Read Online Take Me Home by Nancy Herkness - Free Book Online Page B

neck, trying to erase the sense that she had failed yet another being she cared about.

C LAIRE’S MOOD LIFTED as Holly and the two little girls pulled clothes and shoes out of Claire’s closet with abandon, oohing over some and giggling over others.
    Holly had hesitated before accepting Claire’s impulsive invitation to help her pick out an outfit, but now she seemed to have gotten into the spirit of the occasion. Her sister had always loved fashion, so Claire thought a little clothing consultation might distract her from her health and marital problems.
    Even the usually quiet and studious Brianna had her small feet half-filling a pair of black pumps accented by purple patent leather heels. Claire draped a shimmering gold chiffon scarf around the little girl’s head and shoulders, and Brianna’s face lit up as she flapped her arms to turn the sheer, floating fabric into rippling wings.
    “Okay, we have to get serious, girls,” Holly announced. “Aunt Claire brought us here for a purpose. We are on a mission to choose the perfect outfit for her date.”
    Kayleigh slid a jeweled Lucite bangle onto her wrist, then looked at her mother with a puzzled expression. “I didn’t think grown-ups went on dates. Or is it just because you and Papa are married that you don’t?”
    Claire’s gaze flew to Holly’s face. A stricken look darkened her sister’s eyes, but she said, “No, it’s just that I haven’t felt well enough to do things at night since I got the Lyme disease. Papaand I used to go bowling on Saturday nights, but back then, you were in bed before we left home.”
    “Oh good, because I want to go on lots of dates,” the little girl said, turning the bracelet so it sparkled, “especially if I get to wear pretty stuff like this.”
    Claire let out the breath she’d been holding. Unfortunately, Kayleigh’s question had quenched all of Holly’s animation.
    “You know, it’s nice to be in West Virginia where you can wear pretty colors,” Claire said, steering everyone’s attention back to the clothing.
    Brianna looked at the garments strewn over the bed. “But your clothes are almost all black.”
    “That’s because in New York you’re required to wear black at least six days a week,” Claire said.
    “Really?” Kayleigh asked, wide-eyed.
    “No, she’s kidding,” Brianna said. “I can tell by the way the corners of her mouth sort of tilt up. They always do that when she’s joking.”
    “Wow!” Claire said. “I didn’t know. Thank you for warning me.”
    “I like it,” Brianna said. “It makes you look like an elf.”
    She felt absurdly pleased to seem otherworldly to a child. “Maybe I can grow points on my ears.”
    “Hey, back to your job!” Holly admonished them, her hands on her hips. “Now I’m going to work on Aunt Claire’s hairdo.”
    “What?” Claire protested as Holly tugged her toward the slipper chair in front of the taffeta-skirted dressing table.
    Claire had rented the former barn furnished, so the bedroom reflected the tastes of its owner—a retired poodle breeder—complete with a pale-pink canopied bed, rose-splashed wallpaper, and a dressing table with lighted mirrors fit for a Hollywood starlet. It was not appropriate for an ex-hayloft, but the little girls loved it.
    “I can do my own hair.”
    Holly picked up a brush and made a sweeping gesture with it. “Silence! I control the Brush of Doom.”
    It seemed only Claire detected the forced tone in her sister’s voice because Brianna and Kayleigh looked up from their task in surprise. “Mommy’s bossing Aunt Claire around,” Kayleigh stage-whispered.
    “Your mommy has always been very bossy,” Claire said, rolling her eyes to play into Holly’s act. “I feel sorry for you guys, having to put up with her all the time.”
    “You’re undermining my authority,” their mother said, shaking the brush at Claire. “They’ll never listen to me again.”
    The conversation deteriorated into a tickle