Read Online One Night in the Ice Storm by Noelle Adams - Free Book Online Page B

throat.
    “I’m
sure,” she managed to say. “I’m sure I’ll see you around. I hope you have a
great Christmas.”
    He
didn’t answer, but she told herself her duty was done. She picked up the pile
of sheets and blanket and carried it into the laundry room off the kitchen.
    She
had to get away from him. Now.
    She
was at the washer when she heard him enter the kitchen. “Have a merry Christmas
too,” he called, his voice slightly muffled since he was walking as he spoke.
“Take care.”
    He
left then, but she waited until he got to his truck and then disappeared down
the county road before she collapsed on the couch.
    She
jumped up like she’d been stung as she remembered what they’d done on the couch
the night before.
    Instead,
she sat down on one of the wing chairs and cried.
    ***
    Fifteen minutes later,
her phone rang. It was on the coffee table, so she had to get up to reach it.
    She
checked the caller ID and saw it was her brother.
    She
cleared her throat before she answered. “Hey, Brad.”
    “What
the hell did you do?” he demanded, without greeting or warning.
    “What?”
    “What
the hell did you do to David?”
    “What
are you talking about?” She’d thought she was done crying for the moment, but
her mind still wasn’t working clearly. She blinked in bewilderment at the
absolutely irrational question and his angry tone.
    “What
the hell happened with David last night? I just talked to him.”
    Her
heart had been pounding, and now it seemed to lodge in her throat. “What did he
tell you?”
    “He
didn’t tell me anything. Not a single thing. Just that he’d already left the
house.”
    “Then
why are you asking—”
    “Something
happened. You did something to him. He sounded…he sounded broken.”
    Familiar
impatience with her brother’s unreasonable behavior clashed with utter
confusion. “I didn’t do anything to him, and I don’t appreciate your—”
    “I
don’t give a damn what you appreciate. How could you do this to him? Is it some
sort of payback? Use him and toss him away? I didn’t think you’d be so
heartless.”
    She
almost choked. Nothing her brother said made any sense at all. “Heartless? Me ?
You’re saying—”
    “I’m
saying that David doesn’t deserve this. I don’t care what you believe about
him. He’s the best guy in the world. And I’ve had to watch him brood over you
for years. For years . He’s never been able to get over you.”
    She
heard the words and thought she understood their meaning. But they didn’t hold
together with any basic coherency. She fell back onto the couch, since her
knees weren’t holding her up.
    She
tried to respond, “I don’t understand—”
    Brad
didn’t let her finish the sentence. “It’s painful,” he continued, sounding as
outraged and angry as she’d ever heard him. “It’s just plain painful, to watch
him hang on any random detail someone mentions about you. To see him steer
conversations so he can find out how you’re doing. It’s painful , knowing
you won’t even give him the time of day.”
    She
made a choking sound.
    “And
now you’ve gone and slept with him or something, and he’s never going to be
able to get over it. He doesn’t deserve this. I can’t believe you’ve gone and—”
    “Stop
it!” she broke in, half-sobbing and half-screaming at him. “ Stop it !
None of this makes any sense. I didn’t do anything to him—now or back then. He
dumped me. I loved him, and he dumped me .”
    Her
nearly hysterical response seemed to pop the momentum of Brad’s tirade like a
pin to a balloon. He let out a loud whoosh of breath.
    “He
didn’t,” Brad said, sounding more exhausted than angry now. “Not really. You
just never knew what happened.”

Six
     
    Rachel opened her mouth
to respond, but no words came out.
    After
a long stretch of silence, Brad asked, “You still there, Rach?”
    She
shook with emotion and confusion, and it was evident in her voice. “Tell me
what the fuck