Read Online Blood Relations by Rett MacPherson - Free Book Online Page B

about the most magnetic personality I’ve ever encountered. “You know, The Phantom, ” she said. “The Huntleigh heiress. The whole thing.”
    â€œOh Lord. You’re kidding.”
    â€œNo,” she said, and sat on the edge of my desk. She picked up my page-a-day calendar and flipped the pages across her face, causing her hair to billow. “I’m here for the big scoop.”
    â€œWas this your idea or your editor’s?”
    â€œMy editor’s,” she said. “You know I don’t come to New Kassel anymore unless I have to.”
    Which was the truth. If I didn’t live here, she’d probably never set foot in this town again. As it was, when we went out, I usually just met her somewhere up in the city.
    â€œOle baldy, my boss, said that since I was a hometown girl, I would have the ‘inside’ scoop,” she said. “Dipshit. I don’t know what goes on in this town.” Why would he think I would know anything about what goes on here? He sees me almost every day. I’m always on assignment. When would I have time to learn what’s going on in New Kassel?”
    True.
    â€œAnd why would I care? I stopped caring a long time ago about what went on in this town.”
    True again.
    â€œSo, I was wondering if I could bunk at your place while I’m here,” she said. “Now if you don’t want me to, just say so, ’cause you’re not gonna hurt my feelings. I can get a room at the Murdoch.”
    â€œWell, no, you can’t get a room at the Murdoch, because Eleanore is booked.”
    â€œYou’re kidding,” she said.
    â€œThanks to The Phantom. ”
    â€œWell, I’ll be damned,” she said. “I can stay over in Wisteria. It’s not like it’s far away. I can be here in five minutes.”
    â€œYou can stay with us,” I said. “It’s not a problem.”
    â€œYou’re sure?”
    â€œPositive. I’ll just stick Mary in bed with Matthew and you can have her bed. Of course, you’ll have to deal with Rachel primping until all hours of the night,” I said. “She’s really into this brushing your hair a hundred times and all that before going to sleep.”
    â€œWell, all right,” she said. “We can primp together, because I’ve been brushing my hair a hundred times before bed since I was eight.”
    â€œReally?” I brush my hair when I get out of bed, and then again if I’m going somewhere. And Rudy rarely ever brushes his hair, but that’s because he thinks the less he brushes his hair, the less likely that it will fall out.
    â€œI’m cooking dinner,” she said. “I insist.”
    â€œFine with me. Like you’ll hear a mother of three complain when somebody else insists upon cooking,” I said. I’ve always blamed the fact that I hate to cook on my kids, but it isn’t really the kids. I hate to cook, period. Actually, I hate cleaning up more than anything else.
    *   *   *
    â€œDon’t you have any Vidalia onions?” Collette asked an hour later. She had changed from her Liz Claiborne suit to jeans and a sweatshirt. The red-gold hair that usually hits the middle of her back was now piled up on top of her head. All of her gold rings were sitting in a cup on my table, resembling the treasure on a pirate ship.
    â€œNo, just plain old yellow,” I said.
    â€œI guess that’ll do,” she replied. “Garlic?”
    I went to the fridge and handed her a jar of the precrushed garlic in oil. She looked at it as if it were a pile of cow manure. “Please, Torie. Fresh garlic. You don’t have fresh garlic?”
    â€œNo, ’fraid not.”
    â€œHow do you keep Rudy here? I mean, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, girl. You’re just pushing him out the door to find love in another’s arms. I bet you cook Hamburger Helper,