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Authors: Jennifer Jaynes
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to pour herself some coffee.
When Allie reached the kitchen, she found a piping-hot cup of coffee already waiting for her. Sammy’s Lego Movie lunch box was also beside it. She opened it up to find it was already packed.
Allie smiled inside.
In so many ways, Bitty understood Allie’s needs better than Allie even did. Women should have wives, not husbands, Allie thought, not for the first time. They just seemed better suited mentally and emotionally. It was too bad she wasn’t attracted to women.
Realizing she now had several spare minutes before she had to leave to bring Sammy to preschool, she pulled on her jacket and walked outside to join everyone on the deck.
Since she’d last been outside, the sun had sliced through the gloom. Sammy was in the yard now, pushing leaves around with a toy rake. Zoe was sitting cross-legged on a stone paver in the yard, picking blades of grass. Carrie still sat in the deck chair, her eyes squeezed closed.
Allie sat on a rocking chair and took her first sip of coffee, enjoying its heat as it glided down her throat.
She sipped and kept an eye on the tangle of loblolly pines that bordered the yard as she watched her son play. It was the only part of their home that she didn’t trust. Although she’d spent most of her childhood playing in woods just like it, they now creeped her out.
Once their financial situation was healthier, she’d have a fence built. A tall privacy fence so she wouldn’t have to look at the trees beyond it. But she needed to focus on just covering the basics for now, because money was tight. From what she’d gathered from recent collectors’ calls, Bitty was having financial problems, and Bitty wasn’t someone who usually had issues with money. Allie wondered if the financial problems were due to depression. After all, she’d been grieving the loss of a close friend, back in Louisiana, for a long time now. A man whose death she still hadn’t seemed to have completely come to terms with, leaving her perpetually sad and somewhat withdrawn.
As Allie turned her attention back to Sammy, she thought she saw movement in the pines behind him. She frowned and leaned forward in her chair. She watched closely, but the only activity she saw was the shivering of pine needles in the cool breeze.
Hardly anything unusual.
Or dangerous.
You’re just creeped out because of yesterday, she told herself. You need to stop.
Bitty sat down in the rocker next to her.
“How are they doing?” Allie asked, pointing her chin toward the girls, her voice low.
“As well as can be expected, I suppose,” Bitty said quietly. “Carrie still hasn’t said a word. Zoe speaks only when spoken to.”
As they sat, rocking and drinking their coffee, the breeze kicked up, blowing Allie’s hair into her face. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sunshine on her eyelids for a while, then decided to take the opportunity while they were alone to tell Bitty about the second phone call the previous evening, and the truck that had been on their property. Bitty rocked quietly for a few moments, listening.
When Allie had finished, Bitty sat silently and sipped her coffee, her face blank of emotion. But Allie could see the wheels in her head turning.
“Think there’s anything to be concerned about?” Allie asked.
Bitty shook her head. “Probably not.”
Piglet started to howl. Allie opened her eyes to find Sammy shaking a young peach tree, trying to get the dead leaves to fall to the ground. For some reason, Piglet seemed to be frightened of trees, and had the same reaction any time Sammy was near one.
Piglet’s howls grew louder, more mournful. “Piglet, stop!” Allie called. The dog turned in Allie’s direction and cocked her head to one side.
“I said, stop,” Allie repeated.
The dog just stared at her, panting.
Allie turned back to Bitty. “Johnny’s still here. But he should be leaving soon,” she said, embarrassed to admit he hadn’t left yet.
Bitty
When Allie reached the kitchen, she found a piping-hot cup of coffee already waiting for her. Sammy’s Lego Movie lunch box was also beside it. She opened it up to find it was already packed.
Allie smiled inside.
In so many ways, Bitty understood Allie’s needs better than Allie even did. Women should have wives, not husbands, Allie thought, not for the first time. They just seemed better suited mentally and emotionally. It was too bad she wasn’t attracted to women.
Realizing she now had several spare minutes before she had to leave to bring Sammy to preschool, she pulled on her jacket and walked outside to join everyone on the deck.
Since she’d last been outside, the sun had sliced through the gloom. Sammy was in the yard now, pushing leaves around with a toy rake. Zoe was sitting cross-legged on a stone paver in the yard, picking blades of grass. Carrie still sat in the deck chair, her eyes squeezed closed.
Allie sat on a rocking chair and took her first sip of coffee, enjoying its heat as it glided down her throat.
She sipped and kept an eye on the tangle of loblolly pines that bordered the yard as she watched her son play. It was the only part of their home that she didn’t trust. Although she’d spent most of her childhood playing in woods just like it, they now creeped her out.
Once their financial situation was healthier, she’d have a fence built. A tall privacy fence so she wouldn’t have to look at the trees beyond it. But she needed to focus on just covering the basics for now, because money was tight. From what she’d gathered from recent collectors’ calls, Bitty was having financial problems, and Bitty wasn’t someone who usually had issues with money. Allie wondered if the financial problems were due to depression. After all, she’d been grieving the loss of a close friend, back in Louisiana, for a long time now. A man whose death she still hadn’t seemed to have completely come to terms with, leaving her perpetually sad and somewhat withdrawn.
As Allie turned her attention back to Sammy, she thought she saw movement in the pines behind him. She frowned and leaned forward in her chair. She watched closely, but the only activity she saw was the shivering of pine needles in the cool breeze.
Hardly anything unusual.
Or dangerous.
You’re just creeped out because of yesterday, she told herself. You need to stop.
Bitty sat down in the rocker next to her.
“How are they doing?” Allie asked, pointing her chin toward the girls, her voice low.
“As well as can be expected, I suppose,” Bitty said quietly. “Carrie still hasn’t said a word. Zoe speaks only when spoken to.”
As they sat, rocking and drinking their coffee, the breeze kicked up, blowing Allie’s hair into her face. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sunshine on her eyelids for a while, then decided to take the opportunity while they were alone to tell Bitty about the second phone call the previous evening, and the truck that had been on their property. Bitty rocked quietly for a few moments, listening.
When Allie had finished, Bitty sat silently and sipped her coffee, her face blank of emotion. But Allie could see the wheels in her head turning.
“Think there’s anything to be concerned about?” Allie asked.
Bitty shook her head. “Probably not.”
Piglet started to howl. Allie opened her eyes to find Sammy shaking a young peach tree, trying to get the dead leaves to fall to the ground. For some reason, Piglet seemed to be frightened of trees, and had the same reaction any time Sammy was near one.
Piglet’s howls grew louder, more mournful. “Piglet, stop!” Allie called. The dog turned in Allie’s direction and cocked her head to one side.
“I said, stop,” Allie repeated.
The dog just stared at her, panting.
Allie turned back to Bitty. “Johnny’s still here. But he should be leaving soon,” she said, embarrassed to admit he hadn’t left yet.
Bitty
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