Read Online Deception by Sharon Cullen - Free Book Online Page B

smiled.
    “’Kay.”
    Twenty minutes later, she stood at the front door while Alex bent over her, attempting to button her coat. He swayed on his good leg.
    Tess brushed him away. “I can do this myself.” Being up and about made her grumpy. Each ache and pain intensified.
    Shannon pulled into the driveway and honked.
    Alex tugged the collar of her coat tighter around her neck and kissed her nose. “Be a good girl and listen to what the doctor says.”
    “Yes, Dad.”
    He smiled and gave her a quick hug, then grabbed his cane and opened the door. “Now out.”
    She made her way to Shannon’s minivan and climbed in. The lingering smell of old fast food and spoiled milk had her stomach churning.
    “I hope this is quick,” Shannon said, looking in her rearview mirror. She backed out of the driveway and shifted gears, accelerating down the street. “I have to get home. Dinner’s in the oven and Roger wasn’t too happy I ran out on him.”
    “Sorry. Didn’t mean to spoil your night.” Tess closed her eyes because the passing scenery nauseated her.
    Shannon sighed. “That’s okay. Fact is, I’m glad to get out of that house. Screaming kids in the middle of winter, with Christmas just days away, gets on my nerves. Plus this baby’s sitting on my bladder and pressing against my diaphragm.”
    Tess didn’t want to hear this.
    Shannon sighed again, an exaggerated sound meant to elicit sympathy. “You’re so lucky to still have your figure, Tess.”
    Shut up! Oh, please, just shut up.
    “Kids are so draining—physically, mentally, spiritually.”
    “Financially.”
    Shannon laughed. “Financially. Roger’s constantly complaining about the cost of raising kids.”
    “So why are you having another?”
    “This one was an oops.”
    According to Shannon, every one of her kids had been an oops. Tess shook her head and looked out the front windshield. She let the silence drag on, happy that Shannon had stopped complaining about things she longed for.
    A sniff had her turning back to her sister. A single tear ran down Shannon’s cheek. Why, oh why, hadn’t Alex driven her? Of course the doctors had said he couldn’t drive, but they’d also said he couldn’t use a cane and he’d ignored that advice.
    “Something’s wrong, Tess.”
    Tess leaned her head against the headrest. Yeah, something was wrong all right. Her head felt like it was ready to split open, her ribs ached from coughing and her back hurt. Somehow, Tess didn’t think Shannon was referring to her illness, though.
    “Something’s wrong with Roger. He hasn’t been acting right for a long time now.”
    She and Shannon had never been close. They’d been complete opposites growing up, even down to their looks. Shannon had been a cool blonde with big blue eyes, a flirtatious manner and curves in all the right places, while Tess had been more the jock, just one of the guys.
    With the death of their parents, months apart, the differences between them pulled them even further apart. Shannon settled down and started a family, pushing out a baby every other year. Tess had married but failed miserably at the marriage and baby parts.
    “Maybe he’s worried about feeding another kid.”
    Shannon shook her head. “Oh, no. He may complain about this pregnancy draining the funds, but he’s happy, I know he is. It’s something else. He’s worried about something and when I ask him what’s wrong, he just says it’s nothing. I’m afraid, Tess.”
    Tess patted Shannon’s knee. She knew the fear Shannon spoke of, had felt it when her own marriage began to fail, and she couldn’t help but feel for her sister. “I’m sure it’s nothing. Maybe work has him down.”
    Shannon sniffed again. “You’re probably right. It’s just that he’s so jumpy lately. He snaps at the kids all the time and then disappears for hours in the evening. I don’t understand it.”
    It sounded like Roger had a honey on the side. If that was the case, then Tess would kick