Read Online Friends--And Then Some by Debbie Macomber - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Debbie Macomber
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“I know.”
“You know!”
“Why, yes. He called earlier.”
“Where is he?” Lily demanded, the wobble in her voice betraying her concern. He shouldn’t be alone … not with a head injury.”
“He sounded perfectly fine,” Gram contradicted, moving from the iron to thestove, where she stirred the contents of a large stockpot.
“Is he at the marina? I should probably go there, don’t you think? Something could happen.” Not waiting for a response, Lily made a sharp about-face and headed out of the kitchen. For a panicked second, she imagined a dizzy, disoriented Jake stumbling about the sailboat. He could slip and fall overboard and no one would know.
“It’d be a waste of time.”
“A waste of time? Why?” Lily paused and turned around to face Gram, her thoughts scrambled.
Humming an old Beatles tune, Gram continued stirring. “Jake’s on his way over here.”
“Now?”
“That’s what he said.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?” Lily cried.
Gram turned away from the stove and studied Lily with narrowed, knowing eyes. “You seem worried, girl. Jake can take care of himself.”
“I know … but he’s lost a lot of blood. He had ten stitches and …”
“He’s not going to appreciate it if you make a fuss over him.”
Lily forced the tense muscles of her back and shoulders to relax. Gram was right. Jake would hate how concerned she was.
“What else did he say?” Trying to disguise how disquieting Lily found this entire matter, she pushed the kitchen chair under the table.
“Do you want some split-pea soup?” Gram asked as though she hadn’t heard Lily’s question.
“No, thanks.” An involuntary grimace crossed her face. Gram loved split-pea soup, but Lily didn’t know why she would be eating it now. It was only midmorning.
A loud knock against the front door announced Jake’s arrival. Lily battled the urge to run across the room to meet him.
Jake let himself inside. “Morning.”
“Hello, Jake.” Lily laced her fingers in front of her. “How are you feeling?”
“Great,” he answered, breezing right past her and into the kitchen.
“Soup’s ready,” Lily heard her grandmother tell him.
“I appreciate it, Gram.”
“When it comes to restoring a person’s health, it’s better than chicken noodle.”
“Anything you cook is better than my futile attempts.”
Shocked and a little hurt at Jake’s abrupt greeting, Lily stood stiffly, halfway between the kitchen and the front door. Jake may have said only one word to her, but his eyes spoke volumes. Over the past year they’d often informed her what he was thinking and feeling before he could say a word. They were a stormy shade of jade when he was angry, and that seemed to be happening on a regular basis lately. At other times they were a murky green, but that was generally when he was troubled about something. Then there were rare times when they sparked with what seemed a thousand tiny lights. They’d glittered like that when he’d first seen her in the dress she’d bought with Gram’s bingo winnings and again later, when they’d met before Rick’s party. But then they’d quickly changed to that murky shade of green. Lily didn’t know what to make of that. Jake had been so easy to read in the past, but either he was changing or she was losing her ability to understand the one man she thought she knew so well.
“How are you feeling?” Lily asked for the second time, coming into the kitchen.
Jake pulled out a chair at the table, and sat drinking Gram’s soup from a ceramic mug.
“Fine,” he answered curtly.
“You look better.” Some color had returned to his face. Yet he remained so pale that the tiny creases around his eyes were more noticeable than ever.
Gram joined Jake at the table, pouring two additional servings of soup. “Here.” She gave one to Lily, who wrinkled her nose at it.
“No, thanks, I prefer chicken noodle.”
Jake’s snort was almost
“You know!”
“Why, yes. He called earlier.”
“Where is he?” Lily demanded, the wobble in her voice betraying her concern. He shouldn’t be alone … not with a head injury.”
“He sounded perfectly fine,” Gram contradicted, moving from the iron to thestove, where she stirred the contents of a large stockpot.
“Is he at the marina? I should probably go there, don’t you think? Something could happen.” Not waiting for a response, Lily made a sharp about-face and headed out of the kitchen. For a panicked second, she imagined a dizzy, disoriented Jake stumbling about the sailboat. He could slip and fall overboard and no one would know.
“It’d be a waste of time.”
“A waste of time? Why?” Lily paused and turned around to face Gram, her thoughts scrambled.
Humming an old Beatles tune, Gram continued stirring. “Jake’s on his way over here.”
“Now?”
“That’s what he said.”
“Why didn’t you tell me that earlier?” Lily cried.
Gram turned away from the stove and studied Lily with narrowed, knowing eyes. “You seem worried, girl. Jake can take care of himself.”
“I know … but he’s lost a lot of blood. He had ten stitches and …”
“He’s not going to appreciate it if you make a fuss over him.”
Lily forced the tense muscles of her back and shoulders to relax. Gram was right. Jake would hate how concerned she was.
“What else did he say?” Trying to disguise how disquieting Lily found this entire matter, she pushed the kitchen chair under the table.
“Do you want some split-pea soup?” Gram asked as though she hadn’t heard Lily’s question.
“No, thanks.” An involuntary grimace crossed her face. Gram loved split-pea soup, but Lily didn’t know why she would be eating it now. It was only midmorning.
A loud knock against the front door announced Jake’s arrival. Lily battled the urge to run across the room to meet him.
Jake let himself inside. “Morning.”
“Hello, Jake.” Lily laced her fingers in front of her. “How are you feeling?”
“Great,” he answered, breezing right past her and into the kitchen.
“Soup’s ready,” Lily heard her grandmother tell him.
“I appreciate it, Gram.”
“When it comes to restoring a person’s health, it’s better than chicken noodle.”
“Anything you cook is better than my futile attempts.”
Shocked and a little hurt at Jake’s abrupt greeting, Lily stood stiffly, halfway between the kitchen and the front door. Jake may have said only one word to her, but his eyes spoke volumes. Over the past year they’d often informed her what he was thinking and feeling before he could say a word. They were a stormy shade of jade when he was angry, and that seemed to be happening on a regular basis lately. At other times they were a murky green, but that was generally when he was troubled about something. Then there were rare times when they sparked with what seemed a thousand tiny lights. They’d glittered like that when he’d first seen her in the dress she’d bought with Gram’s bingo winnings and again later, when they’d met before Rick’s party. But then they’d quickly changed to that murky shade of green. Lily didn’t know what to make of that. Jake had been so easy to read in the past, but either he was changing or she was losing her ability to understand the one man she thought she knew so well.
“How are you feeling?” Lily asked for the second time, coming into the kitchen.
Jake pulled out a chair at the table, and sat drinking Gram’s soup from a ceramic mug.
“Fine,” he answered curtly.
“You look better.” Some color had returned to his face. Yet he remained so pale that the tiny creases around his eyes were more noticeable than ever.
Gram joined Jake at the table, pouring two additional servings of soup. “Here.” She gave one to Lily, who wrinkled her nose at it.
“No, thanks, I prefer chicken noodle.”
Jake’s snort was almost
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