Tracie Peterson by A Slender Thread

Author:A Slender Thread
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

Deirdre was still groggy the next morning when Dave surprised her by calling before anyone was even out of bed.

“Dave?” she questioned, her voice barely a whisper.

Without any words of greeting, Dave began. “Look, Deirdre, I’m sorry for this, but I need for you to come home. We have to cancel our trip.”

Deirdre instantly woke up. “What do you mean?”

“The case isn’t resolved yet. I can’t leave. I thought we’d have finished up by now, but it didn’t turn out that way. We can’t go.”

“That’s ridiculous. We have reservations, plane tickets. Do you realize the money we’ll be out?” Deirdre replied, trying hard to keep her voice down.

“The way you’ve been spending money over the last few months, it’s probably not that big of a loss. We’re going to have to tighten our belts anyway. Better that we give up a few deposits than get down there and spend more money.”

“I can’t believe you’re doing this to me!” Deirdre declared. Her voice grew loud enough to wake Morgan.

“Are you fighting with Daddy again?” Morgan asked sleepily.

Deirdre ignored her child’s question, as well as the guilt she felt that her daughter should have to witness something so ugly. “Dave, if you do this, I’ll never forgive you. We need this trip. You need it. Our marriage is falling apart because of your job.”

“Well, maybe if you would stop spending so much money, I wouldn’t have to work so hard.”

Another wave of guilt washed over Deirdre. He was right, of course. She had spent way too much money, and probably the only reason he had agreed to get caught up in such a monstrous case was because of her dreams and schemes.

“Look, Dave,” she finally managed. “Things can’t go on this way.”

“You’re telling me. Just pack up Morgan and come home. Help me get things under control. I don’t know half of who we need to call in order to cancel this thing.”

Deirdre hung up the telephone and bit her lip to keep from crying. This was all her fault. She never should have started gambling. Now she had all this debt to make up. But there was the money she was supposed to give Grammy. She could still use that. But what if Dave figured she’d get it back from Mattie since the trip was cancelled? Of course! That’s exactly what he’d figure would happen. If she told him that Mattie had refused to give her back the money, it would not only be a lie, it would be unfair to Mattie. Dave would think her to be some sort of moneygrubber.

“Was Daddy mad again?” Morgan asked.

Deirdre looked at her daughter and felt an overwhelming sorrow. “He’s just tired, honey,” Deirdre told her. “He’s working too hard.”

She went to the closet and pulled out their suitcases. “I’m sorry, but you can’t stay here with Grammy. Daddy wants us to come home.”

“But I want to stay!” Morgan declared, crawling to the end of the bed. She was up on her knees, her little white nightgown bunched around her legs.

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