Read Online Second Chances by Brenda Chapman - Free Book Online Page B

boring, but Kennedy was much cuter than Nixon. The president should be good to look at. That should be part of the screening process. Look at Canada. We have Pierre Trudeau running the country and he’s got women falling all over him.”
    So much for Elizabeth’s insight. Her hormones were more active than her brain.
    â€œHave you heard Carole King’s record?” I asked.
    Elizabeth’s eyes brightened. “I love it. ‘You’ve Got a Friend’ is my favourite song on the album.”
    â€œMine too.”
    At least we had something in common.
    I turned as Michelle walked from the store into the kitchen. She was wearing patched bell bottoms and a navy and white striped T-shirt. Her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail.
    â€œHi, guys,” she said. “Are you both coming to Kingston for the day?”
    â€œJust me,” said Elizabeth, jumping up and grabbing her jute purse from where it hung across the back of her chair. “See you later, Dar.”
    â€œI’m sorry you can’t come,” Michelle said to me. “It would have been fun.”
    â€œI’m sorry too.” You have no idea how sorry.
    â€œMaybe next time.”
    After they’d gone, I looked out the window for a bit and then stood up to dump the rest of my cereal into the garbage before I went upstairs to brush my teeth.

Chapter Five
    T he Brassards’ blue cottage with yellow shutters was on the opposite side of the lake, past Gideon’s place. I biked over just before lunch and found Madelaine waiting on the front steps with her friend, Susie Carmichael. They were heading to town to eat and didn’t want to waste any time getting there. The baby, Cheryl, had already been put down for her nap and there was nothing for me to do but read magazines and watch Take Thirty followed by the afternoon movie on the black-and-white television in the beach-musty living room that smelled of Pledge and cigarette smoke. The movie was one of those Roman warrior ones with the men running around in tunics and the women all gorgeous and getting rescued. It wasn’t a tough way to earn five dollars, but it was a boring one.
    I walked around the inside of the cottage several times and only just stopped myself from waking up Cheryl, who turned out to be the sleeper of all sleepers. I even checked a few times to make certain she was breathing, leaning over the crib and putting my ear close to her nose. She finally woke up about twenty minutes before her mom came through the door. I was just warming up a bottle of milk in a pan of water on the stove. It was a relief to take the money and leave. I didn’t want to become a mother anytime soon. The baby smell of dirty diapers, talcum powder, and milk made the air close and stifling and had given me a headache.
    It was still early, so I stopped at Gideon’s on my way past his house. I pedalled up his driveway, leaned my bike against the wall and wandered into the back yard. Gideon was sitting in front of the open window working on his typewriter. His grey hair was a swirl of fluff across the top of his head with thicker tufts around his ears. From where I stood in the grass, his face looked pasty and his cheeks droopy. Gideon must have sensed me there because he lifted his head and smiled in my direction, and suddenly he looked younger. He pulled the pipe out of his mouth and motioned for me to enter. Ruby met me at the door and nuzzled against my leg. I reached down and scratched behind her ears.
    â€œCome right in, Darlene. Ruby girl, give our guest some walking room! Would you like something to drink, Little Fin?”
    â€œI’ll just get a glass of water, if that’s okay.”
    â€œHelp yourself. I’m just putting the finishing touches on my column.”
    I let the water run for a while until it was cold and then filled two glasses. I set one next to Gideon’s typewriter and looked over his shoulder at the paper as