Read Online Exchange Rate by Bonnie R. Paulson - Free Book Online Page B

water and then put down his utensil. He considered Bodey and me. “Yes, a community does sound good. Almost too good to be true with the details they gave us. But even if it’s real, we can’t travel with Mike and Mary. They’ve suffered a significant loss and they blame each other. Any prolonged time with them would be like sitting on a box filled with grenades. They’re going to explode and we don’t want to be around when they do.”
    I’d never seen Mary or Mike angry or even slightly upset. Picturing them mad, with their knowledge about weapons and guns sent a shiver of anxiety up my spine. Would they blame someone else? What if they came back to reclaim their home and we were still there. Would they remember they didn’t want to live there anymore?
    What if there wasn’t a community for them to escape to?
    What if there was?
    “Let’s sleep here tonight and make our way to Bayview tomorrow. I’d like to confirm things with Captain Phahn, see if he’s heard about this community.” He picked up his fork. “I saw some cookies in a jar in the kitchen. It’s not a cake, but we can use them to celebrate your wedding and then you two can take the master bedroom. I don’t think it’s been used in a long time. Mike mentioned Mary slept in the kids’ room and he stayed in the office upstairs.” He shrugged. “We aren’t at a hotel, but we can pretend.”
    “It might as well be. We haven’t slept in a bed in...” I couldn’t remember the last time we had. There was a house we’d broken into the previous winter, but the beds hadn’t been clean and we’d slept on the floor after attempting the soft comforter of the last place and finding a rat’s nest in the stuffing.
    Yeah, fun times.
    We were married and our wedding night was soon upon us. In a bed. I couldn’t wait.
    John shifted in his seat. He cleared his throat and pushed the food around on his plate. “Okay, so... I know you know about... Ahem... sex.”
    The topic took me by surprise and I glanced at Bodey who didn’t meet my gaze as a flush crept up his cheeks. Neither of us replied but shoved more food into our mouths.
    John powered on. “Yes, so, something they never really discussed at the schools or in the books is that... being intimate with something – I mean, someone can and will cause pregnancy.” He nodded jerkily at me, like I didn’t know what he meant but that I would by the time he finished.
    “Dad, we know about that.” Bodey stared at his plate, unwilling or unable to look his dad in the face.
    “Okay, so you’re married now. Ahem. Before you do anything, you should have a discussion about what you would do with a baby. Kelly is a healthy enough girl. I’m sure she can get pregnant.” John glanced between us. “Unless of course, you have already, well, you know, and she hasn’t gotten pregnant yet and...” He waved his hand, returning to his dinner. “Well, anyway, that’s neither here nor there. I just... okay?”
    I smiled at John and Bodey. Living with a nurse for a mother, I had more experience with the medical talks and discussing something as trivial as sex wasn’t out of my scope. “Since I’m the only girl here, I guess I should share with you that I haven’t had a period in months – literally months, if not a year – I’m not sure if I can even get pregnant in my current condition. I’m not sure how that works. However, I’m certain I don’t eat enough food for my body to be fertile.”
    Too much personal information to share with the two men, but they needed to have some reassurances. I wouldn’t discuss this stuff with Mom for fun. Usually our discussions were in a more clinical setting.
    Maybe I couldn’t have children and that would affect how Bodey felt about me.
    Something even more important needed to pass between the three of us, a reason to trust Bodey and me. I couldn’t stand for John to think we’d messed around behind his back. “Plus, we haven’t, you know , yet.” I