Read Online Finding Sky (A Nicki Valentine Mystery Book 1) by Susan O'Brien - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Susan O'Brien
Tags: Humor, Suspense, Humorous fiction, Women Sleuths, cozy, amateur sleuth, Murder mysteries, detective novels, english mysteries, female sleuths, mystery series, traditional mystery, cozy mysteries, humorous mysteries, whodunnit, mystery and suspence, book club recommendations, british mysteryies, cozy mysteries women sleuths, private investigator series
Ads: Link
parking lot. Happy screams emanated from the pool area and made me wonder if any neighborhood pals were there. If they weren’t, we’d probably make new ones. Families make fast, if fleeting, friends.
Jack and Sophie dutifully swept their heads from side to side until they were sure no one was pulling in or backing out. Then they bolted for the entryway where a lanky teenage lifeguard waited to take our passes. His eyes never met mine as he filed us under V and muttered “Thanks.” Was he bored? Insecure? Depressed? Angry? With teens, it could be so many things. I guess it’s like that with anyone, any age. You never really know.
I thanked him and watched his bronze face and hazel eyes, a touch of sunburn on his cheeks, turn away, looking back toward the pool.
Jack and Sophie ran ahead through the women’s locker room. Jack was really too old to be there, but I wasn’t sending him into men’s rooms alone, and I certainly couldn’t go with him. I wasn’t sure how to handle this problem as he grew older without a dad. Then again, it would probably be the least of my concerns.
“No running,” I reprimanded as I stepped quickly to keep up. “Pull over!” I knew the out-of-place expression would get them to giggle and obey. I added a siren sound effect.
“Ha ha, Mom. The pool police.” Jack dropped his shark kickboard and red noodle on a lounge chair. He kicked off his flip flops and held out a hand. “Goggles,” he stated as if I were a surgical assistant.
“Goggles,” I repeated while digging in the summer supply bag. The tips of my fingers identified anti-fog, UV protective goggles with a soft, foam lining. I handed them over and surveyed his look. Cool blue goggles, Hawaiian print shorts, adorable bikini-clad sister in a flotation vest, water toys galore. At times like these, when for a shining moment life looks perfect, a combination of awe, thankfulness, and guilt can strike. Is it right to have so much when others have so little? Is it wrong to savor abundance or wrong not to? The answer had to be about balance, but I hadn’t found a comfortable place on the lifestyle spectrum yet.
“You guys can hop in,” I said. They disappointed me by making a beeline for the deep end. No relaxation for me. I never knew when Sophie was going to pull a Houdini and free herself from the zipped, locked floatation device in seconds.
“Keep that on,” I reminded her, pointing at the jacket, “or we’ll have to go home.” That was a threat I didn’t want to carry out. I was desperate for the kids to have exercise and entertainment.
She smiled up from the sparkling water and called out an agreeable, “Okay.” It was all in her tone, but something made me trust her. I could read my kids’ nonverbal cues as if they had subtitles. I hoped as a PI I’d be as perceptive.
The kids swam for a few minutes and then climbed the ladder near the diving board. I sat on the side, hitched up my dress so its rear wouldn’t get soaked, and dipped my legs in, allowing them to sink a few inches below the surface. Jack ran off the diving board and tried unsuccessfully to douse me with a cannonball. Sophie followed and failed too.
“Whoa! Good tries!” I encouraged. They kept it up while I envisioned the night ahead of me. I’d go online again, but if possible, I wanted the freedom to go out and investigate too. Plus, what if Marcus’s mom wanted a ride to the hospital pronto? I needed a babysitter.
My mother, who lived in a condo not far away in Arlington, was scheduled to babysit the next night during PI class. I hated to ask her for two nights in a row, especially when she’d have to face rush hour traffic, but I couldn’t think of anyone else who could stay late except Kenna, and I didn’t want to add stress to her day. Sending Jack and Sophie to a friend’s for the night wasn’t an option either. They weren’t comfortable spending the night alone in their own beds, never mind in another home.
I trotted
Jack and Sophie dutifully swept their heads from side to side until they were sure no one was pulling in or backing out. Then they bolted for the entryway where a lanky teenage lifeguard waited to take our passes. His eyes never met mine as he filed us under V and muttered “Thanks.” Was he bored? Insecure? Depressed? Angry? With teens, it could be so many things. I guess it’s like that with anyone, any age. You never really know.
I thanked him and watched his bronze face and hazel eyes, a touch of sunburn on his cheeks, turn away, looking back toward the pool.
Jack and Sophie ran ahead through the women’s locker room. Jack was really too old to be there, but I wasn’t sending him into men’s rooms alone, and I certainly couldn’t go with him. I wasn’t sure how to handle this problem as he grew older without a dad. Then again, it would probably be the least of my concerns.
“No running,” I reprimanded as I stepped quickly to keep up. “Pull over!” I knew the out-of-place expression would get them to giggle and obey. I added a siren sound effect.
“Ha ha, Mom. The pool police.” Jack dropped his shark kickboard and red noodle on a lounge chair. He kicked off his flip flops and held out a hand. “Goggles,” he stated as if I were a surgical assistant.
“Goggles,” I repeated while digging in the summer supply bag. The tips of my fingers identified anti-fog, UV protective goggles with a soft, foam lining. I handed them over and surveyed his look. Cool blue goggles, Hawaiian print shorts, adorable bikini-clad sister in a flotation vest, water toys galore. At times like these, when for a shining moment life looks perfect, a combination of awe, thankfulness, and guilt can strike. Is it right to have so much when others have so little? Is it wrong to savor abundance or wrong not to? The answer had to be about balance, but I hadn’t found a comfortable place on the lifestyle spectrum yet.
“You guys can hop in,” I said. They disappointed me by making a beeline for the deep end. No relaxation for me. I never knew when Sophie was going to pull a Houdini and free herself from the zipped, locked floatation device in seconds.
“Keep that on,” I reminded her, pointing at the jacket, “or we’ll have to go home.” That was a threat I didn’t want to carry out. I was desperate for the kids to have exercise and entertainment.
She smiled up from the sparkling water and called out an agreeable, “Okay.” It was all in her tone, but something made me trust her. I could read my kids’ nonverbal cues as if they had subtitles. I hoped as a PI I’d be as perceptive.
The kids swam for a few minutes and then climbed the ladder near the diving board. I sat on the side, hitched up my dress so its rear wouldn’t get soaked, and dipped my legs in, allowing them to sink a few inches below the surface. Jack ran off the diving board and tried unsuccessfully to douse me with a cannonball. Sophie followed and failed too.
“Whoa! Good tries!” I encouraged. They kept it up while I envisioned the night ahead of me. I’d go online again, but if possible, I wanted the freedom to go out and investigate too. Plus, what if Marcus’s mom wanted a ride to the hospital pronto? I needed a babysitter.
My mother, who lived in a condo not far away in Arlington, was scheduled to babysit the next night during PI class. I hated to ask her for two nights in a row, especially when she’d have to face rush hour traffic, but I couldn’t think of anyone else who could stay late except Kenna, and I didn’t want to add stress to her day. Sending Jack and Sophie to a friend’s for the night wasn’t an option either. They weren’t comfortable spending the night alone in their own beds, never mind in another home.
I trotted
Similar Books
