Read Online Breakwater Bay by Shelley Noble - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Shelley Noble
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the family.”
“Not you, too. Please, Daddy. Please. At least talk to Mom.”
Alden heard another voice in the background, a voice he knew. “Nora? Aren’t you ready yet? We’re going to be late for church.”
He turned on the spigot to drown her out. Poured water into the coffeemaker and turned it on.
“Oops, busted.” Nora moved the phone away and he heard a muffled, “I’m talking to my father,” delivered in her “officious” voice. “I’m going there for spring break.”
“Give me that.” A scuffle and Jennifer took the phone. “What’s going on? Did you instigate this?”
Jennifer. Still looking for an argument. Anger swelled inside him. He knew it was a purely reflexive reaction. Life with Jennifer had been one long argument from the minute they’d driven up to the house, the moment she realized she wasn’t going to be living in the lap of luxury in a Newport-style mansion, but in an old house in need of repairs. How had she gotten it so wrong? Certainly not from him.
“Well? I’m waiting for an answer.”
“Nora would like to come here for spring break.”
“Did you put her up to this?”
“He didn’t. I called him, ” Nora said from the background.
“Nora, go downstairs.”
“This is the first I’ve heard of it. You can send both of them if you want.” He stopped himself before he said he would take them anytime. She would never let them come for a visit if he did.
“This was supposed to be a family vacation, and she’s done everything she can think of to make life miserable for everyone.”
Do not engage, he told himself. Argument never did any good. Their arguments had once led to great sex, but even that had paled after the first few months. Now, he just didn’t care.
In the background he heard Nora yell, “I’m going to Dad’s.”
“Fine, suit yourself. I’ve had it with you. We’ll drop her off on our way.”
“When are you—”
She hung up before he could ask when they would arrive. He got down a mug and poured coffee into it. He’d better get some work done. It looked like he was going to have a visit from his daughter.
T herese was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee, and deliberating about whether to ask Alden to drive her into town, when there was a knock at the back door. She smiled, knowing who it was, but she also felt a secondary moment of panic. Once the decision was made, there was no going back.
The door opened and Alden stuck his head inside.
“Come in. Pour yourself a cup of coffee.” Therese pulled her own mug closer and wrapped both hands around it. It was comfortably snug in the kitchen, but she couldn’t seem to get her hands warm.
She watched Alden shed his windbreaker and hang it over the back of the chair. Watched his back as he reached in the cabinet for a mug, poured out coffee. When he turned to come back to the table, he stopped, tilted his head in the way he had, then came over to sit opposite her.
“Therese, are you feeling okay?”
“Yes.” Physically, anyway. But for the rest of it . . . “I have something on my mind.”
Alden nodded.
“There is a box. Laura left it for Meri.” She looked up from her coffee to find Alden watching her. She could never tell what he was thinking. It was like his thoughts were so deep inside him that they had a hard time coming out. But she knew they were there.
When she was a girl, there had been a boy like that in her class at school. He sometimes came to help out at the farm when it was still a working farm. He pretty much kept to himself, even though he knew Therese from school.
She’d asked her father why he never said much.
“He’s a deep one,” her father said.
Alden was another deep one. God only knew what lived in his brain along with all those fanciful creatures he drew, sometimes beautiful and colorful; sometimes black and frightening, bringing a chill all the way up your spine.
He’d been such a loving boy and like a big brother to Meri, patient
“Not you, too. Please, Daddy. Please. At least talk to Mom.”
Alden heard another voice in the background, a voice he knew. “Nora? Aren’t you ready yet? We’re going to be late for church.”
He turned on the spigot to drown her out. Poured water into the coffeemaker and turned it on.
“Oops, busted.” Nora moved the phone away and he heard a muffled, “I’m talking to my father,” delivered in her “officious” voice. “I’m going there for spring break.”
“Give me that.” A scuffle and Jennifer took the phone. “What’s going on? Did you instigate this?”
Jennifer. Still looking for an argument. Anger swelled inside him. He knew it was a purely reflexive reaction. Life with Jennifer had been one long argument from the minute they’d driven up to the house, the moment she realized she wasn’t going to be living in the lap of luxury in a Newport-style mansion, but in an old house in need of repairs. How had she gotten it so wrong? Certainly not from him.
“Well? I’m waiting for an answer.”
“Nora would like to come here for spring break.”
“Did you put her up to this?”
“He didn’t. I called him, ” Nora said from the background.
“Nora, go downstairs.”
“This is the first I’ve heard of it. You can send both of them if you want.” He stopped himself before he said he would take them anytime. She would never let them come for a visit if he did.
“This was supposed to be a family vacation, and she’s done everything she can think of to make life miserable for everyone.”
Do not engage, he told himself. Argument never did any good. Their arguments had once led to great sex, but even that had paled after the first few months. Now, he just didn’t care.
In the background he heard Nora yell, “I’m going to Dad’s.”
“Fine, suit yourself. I’ve had it with you. We’ll drop her off on our way.”
“When are you—”
She hung up before he could ask when they would arrive. He got down a mug and poured coffee into it. He’d better get some work done. It looked like he was going to have a visit from his daughter.
T herese was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking coffee, and deliberating about whether to ask Alden to drive her into town, when there was a knock at the back door. She smiled, knowing who it was, but she also felt a secondary moment of panic. Once the decision was made, there was no going back.
The door opened and Alden stuck his head inside.
“Come in. Pour yourself a cup of coffee.” Therese pulled her own mug closer and wrapped both hands around it. It was comfortably snug in the kitchen, but she couldn’t seem to get her hands warm.
She watched Alden shed his windbreaker and hang it over the back of the chair. Watched his back as he reached in the cabinet for a mug, poured out coffee. When he turned to come back to the table, he stopped, tilted his head in the way he had, then came over to sit opposite her.
“Therese, are you feeling okay?”
“Yes.” Physically, anyway. But for the rest of it . . . “I have something on my mind.”
Alden nodded.
“There is a box. Laura left it for Meri.” She looked up from her coffee to find Alden watching her. She could never tell what he was thinking. It was like his thoughts were so deep inside him that they had a hard time coming out. But she knew they were there.
When she was a girl, there had been a boy like that in her class at school. He sometimes came to help out at the farm when it was still a working farm. He pretty much kept to himself, even though he knew Therese from school.
She’d asked her father why he never said much.
“He’s a deep one,” her father said.
Alden was another deep one. God only knew what lived in his brain along with all those fanciful creatures he drew, sometimes beautiful and colorful; sometimes black and frightening, bringing a chill all the way up your spine.
He’d been such a loving boy and like a big brother to Meri, patient
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