Read Online Ripples (DROPLETS Trilogy Book 2) by Meaghan Rauscher - Free Book Online Page A

continued to eat the cold bread and cheese concoction. He looked older somehow, but in a way that was agreeable. His eyes crinkled more around the edges as though he was so used to smiling, it had left its permanent trace. His once dirty blonde hair was now streaked with highlights of gray that I hadn’t noticed before; somehow in the amount of time I was gone, he had changed. Or maybe it was that he was subtly changing while I was here but it wasn’t until I was gone that I could notice the difference upon my return.
         His familiar crystal blue eyes reached mine and he took another bite.  “You need to eat something,” he said around the food in his mouth and scratched his chin, the sound of sharp whiskers made me cringe. Many a time I had been the receiver of whisker burns from the pale stubble on that weathered chin, but the memories of those days were filled with laughter.
         I shook my head to discharge the thoughts. Making myself fall back into this life wasn’t going to work if I continued to sit around and mope. Sure, there would be days when I would struggle more than others, but I was going to do it because he sacrificed his life for me. If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t even have this chance to get back to my family.
         “You need to shave,” I said coming back to the present.
         “Nah,” he rubbed his chin again. “Rugged is the only way for me.” The side of my mouth lifted at his attempt at a joke. At least he was trying.
         “Do you have any plans for today?” I asked and took another sip of my coffee.
         “Nope, just paperwork,” he said and it was his turn to grimace. I knew there were days when he wished he was out on the open sea, setting lobster traps, instead of running the business side of things. Twice this week I had caught him sitting in his work office, at the back of the house, staring out the window with a desire that bordered on obsession. He wasn’t meant to be kept indoors for work, but for now that’s what the job demanded of him.
         “Besides,” he continued, “it looks like we might have a snow storm headed our way. His eyes searched over my head and I turned to look out the smeared glass to the cloudy skies once more.
         “That’s what I thought too,” I acknowledged and turned back around. I caught him looking at me but he averted his eyes quickly. It was the same thing that had happened numerous times since I had returned. Every now and again I would catch the twins, Dad, or Jillian looking at me in a weird way. Sometimes it made me feel as though they expected me to sprout fins immediately and flop around on the ground, which was easier than when I saw them look at me with pity. Curiosity I could take, but pity was something I held at bay.
         “Do you have anything planned for today?” Dad turned my own question back on me. I shook my head.
         “No, well, I don’t know,” I shrugged. “I hadn’t thought about it yet. I don’t work today, so there isn’t much else to do.” I thought about the book that rested on my bedside table in my bedroom but knew I wouldn’t pick it up today. For some reason I couldn’t sympathize with the characters and when I had last tried to read, there was a hint of a romance that made me slam the book shut with more force than necessary.
         Dad nodded and for the first time I realized my mannerisms mirrored his. So often I nodded my head or shook it in response to a question rather than speaking the words. For some reason the thought gave me a bit of warmth, as though I belonged here.
         “You know what?” I said suddenly the idea hitting me. Dad looked up from his coffee mug to meet my gaze. “I think I’ll go for a walk, you know, get some fresh air.”
         Dad nodded and a small smile tugged at my mouth. Leaving my mug on the table, I darted to the stairs and up into my room to change. With black workout leggings, running shoes