Read Online False Security by Angie Martin - Free Book Online

he
said.”
    “Please be careful,” Greg said.
“It’s the first picture of my son.”
    James ignored him. He held the
picture in front of his face, and then moved it away. “I can’t tell what’s what
on here.”
    Greg walked around the counter
and stood behind them. Pointing at the middle of the picture, he said, “There’s
his head, and over here are his legs and feet.”
    James handed the picture back to
Mark, who stared at it for a moment before turning it upside down. He cocked
his head to the side. The picture looked like a jumbled mess of white and grey
dots. “You mean this white spot is his head?” Mark asked.
    Greg took the picture back from
Mark and frowned. “Yeah, I think so. That’s what Anna said anyway.”
    Mark laughed. “You can’t see it
either?”
    “Don’t ever tell Anna I don’t
know where he is in the picture.” As an afterthought, Greg said, “Oh, and when
you see her next, tell her you loved it.”
    “Of course,” Mark said. “I’m not
about to get in trouble. I never know what her mood will be when I see her.”
    James sat back down on the
stool. He took the picture from Greg and moved it back and forth from his face
again. “I don’t see it.”
    “You have to hold it still,”
Greg said.
    “Nah,” James said. “It’s like
one of those scrambled up pictures where you can’t see it unless you stare at
one spot for a long time, and then start backing away from it.” He demonstrated
with the sonogram picture.
    “Let me know if that helps,”
Greg said. To Mark, he said, “By the way, Anna wants you and Rachel to come
over for dinner Sunday night. She’s offended you haven’t introduced her to
Rachel. She thinks it’s because she’s fat and ugly and you’re embarrassed to
have her as a sister-in-law.”
    “How can she be fat? She’s four
months pregnant and just started showing. Besides, Anna wouldn’t be ugly no
matter how much weight she gains with the baby.”
    Greg thrust his hands out, palms
up. “That’s what I’ve been saying, but she doesn’t listen to me. Anyway, she
wants to make sure she approves of ‘the new girl’, as she puts it. She doesn’t
want you getting married before she can check Rachel out.”
    “Like one overprotective sibling
wasn’t enough. You can tell Anna there isn’t going to be a wedding anytime
soon.” Mark grinned. “At least not for the next few months. I’ll see what Rach
is up to Sunday, but I’m not guaranteeing anything.”
    “Just convince her to come.
Also, can you bring dinner?”
    “Excuse me?”
    “Anna’s such a perfectionist and
she wants Rachel to think she can cook.”
    Mark chuckled. “We both know
Anna can’t even make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, same as you.”
    “Don’t tell Anna that. She wants
to impress Rachel, so can you cook dinner and bring it by earlier in the day?
Then Anna can heat it up and look like she was hard at work in the kitchen all
day. She wants you to bring your stuffed chicken with those spices in the red
sauce you make,” he said.
    “That narrows it down,” Mark
said.
    “And she’ll make her fruit
salad.”
    “Oh no,” Mark said. “Last time
she made fruit salad we were all sick. I still don’t know what was in the sauce
she added to it. Tell her not to worry about anything, except maybe some bread
or rolls. I’ll make the side dishes and I’ll even bring a bottle of wine to
keep up appearances.”
    “Don’t forget some sparking
non-alcoholic wine for Anna.” Greg stared at Mark’s outstretched hand.
    “It’s going to cost money to do
this. Normally I wouldn’t mind, but who ever heard of asking your guest to cook
dinner?”
    Greg groaned and pulled his
wallet out his back pocket. He placed a twenty-dollar bill in Mark’s hand.
    Mark left his hand out. “This
will get you plain baked chicken, no sauce, no sides, and no wine.” He smiled
as Greg placed another twenty in his hand. “Thank you.”
    “I have a feeling you screwed me
out of