Read Online Love Finds You in Hershey, Pennsylvania by Cerella Sechrist - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Cerella Sechrist
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I mean the toilet, and it’s really quite priceless to me, you see, so cannibals or no, I have to get it back!”
She sighed with a quavering breath that indicated tears. Kylie’s lower lip trembled also.
“It’s all right, Mommy. Jasper will fix it.”
This childlike confidence sent an unnatural surge of relief through Sadie, and she expelled a half-sob, half-laugh as she realized that Kylie was correct. Jasper could fix it. He always did.
“Jasper can fix what?”
All eyes in the bathroom turned as Jasper spoke from behind Dmitri. Kylie rounded on him in exasperation.
“Mommy said Kylie can’t be a canninabal!”
“Of course you can’t,” Jasper declared. “What gave you that idea?”
“You said canninabals took Malibu Ken’s leg!”
Jasper swallowed. “I did?”
Kylie scowled at him. “Kylie tried to put Grandma’s ring in her nose, and the volcano got it! ‘Cause you said canninabals wear rings in their noses!”
“Oh. So I did.” He looked helplessly at Sadie. “I forget she’s only four, you know?”
“ Five ,” Kylie stated. “Kylie will be five tomorrow!”
“Kylie…” Dmitri attempted to help out. “Why don’t we go downstairs and you can tell me all about your birthday party tomorrow? And we’ll let Mommy and Jasper see if they can…um…retrieve the ring from the, uh, volcano.”
“It’s a toilet,” Kylie corrected him.
He smiled. “Right.”
Dmitri politely offered Kylie his hand, which she accepted, and the two made their way back into the hall and down to the first floor. Jasper entered the bathroom and sat on the floor beside Sadie.
“I am so sorry!” He was already rolling up his sleeves. “I forget that she takes things so literally.”
“Jasper, she’s five years old.”
“I know, I know. But she’s just so easy to talk to…” He stuck his hand into the bowl. “Whew. That’s cold.”
Sadie was finally able to stand to her feet. “Believe me, I know.”
She turned on the water at the sink as hot as she could stand it and lathered her arm with soap. She washed in silence and then repeated the action two more times. When she finished, Jasper’s arm was still in the bowl, with it practically up to his shoulder.
“Do you think we’ll be able to get it back?”
Jasper frowned with concentration and absently remarked, “It took Ken’s leg—it’s not getting your ring too.”
She laughed at him then, the complete seriousness of his expression amusing her.
“My knight in shining armor,” she stated with a thread of breathlessness.
Just then he grinned.
“I think I got it!”
She fell to the floor beside him and leaned close as he attempted to extract his arm. He drew it out, dripping wet, a band of gold gleaming in his fingertips.
“Oh, Jasper—I could kiss you!”
He looked at her with a wry expression. “What’s stopping you?”
Something in his eyes made her hesitate. What was that? If she didn’t know better, she’d think it was…but no, it couldn’t be.
Sadie looked away and at her watch.
“Oh! Dmitri and I better get going. The movie starts at seven!”
“Right.”
Sadie ignored the strange disappointment in his voice as she checked her reflection in the mirror one last time.
“I won’t be late. Kylie’s dinner is in the microwave—just heat it up. There’s some for you too. Have a good night!”
She rushed for the door and then paused, turning. “And Jasper?”
He looked up, and the little boy sadness in his eyes tugged at her heart.
“Thanks.”
He smiled. “No problem.”
Two and a half hours later, Sadie and Dmitri finished viewing To Have and Have Not , a film Dmitri had not experienced before tonight. He had been enraptured from the moment they walked in the door, his jaw dropping at the opulence of the Hershey Theatre lobby’s Italian lava rock floors, marble walls, and arches and bas-relief ceilings.
Sadie had felt a strange swell of pride—the theater was impressive, rivaling the best
She sighed with a quavering breath that indicated tears. Kylie’s lower lip trembled also.
“It’s all right, Mommy. Jasper will fix it.”
This childlike confidence sent an unnatural surge of relief through Sadie, and she expelled a half-sob, half-laugh as she realized that Kylie was correct. Jasper could fix it. He always did.
“Jasper can fix what?”
All eyes in the bathroom turned as Jasper spoke from behind Dmitri. Kylie rounded on him in exasperation.
“Mommy said Kylie can’t be a canninabal!”
“Of course you can’t,” Jasper declared. “What gave you that idea?”
“You said canninabals took Malibu Ken’s leg!”
Jasper swallowed. “I did?”
Kylie scowled at him. “Kylie tried to put Grandma’s ring in her nose, and the volcano got it! ‘Cause you said canninabals wear rings in their noses!”
“Oh. So I did.” He looked helplessly at Sadie. “I forget she’s only four, you know?”
“ Five ,” Kylie stated. “Kylie will be five tomorrow!”
“Kylie…” Dmitri attempted to help out. “Why don’t we go downstairs and you can tell me all about your birthday party tomorrow? And we’ll let Mommy and Jasper see if they can…um…retrieve the ring from the, uh, volcano.”
“It’s a toilet,” Kylie corrected him.
He smiled. “Right.”
Dmitri politely offered Kylie his hand, which she accepted, and the two made their way back into the hall and down to the first floor. Jasper entered the bathroom and sat on the floor beside Sadie.
“I am so sorry!” He was already rolling up his sleeves. “I forget that she takes things so literally.”
“Jasper, she’s five years old.”
“I know, I know. But she’s just so easy to talk to…” He stuck his hand into the bowl. “Whew. That’s cold.”
Sadie was finally able to stand to her feet. “Believe me, I know.”
She turned on the water at the sink as hot as she could stand it and lathered her arm with soap. She washed in silence and then repeated the action two more times. When she finished, Jasper’s arm was still in the bowl, with it practically up to his shoulder.
“Do you think we’ll be able to get it back?”
Jasper frowned with concentration and absently remarked, “It took Ken’s leg—it’s not getting your ring too.”
She laughed at him then, the complete seriousness of his expression amusing her.
“My knight in shining armor,” she stated with a thread of breathlessness.
Just then he grinned.
“I think I got it!”
She fell to the floor beside him and leaned close as he attempted to extract his arm. He drew it out, dripping wet, a band of gold gleaming in his fingertips.
“Oh, Jasper—I could kiss you!”
He looked at her with a wry expression. “What’s stopping you?”
Something in his eyes made her hesitate. What was that? If she didn’t know better, she’d think it was…but no, it couldn’t be.
Sadie looked away and at her watch.
“Oh! Dmitri and I better get going. The movie starts at seven!”
“Right.”
Sadie ignored the strange disappointment in his voice as she checked her reflection in the mirror one last time.
“I won’t be late. Kylie’s dinner is in the microwave—just heat it up. There’s some for you too. Have a good night!”
She rushed for the door and then paused, turning. “And Jasper?”
He looked up, and the little boy sadness in his eyes tugged at her heart.
“Thanks.”
He smiled. “No problem.”
Two and a half hours later, Sadie and Dmitri finished viewing To Have and Have Not , a film Dmitri had not experienced before tonight. He had been enraptured from the moment they walked in the door, his jaw dropping at the opulence of the Hershey Theatre lobby’s Italian lava rock floors, marble walls, and arches and bas-relief ceilings.
Sadie had felt a strange swell of pride—the theater was impressive, rivaling the best
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