Read Online Gifts of the Blood by Vicki Keire - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Vicki Keire
Ads: Link
her unspoken commentary: He's worried because the whole town heard you had a screaming nervous breakdown and had to be carried off the square, unconscious and hurt.
“What? How the hell did Mr. Peppers know about that? Who else knows?” When Logan didn’t meet my eyes, I sat back down with a defeated plop. “Maybe I better rephrase that. Who else doesn’t know?”
“Mr. Markov called while you were in the bath,” my brother said carefully. I noticed he hadn’t touched his breakfast. Not good. “He said to call if you needed more time.”
“Oh. My. God.” I let my head flop forward into my waiting arms. “This is horrible. I’m supposed to work this afternoon. I need my job. I even like my job. Most of the time.”
“He didn’t fire you, Caspia.” Cold fingers brushed my hair back from my forehead. “He just wondered if… well.” The fingers withdrew. I sat up and stared at Logan, who looked at Amberlyn. “We were talking and we think you’ve been pushing yourself too hard. We think… I think you should slow down.”
“This is about last night,” I accused. No one contradicted me. I thought fast and hard. They were partially right. I had, after all, come to the same conclusion before Ethan approached me and scared the hell out of me. Yes, I had been working myself a bit too hard. So I could admit that much. But the rest of it? No way. If they already thought I was unbalanced, I could only imagine what would happen if I tried to tell them about prophetic drawings and the man who’d helped me last night who could do impossible things and had stepped out of one. I looked at their worried faces, at my brother who only toyed with a slice of something he would have eaten a whole loaf of this time last year, and made a decision.
“You’re absolutely right,” I announced, scooting back up to the table and helping myself to another slice of double-chocolate banana bread. I ignored their shocked expressions with satisfaction. “I thought about it myself. I’ve been pushing myself so hard so I won’t have time to think about… unpleasant… things.” I looked at Logan. “And that has to stop. It’s not going to change anything. It just means we have less time together.” He nodded at me in grim shock. “So I’ll talk to Markov. I don’t want to make any radical changes. It’s not a crisis situation, or anything. I’d like to finish out my schedule for the week, since it’s already made and I don’t want to mess up anyone else’s. But I will see about reducing my hours so that we can have so more time together. Since I made some extra money this month, I can afford to take some time before the holidays.” I couldn’t help myself. I threw my arms around Logan’s neck and squeezed. He squeezed back.
“We could go to the orchard together,” he said into my hair. “The Parsons opened up about a month ago.”
“And buy apples and cider, and come back here and watch scary movies all night long,” Amberlyn added, her voice tight.
“Like we do every year.” I squeezed Logan once more, tightly, before I reluctantly let him go. I tried to ignore the sensation that time was running out as we hurried through breakfast and I gathered my things for school. I was halfway down the stairs when I turned on my heel. “Hey. I forgot something. Go on ahead; I won’t be a minute.”
Logan sat on the couch, a purring Abigail in his lap. I balanced uneasily on the edge of the coffee table, facing him. “I will skip all my classes and work too if you want me to go to that appointment with you,” I said. He smiled into Abigail’s satisfied face.
“You hate doctor’s offices,” he said. “You’ve had a rough twenty four hours, Cas. You've been right beside me for this whole thing. Missing one doctor's visit isn't going to hurt.” He gave a startled little laugh when Abigail put her paws on his chest and started to give him a bath, cat style, starting with the tip of his nose. “I know
“What? How the hell did Mr. Peppers know about that? Who else knows?” When Logan didn’t meet my eyes, I sat back down with a defeated plop. “Maybe I better rephrase that. Who else doesn’t know?”
“Mr. Markov called while you were in the bath,” my brother said carefully. I noticed he hadn’t touched his breakfast. Not good. “He said to call if you needed more time.”
“Oh. My. God.” I let my head flop forward into my waiting arms. “This is horrible. I’m supposed to work this afternoon. I need my job. I even like my job. Most of the time.”
“He didn’t fire you, Caspia.” Cold fingers brushed my hair back from my forehead. “He just wondered if… well.” The fingers withdrew. I sat up and stared at Logan, who looked at Amberlyn. “We were talking and we think you’ve been pushing yourself too hard. We think… I think you should slow down.”
“This is about last night,” I accused. No one contradicted me. I thought fast and hard. They were partially right. I had, after all, come to the same conclusion before Ethan approached me and scared the hell out of me. Yes, I had been working myself a bit too hard. So I could admit that much. But the rest of it? No way. If they already thought I was unbalanced, I could only imagine what would happen if I tried to tell them about prophetic drawings and the man who’d helped me last night who could do impossible things and had stepped out of one. I looked at their worried faces, at my brother who only toyed with a slice of something he would have eaten a whole loaf of this time last year, and made a decision.
“You’re absolutely right,” I announced, scooting back up to the table and helping myself to another slice of double-chocolate banana bread. I ignored their shocked expressions with satisfaction. “I thought about it myself. I’ve been pushing myself so hard so I won’t have time to think about… unpleasant… things.” I looked at Logan. “And that has to stop. It’s not going to change anything. It just means we have less time together.” He nodded at me in grim shock. “So I’ll talk to Markov. I don’t want to make any radical changes. It’s not a crisis situation, or anything. I’d like to finish out my schedule for the week, since it’s already made and I don’t want to mess up anyone else’s. But I will see about reducing my hours so that we can have so more time together. Since I made some extra money this month, I can afford to take some time before the holidays.” I couldn’t help myself. I threw my arms around Logan’s neck and squeezed. He squeezed back.
“We could go to the orchard together,” he said into my hair. “The Parsons opened up about a month ago.”
“And buy apples and cider, and come back here and watch scary movies all night long,” Amberlyn added, her voice tight.
“Like we do every year.” I squeezed Logan once more, tightly, before I reluctantly let him go. I tried to ignore the sensation that time was running out as we hurried through breakfast and I gathered my things for school. I was halfway down the stairs when I turned on my heel. “Hey. I forgot something. Go on ahead; I won’t be a minute.”
Logan sat on the couch, a purring Abigail in his lap. I balanced uneasily on the edge of the coffee table, facing him. “I will skip all my classes and work too if you want me to go to that appointment with you,” I said. He smiled into Abigail’s satisfied face.
“You hate doctor’s offices,” he said. “You’ve had a rough twenty four hours, Cas. You've been right beside me for this whole thing. Missing one doctor's visit isn't going to hurt.” He gave a startled little laugh when Abigail put her paws on his chest and started to give him a bath, cat style, starting with the tip of his nose. “I know
Similar Books
