Read Online Celia's Puppies by Claudia Hall Christian - Free Book Online Page B

on.”
    Jill carried Katy across one of Lipson
Construction’s largest road sites. An enormous water and sewer
project that started at Sand Creek on the Stapleton redevelopment
project and ended nearly ten miles south near Centennial, Jill and
Katy walked across the nexus point of the water in and water out.
Sam told her these permanent looking structures would move south in
a week. Like a turtle, this project picked up it’s belongings as it
inched its way along. Because of the size of the project, they had
erected a nicer, still portable, structure for the toilet.
According to Sam, ‘decent facilities’ were on Bambi’s mandatory
requirements list.
    Katy had been tickled, petted, and loved at
every site. Someone always had candy or a toy especially for her.
The car rides were filled with Katy’s songs and stories. Jacob sang
along with the songs and laughed at Katy’s stories. Listening to
Jacob and Katy, Jill felt her heart ache. They were becoming a real
family.
    Jill set Katy in a stall then went to check
her burns. She was standing at the mirror when a woman came in the
restroom. Wearing a hard hat and dark glasses, the woman made a
beeline for a stall.
    “ Are you here with Jake?”
the woman asked from inside the stall.
    “ I’m driving him around
today.”
    “ Me too!” Katy said from
her stall.
    “ My daughter is here with
us,” Jill said.
    Jill stepped aside so the woman could use
the sink and mirror.
    “ Jeez, what happened to
your head?” the woman asked.
    “ Someone put acid in my
conditioner,” Jill said.
    “ My sister did that to me
once. Hurt like hell,” the woman said. “She got mad at me for
something. I don’t even remember what. That was her
retaliation.”
    Jill turned to look at the woman and
recoiled. She backed to Katy’s stall door to block the woman’s way
into her stall. Noticing Jill’s reaction, the woman’s brow furrowed
with confusion.
    “ I’m Honey Lipson,” the
woman said. “I’m sorry. I seem to have...”
    “ You’re not married to
Trevor?”
    “ Trevor?” the confused
woman curled her lip at the idea then her eyes went big. “Oh my
God. You’re Jill. Trevor’s Jill. Oh my God. You had... You had long
hair! You...”
    The women stood face to face. When Honey’s
eyes welled with tears, Jill’s rage and panic dissolved. The small
blond woman was crushed by Jill’s injury.
    “ I’m so sorry,” Honey
said. “My sister did this to you. Didn’t she?”
    Jill nodded.
    “ Mom’s going to die. Just
die. Does Dad know?”
    “ Sam?”
    Honey nodded.
    “ He knows,” Jill
said.
    “ Let me help you with the
cream,” Honey said. “That’s what you were doing when I came in
right?”
    Jill gave her the burn ointment. Honey
dabbed the ointment through Jill’s stubble of hair to the burns on
her head.
    “ Mommy?”
    Katy came out of the stall. She lifted her
hands and Jill picked her up.
    “ Oh my God. Everyone’s
been talking about Jake’s little girl,” Honey said. “Oh my God.
That’s Katherine.”
    Jill flushed Katy’s toilet. When she turned
around, Honey Lipson was gone. She washed Katy’s hands and made her
way to find Jacob. When she arrived, she saw Honey and Jacob deep
in conversation.
    “ What is it?” Jill
asked.
    “ Honey is going to talk to
the police about her sister. She says...” Jacob’s eyes scanned
Jill’s face. “They’re planning on fighting the restraining
order.”
    “ She called Mom last night
to ask for money,” Honey said. “They want me to pick them up at the
airport Friday morning. She told Mom that she and Trevor are going
to Val’s party.”
    “ NO! NO! THEY CAN’T COME
BACK!” Katy screamed.
    Sobbing, Katy turned her face into Jill’s
chest. Jill pushed past Honey to the Lexus. Getting in the back,
she held Katy while she cried. Jacob came around to the open car
door to rest his hand on Katy’s back.
    “ What should we do?” Jacob
asked.
    “ She’s just a little girl,
Jacob. She’s really