Read Online Take Me Home for Christmas by Brenda Novak - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Brenda Novak
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students bring guns to school?”
“A twelve-year-old showed up with a gun? ”
“The nephew of those trashy people in the river bottoms. Carl Inera and his clan.”
“Drugs have a lot to do with Carl’s situation.”
“Chief Stacy said the same thing.”
“So...what? Are you planning to retire even earlier than we talked about?”
“No. Nothing’s changed there.”
“Something’s different. You don’t normally call me while you’re at work.”
“Mrs. Vaughn over at the middle school wanted me to hit you up for a donation.”
“For what? You usually reserve my resources for your own school.”
“She’s aware of how much you’ve done here and hoped you might see your way clear to helping over there, too.”
“What do they need?”
“They’re raising funds for a new gymnasium.”
How could he say no? The school system had provided the job that’d enabled his mother to make a living and provide for him. And with the way schools were hurting these days, he helped out whenever he could.
“How much?” he asked.
“Could you do $10,000?”
“That’s not exactly pocket change, Mom.”
“Is it too much?”
He considered his bank account; he could afford it. “No, I’ll do it.”
“I’m proud of the man you’ve become, of your accomplishments. I hope you know that.”
He smiled. “What are you talking about? You don’t even like my books.”
“All that murder...it’s too graphic for me, but I can appreciate your talent.”
“I’m glad. Because I’m proud of you, too,” he said, and it was true.
“Have you seen Sophia since the funeral?”
He’d been heading to the window overlooking the same river that ran past Carl Inera’s shack some miles away. But at this, he froze. “No. Why would I?”
“Just checking.”
His mother was an attractive, strong, capable woman. Unfortunately, she was also highly opinionated and often stuck her nose in his business, which he didn’t appreciate. “You mean you’re worried that I might take up with her again now that she’s available.”
“I remember how much you loved her.”
“ Loved, past tense, being the key word. There isn’t much I even respect about her these days.”
“But let’s face it. You’re a sucker for a damsel in distress. And she’s attractive. I can’t deny that. Please don’t feel you have to swoop in and save her from her misdeeds, though.”
There was so much he wanted to respond to in what she’d said he hardly knew where to start. “You believe she’s to blame for what Skip did?”
“She’s the one who married him to begin with. I thought she was certifiable at the time. Just like her mother.”
Ted winced. “That’s kind of a low blow, don’t you think? She can’t help that her mother has mental problems. Even her mom can’t help that.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve never liked Sophia, and I’ve never made any secret of it.”
He scratched his neck. “Because you were afraid I’d marry her before completing my degree.”
“And because her values are all screwed up.”
“How do you know she hasn’t changed? Grown up?” God, he was sounding like some of his friends. Only his mother could push him to the other side of an argument that easily. He loved her, but they were too much alike—both of them opinionated, take-charge people.
“It’s obvious.”
“A lot of people choose the wrong marriage partner.”
Although he hadn’t meant to imply anything about her own decision to marry his father, the silence that followed indicated she’d taken it that way.
He opened his mouth to clarify, but she spoke before he could. “At least I didn’t marry for money,” she said. “And it’s how she went about getting engaged. Leading you on while she was seeing Skip on the side. She agreed to marry him before she broke things off with you. We were almost the last to know!”
“Sophia and I were young. I was away at school so we could only see each other on weekends, and with
“A twelve-year-old showed up with a gun? ”
“The nephew of those trashy people in the river bottoms. Carl Inera and his clan.”
“Drugs have a lot to do with Carl’s situation.”
“Chief Stacy said the same thing.”
“So...what? Are you planning to retire even earlier than we talked about?”
“No. Nothing’s changed there.”
“Something’s different. You don’t normally call me while you’re at work.”
“Mrs. Vaughn over at the middle school wanted me to hit you up for a donation.”
“For what? You usually reserve my resources for your own school.”
“She’s aware of how much you’ve done here and hoped you might see your way clear to helping over there, too.”
“What do they need?”
“They’re raising funds for a new gymnasium.”
How could he say no? The school system had provided the job that’d enabled his mother to make a living and provide for him. And with the way schools were hurting these days, he helped out whenever he could.
“How much?” he asked.
“Could you do $10,000?”
“That’s not exactly pocket change, Mom.”
“Is it too much?”
He considered his bank account; he could afford it. “No, I’ll do it.”
“I’m proud of the man you’ve become, of your accomplishments. I hope you know that.”
He smiled. “What are you talking about? You don’t even like my books.”
“All that murder...it’s too graphic for me, but I can appreciate your talent.”
“I’m glad. Because I’m proud of you, too,” he said, and it was true.
“Have you seen Sophia since the funeral?”
He’d been heading to the window overlooking the same river that ran past Carl Inera’s shack some miles away. But at this, he froze. “No. Why would I?”
“Just checking.”
His mother was an attractive, strong, capable woman. Unfortunately, she was also highly opinionated and often stuck her nose in his business, which he didn’t appreciate. “You mean you’re worried that I might take up with her again now that she’s available.”
“I remember how much you loved her.”
“ Loved, past tense, being the key word. There isn’t much I even respect about her these days.”
“But let’s face it. You’re a sucker for a damsel in distress. And she’s attractive. I can’t deny that. Please don’t feel you have to swoop in and save her from her misdeeds, though.”
There was so much he wanted to respond to in what she’d said he hardly knew where to start. “You believe she’s to blame for what Skip did?”
“She’s the one who married him to begin with. I thought she was certifiable at the time. Just like her mother.”
Ted winced. “That’s kind of a low blow, don’t you think? She can’t help that her mother has mental problems. Even her mom can’t help that.”
“I’m sorry, but I’ve never liked Sophia, and I’ve never made any secret of it.”
He scratched his neck. “Because you were afraid I’d marry her before completing my degree.”
“And because her values are all screwed up.”
“How do you know she hasn’t changed? Grown up?” God, he was sounding like some of his friends. Only his mother could push him to the other side of an argument that easily. He loved her, but they were too much alike—both of them opinionated, take-charge people.
“It’s obvious.”
“A lot of people choose the wrong marriage partner.”
Although he hadn’t meant to imply anything about her own decision to marry his father, the silence that followed indicated she’d taken it that way.
He opened his mouth to clarify, but she spoke before he could. “At least I didn’t marry for money,” she said. “And it’s how she went about getting engaged. Leading you on while she was seeing Skip on the side. She agreed to marry him before she broke things off with you. We were almost the last to know!”
“Sophia and I were young. I was away at school so we could only see each other on weekends, and with
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