Read Online Hydraulic Level Five (1) by Sarah Latchaw, Gondolier - Free Book Online
Authors: Sarah Latchaw, Gondolier
Tags: Romance, Contemporary
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never one to beat around the bush. “I’ve never seen so many suitcases.”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Angel. You’ve seen hundreds of suitcases,” Danita snarked, side-stepping a puddle. “Airports, hotels, department stores…”
“Your closet.” He wrapped his thick arms around her waist and planted a passionate, sloppy kiss on her neck.
I don’t believe Danita and Angel had ever suffered a misunderstanding between each other. They were the bluntest people I knew. While he laced his straightforward nature with humor, she was no-nonsense, plain and simple. The only misstep occurred on the very first day of Kindercare, when Angel told Danita she was pretty. Then Dani, bawling, kicked Angel in the knee because she thought he was teasing her. That was the first of three times I’d known Dani to cry. The second was the day Angel left for Afghanistan, and the third, when he came home.
“So, Mamá?” Angel wasn’t going to let it go.
Sofia picked several big leaves and slipped them into a Ziploc bag. She collected leaves—alder, poplar, cottonwood—and pressed them into decorative tiles.
“I’m not sure what to make of Caroline yet. They haven’t dated for very long.”
“But they’ve been friends for several years now,” Danita countered. “It seems to be a natural course.”
Sofia gave her a stern look. I’d been on the receiving end of it many times, and I knew to shut up when it was directed at me. Dani did, too.
“Samuel hasn’t been forthcoming one way or the other, Danita. You shouldn’t read too much into it.”
My thoughts were torn. This morning had been…odd. It wasn’t difficult to see the wheels cranking in Sofia’s brain when Danita and I picked her up for the hike. Earlier, while Dani showered, I followed Sofia through their elegant, airy home, helping her finish breakfast dishes and fold towels.
“Kaye, can you take a few towels up to my daughter? I haven’t replaced them in any of the bathrooms yet.” I would have thought nothing at all of her request, but she didn’t look me in the eye. Samuel used to be the same way—he’d avoid eye contact when something was up.
“Sure.” She handed me a stack of six fluffy towels.
“While you’re up there, mi corazón , would you please put these in the guest bathroom and Samuel’s bathroom?”
I trudged up the stairs, past the multitude of framed family portraits and Mexican artwork, and tossed a few towels in Danita’s bathroom where she yelled at me for letting in cold air. Then I entered the guest bedroom and chuckled mirthlessly, understanding Sofia’s plotting. Luxury luggage was scattered around the room, clothing spilling out as if Caroline had frantically gone through them this morning. An army of hair and facial products lined all available countertop space in the attached bathroom, signaling that this woman had settled in for a long stretch.
Sofia wanted me to see that Caroline was sleeping alone in the guest bedroom, rather than in Samuel’s room.
Good lord, Sofia. She’d never given up, even after I begged her to let it go because her hope was too painful. I hated to burst her bubble. Samuel and I had snuck out after curfew all through our teenage years, even though our visits were innocent (somewhat). And while he certainly respected his parents enough not to flaunt his sex life, that didn’t mean he and Caroline weren’t doing a little boot-knockin’ mattress-dancing in secret. I nearly gagged when I saw the floozy’s barely-there black lingerie peeking out from one of her suitcases. If she and Samuel weren’t already sleeping together, she certainly planned to before long.
When Samuel and I dated, we tried to wait until we were married. But lust and hormones wore us down, and we caved the night he put a diamond engagement ring on my finger. All we’d wanted was for the other to be happy. Sadly, that single flower didn’t make me happy, now that I held the whole, decayed bouquet. How different a
“Don’t be ridiculous, Angel. You’ve seen hundreds of suitcases,” Danita snarked, side-stepping a puddle. “Airports, hotels, department stores…”
“Your closet.” He wrapped his thick arms around her waist and planted a passionate, sloppy kiss on her neck.
I don’t believe Danita and Angel had ever suffered a misunderstanding between each other. They were the bluntest people I knew. While he laced his straightforward nature with humor, she was no-nonsense, plain and simple. The only misstep occurred on the very first day of Kindercare, when Angel told Danita she was pretty. Then Dani, bawling, kicked Angel in the knee because she thought he was teasing her. That was the first of three times I’d known Dani to cry. The second was the day Angel left for Afghanistan, and the third, when he came home.
“So, Mamá?” Angel wasn’t going to let it go.
Sofia picked several big leaves and slipped them into a Ziploc bag. She collected leaves—alder, poplar, cottonwood—and pressed them into decorative tiles.
“I’m not sure what to make of Caroline yet. They haven’t dated for very long.”
“But they’ve been friends for several years now,” Danita countered. “It seems to be a natural course.”
Sofia gave her a stern look. I’d been on the receiving end of it many times, and I knew to shut up when it was directed at me. Dani did, too.
“Samuel hasn’t been forthcoming one way or the other, Danita. You shouldn’t read too much into it.”
My thoughts were torn. This morning had been…odd. It wasn’t difficult to see the wheels cranking in Sofia’s brain when Danita and I picked her up for the hike. Earlier, while Dani showered, I followed Sofia through their elegant, airy home, helping her finish breakfast dishes and fold towels.
“Kaye, can you take a few towels up to my daughter? I haven’t replaced them in any of the bathrooms yet.” I would have thought nothing at all of her request, but she didn’t look me in the eye. Samuel used to be the same way—he’d avoid eye contact when something was up.
“Sure.” She handed me a stack of six fluffy towels.
“While you’re up there, mi corazón , would you please put these in the guest bathroom and Samuel’s bathroom?”
I trudged up the stairs, past the multitude of framed family portraits and Mexican artwork, and tossed a few towels in Danita’s bathroom where she yelled at me for letting in cold air. Then I entered the guest bedroom and chuckled mirthlessly, understanding Sofia’s plotting. Luxury luggage was scattered around the room, clothing spilling out as if Caroline had frantically gone through them this morning. An army of hair and facial products lined all available countertop space in the attached bathroom, signaling that this woman had settled in for a long stretch.
Sofia wanted me to see that Caroline was sleeping alone in the guest bedroom, rather than in Samuel’s room.
Good lord, Sofia. She’d never given up, even after I begged her to let it go because her hope was too painful. I hated to burst her bubble. Samuel and I had snuck out after curfew all through our teenage years, even though our visits were innocent (somewhat). And while he certainly respected his parents enough not to flaunt his sex life, that didn’t mean he and Caroline weren’t doing a little boot-knockin’ mattress-dancing in secret. I nearly gagged when I saw the floozy’s barely-there black lingerie peeking out from one of her suitcases. If she and Samuel weren’t already sleeping together, she certainly planned to before long.
When Samuel and I dated, we tried to wait until we were married. But lust and hormones wore us down, and we caved the night he put a diamond engagement ring on my finger. All we’d wanted was for the other to be happy. Sadly, that single flower didn’t make me happy, now that I held the whole, decayed bouquet. How different a
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