Read Online Home with My Sisters by Mary Carter - Free Book Online

“Whatever it is she’ll get over it. You’re lucky she’s not calling, all she does is ask for money.”
    For the heck of it Hope checked her mother’s page. Carla Garland. There she was, smiling, her naturally dark hair colored the lightest shade of blond Hope had ever seen on her, and the latest post read : Heading for Cuba for Christmas with my sweetie!! Thanks, Obama!! The picture was of her mother and a smiling Cuban-American man standing on a sailboat, champagne glasses raised. Hope’s eyes welled with tears. When would she stop crying over the mother she wished she had? People needed to be themselves, didn’t they? Her mother had raised three girls practically on her own, and despite their father being the love of her life, Carla was not a woman who could be alone. She’d had a string of men since Thomas, but not one of them had ever stuck. Hope suspected Carla had never stopped waiting for Thomas to come back to her. In a sense, each of them was a little bit stuck in the past, still waiting. Not that any of them would ever admit it.
    Hope closed the cover on her iPad, hugged it to her chest, and leaned into the rail. Her eyes fell on another set of blinking Christmas lights surrounding the W E T HREE K INGS motel sign. The g was missing, making it W E T HREE K IN S motel. Another message had been added below: W E T HREE K INGS W ELCOME Y OU . At least someone welcomed her.
    Hope turned and headed back for her room. Austin’s curtains were drawn, but she could see he had a light on. Did he have a wife or girlfriend? She didn’t get that feeling, but then again he’d said very little about himself.
    The flatulent bloodhound was taking up more than half of the bed. Hope crawled in but instead of pushing his snoring body out of the way, she simply formed herself around him. She loved the sound of dogs sleeping. She made one more attempt to call Joy, and once again got her voice mail. She hung up. Tomorrow morning she would park herself outside of Joy’s apartment and ambush her.
    * * *
    Hope woke to the sound of her cell phone blasting out “Jingle Bells.” She pawed the nightstand until she made contact with it, then glanced at the screen. Faith. Who else would call before seven a.m.?
    â€œI was asleep,” Hope said.
    â€œDo you want to FaceTime?”
    â€œGod, no.”
    â€œWhy not?”
    â€œBecause I don’t even have a face yet.” Hope covered her eyes with her hand. Even the dog was still sleeping.
    â€œI’m returning your call.”
    â€œFrom yesterday.”
    â€œI just got back from a run.” Faith always had to workout-drop. It was worse than name-dropping. Oh, I just got back from the gym. Oh, I just got back from Pilates. Oh, I just got back from lifting weights. Oh, I just ran a marathon and bought a kale farm.
    Hope stretched out on the bed, opened one eye, and glanced at the empty box of fried chicken by the bed. The dog was still snoring on the floor beside her. His giant paws were covering his head as if he, too, had been rudely awoken by Faith. “Me too.”
    â€œYou too, what?”
    â€œI went for a run this morning.” Hope had woken up in the middle of the night to run to the bathroom. She was going to use it.
    â€œYou went for a run?”
    Hope gripped the phone and tried not to let Faith’s obvious sarcasm get to her. She could have gone for a run. “Just got back.”
    â€œLiar.”
    â€œWhy would I lie about going for a run?”
    â€œYou’re cutting into my kale smoothie time.”
    â€œI’m drinking mine now,” Hope said. Should she make a slurping noise or was that taking it too far?
    Faith sighed. “What’s so urgent?”
    â€œAre you sitting down?”
    â€œI’m stretching in the kitchen. Seriously, in twenty seconds I’m putting kale in the blender.”
    Why didn’t she just tattoo her accomplishments on her forehead?