re ready.”

“What? There’s so much I don’t know.” She glanced over at the books stacked on the coffee table. They might be a little dusty.

“You’ll never know everything. No one can. You’re smart. You cut traditional schooling short, but your learning didn’t stop. You soak stuff up like a sponge—wherever you are and whatever you’re doing. Go ahead and take care of it. If it doesn’t work out, you can try again…but it will and you won’t need to.”

His hair was still damp around the edges. Juli touched her cheek to his hair as she placed her hands on his shoulders. “I’ll sign up. When I pass the test, we’ll celebrate.”

Ben pulled her hand down to his lips and kissed the back. “A party. And don’t be sensitive about it, Juli. Declare it. Praise God for his guidance and declare your accomplishments to the world. We’ll invite Maia and Luke. What about Anna? Who else?”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. I’ll check to see when the tests are scheduled.” She ruffled his hair with the hand he hadn’t claimed. He wanted her to succeed now so he could celebrate with her. She wanted it, too.

“Juli, I was thinking it might be a good idea to get a small bed, maybe a cot or something, for the study. Not because I need it, but it would be good to have in case I don’t want to climb the stairs.”

She beat back the protestations and swallowed hard—gulped.

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