Read Online Bowled Over by Victoria Hamilton - Free Book Online Page B

slipping off her thin shoulders. Her husband retrieved it and tucked it in around her again as she pulled up the fluffy gray blanket that covered her thin legs. “It’s a good day today,” she said, with a faint smile. “Can’t let life pass you by!”
    Matt Laskan approached Kathy, shooting a curious look at Jaymie and the others on the walkway. “Where’s Craig?” he asked Kathy.
    “Gone to the office,” she said, with a disgusted shake of her head. “Can you believe it? Work on the Fourth of July. You really need to pull your weight, Matt. Craig’s been working a lot of weekends and holidays. I know you’ve been distracted, but really!”
    Matt frowned, then shook his head. “He can’t have gone to the office, or at least I hope not. Maybe he went home to work?”
    She regarded him steadily, as if daring him to contradict her. “No, he
said
he was going in to the office.”
    Jaymie turned back to the Douglases, wondering if she should bring up knowing Ella was Eleanor Grimshaw, but decided against it. “Are you both staying to picnic and watch the fireworks?” she asked them.
    Bob met his wife’s eyes, then shrugged. “We’re not sure,” he said. “Depends on how she feels.”
    “If you want to stay but haven’t brought dinner, you can join us,” Jaymie said. She indicated the low table Brock had set up and the bowls and dishes that were being put out.
    Ella looked undecided. “I don’t know. My diet…I’m such a picky eater.”
    “I’m trying to do more homemade stuff,” Bob said.
    “He’s even trying his hand at home preserving,” Ella said with a proud smile.
    “We’ve got lots of variety,” Jaymie said. Just then, Becca lifted out the lime jelly mold and gave Jaymie a quizzical look as she peeled back the plastic wrap. Jaymie bit her lip to keep from laughing; it looked even worse in the light of day, an acid green nightmare.
    “I made tomato cucumber salad,” Valetta said. “And Violet and Dee both brought fried chicken.”
    “I made potato salad!” Jaymie added. She pointed to her bowl, the square-based vintage Depression glass bowl she had just bought and couldn’t resist using. “I can tell you exactly what’s in it, if you need to know.”
    Ella shrugged. “I don’t eat tomatoes
or
potatoes. I think we’ll probably go home anyway, at least for dinner. We might come back for the fireworks, if it doesn’t get too cold. Or I’ll send Bob back alone to watch.”
    “Oh, I wouldn’t come back here without you, my dear,” he said. “I wouldn’t enjoy myself!”
    Raised voices near them made Jaymie look toward Matt Laskan and Kathy Cooper. That woman was having a banner day when it came to arguments. She and Matt were standing face-to-face. “I don’t care what you say, Craig and I are moving to Toledo,” Kathy said. “I think I know slightly more about that than you do.”
    Matt gazed at her steadily. “I don’t think
you
even really believe that anymore, Kathy.”
    “I have been planning this for too long to not do it,” she said, her voice trembling with intensity.
    Jaymie was riveted by the conversation, even though it was clearly private.
    “Connor, Craig and I are moving to Toledo, and LaskanCooper is opening a branch office.” There was a sob in her voice, and she darted a look over at Kylie. Her chin went up and she squared her shoulders. “That is that, and I won’t back down on this, Matt. I know this company can afford it, and we’re doing it.”
    “You are
not
doing it.” Matt stared at her in puzzlement. “You’re crazy, Kathy! You are just Craig’s wife, not his damn boss!”
    There were tears on Kathy’s cheeks as she said with an ugly tone, “We’re going, or
you’ll
be the sorry one. You know what I mean, Matt. I’ll
make
you sorry, and you know I can do it.”
    As Matt stormed off, Jaymie was left feeling disturbed and on edge. Kathy was so clearly unhappy, and if she could just reach out to her…but she was not going to go