Read Online Be Sweet by Diann Hunt - Free Book Online

moving toward the stairway. Janni and I lock eyes. Mom doesn’t notice.
    â€œWhoa, come and sit down. What’s this all about?” Janni helps Mom move over to a nearby chair and get situated before she can unpack her clothes and fill out change-of-address cards.
    She looks up at us with eyes as wide and round as pancakes. “I’ve tried to keep it from you girls, but the truth is, your Dad is—”
    We scoot forward to the edge of our seats.
    â€œHe’s—” She grabs a maple cookie from the plate on the coffee table.
    â€œYes?” I say, impatient for her to spit it out.
    â€œWell, he’s tryin’ to kill me.” She falls back into her seat with a thump and bites into her cookie.
    The silence that follows is deafening. I’m feeling quite proud of myself that I haven’t rolled onto the floor in a fit of laughter. “You’re kid-ding, right?”
    â€œOne kidder in the family is enough,” Mom snaps, then goes after her treat with a vengeance.
    â€œMom, you know Dad would never hurt you. What happened?” Janni asks.
    â€œLots of things, but the last straw was after our nap today. He said he was going to make us some coffee. I came into the kitchen, surprising him, and found rat poison on the counter not far from where he was making the coffee.” Her eyes are wide. “If that’s not proof enough, I don’t know what is.”
    â€œWell, maybe he was trying to catch a rat.”
    â€œJanni, you shouldn’t call Mom a rat.”
    Janni gasps, and Mom looks as though she has murder on her mind.
    â€œI’m kidding.”
    â€œChar, this is serious.” Janni turns to Mom. “Well?”
    â€œThe only rat in that house is your father. Now, I don’t want to talk about it anymore,” she quips, nose upturned, lips pursed. “I’m going to bed.” She springs to her feet. “Where is it?”
    â€œWell, since the boys are coming home for spring break, I’d better put you in the study. We have a daybed in there.”
    Mom finishes her cookie and grabs another one. I get my cookie fetish honestly. “I’ll go there now. I’m tired.”
    â€œI’ll come help you get the bed ready.” Janni turns to me and rolls her eyes before climbing the stairs with Mom.
    Now, back in Maine they call me a workaholic because I’m at the office every day but Sunday, working long hours. But I have to say here that I’m more worn-out from watching my family for the last twenty-four hours than I have been working in the office for the past six years.
    Janni comes down the stairs, shaking her head.
    â€œWhat’s that all about?” I ask.
    â€œWho knows?” She chews nervously on her upper lip. “How am I going to work on that scrapbook with her hovering over me?”
    â€œYou might have to work in the barn,” I joke. Then I can eat my cookies in peace.
    Janni brightens. “That’s a great idea. We’ve got an old portable table we can stick out there,” she says excitedly. “Then if Mom walks in on us, we can throw hay over it. You’re a genius.”
    â€œWait. Remember, you’re on your own with this scrapbook thing. I’ll have my hands full gathering table decorations and planning the food.”
    â€œI still don’t understand why you have to make this such an expensive production. We have nothing to prove.”
    â€œI told you, I want it to be very special for Mom and Dad. It has nothing to do with proving anything.” What does it hurt to lavish some of my wealth on my family and the town?
    â€œJanni, I’m going to call it a night,” Daniel says, when he enters from the back door.
    â€œWhat have you been doing?”
    â€œChecking on that broken hinge in the chicken coop. I’ll get the hard-ware at the store tomorrow and fix that for you.” He climbs two stairs.
    â€œDanny, um, there’s