Read Online Territory - Prequel by Susan A. Bliler - Free Book Online

turning and thinking of Dell and for the following week, t he days passed at an agonizingly slow pace. 
    Chloe had taken all her vacation at once, knowing that her mother would need her for as long as Chloe could afford to be away from the office .  She truly didn’t mind missing work.  As an investigator for the state’s child support enforcement division her job was as monotonous as it was draining.  She’d accepted the position with great enthusiasm.  She’d had high hopes of doing work that mattered.  Unfortunately, her heart just wasn’t in the work but it paid well and offered sick leave and vacation.   Between both Chloe was able to take two-weeks off to spend with her mourning mother. 
    She and her mother had spent the first week entertaining the stream of visitors that stopped by with cards or flowers.  Donnie had been well known and even more well-liked.  The townsfolk, like the family, were still having great difficulty coming to terms with the fact that he was gone.
    When the second week came, Chloe preoccupied herself with cleaning her mother’s home, preparing meals, and helping her mother come to terms with the loss of her son . 
    She awoke one morning to find Bea fully dressed and sneaking out the door . S he confronted her mother .
    “Mom!  Where are you going?”
    “To work.”
    “Work?  I hardly think you’re ready.”
    Her mother turned a frown on her, “I hardly think you ’ r e qualified to offer up such an opinion.”
    Still in her pajama bottoms and a loose t-shirt, Chloe attempted to smooth down her disheveled hair.  “You took two weeks off . You still have a few days .  Why are you rushing this?”
    Bea reached around to lock the door from the inside , her car keys jangling in her palm.  “Because when you get to be my age you have to keep your mind pre-occupied.”  She took a step out the door.
    “Mom!”
    Bea halted, her shoulders sinking as she stared up at Chloe in resignation.  “ I’ve gotta keep moving baby.  If I stall out now, I’ll never get re-started.”
    Chloe recognized the vulnerable truth in her mother’s words.  She dropped down to sit on one of the carpeted stairs , her own shoulders slumping as the fight left her .  “You sure?”
    Bea smiled, “I’m sure.”  She eyed Chloe then, “Maybe just a few half days to start.”  She eyed her watch impatiently, “Call me around noon, we’ll have lunch.”
    Chloe stood to quickly descend the stairs and place a warm kiss on her mother’s cheek.  “Lunch.  Noon.  Got it.”
    Then her mother smiled and left for work leaving Chloe standing in the doorway wondering if she too shouldn’t cut short her leave and return to the office.
    Fuck that!  I’ve got vacation days and I’m g onna use ‘em.  
    Now that she didn’t have to make breakfast for her mother, and not hungry herself, she bounded back up the stairs to throw on her freshly washed running gear.
    Ten minutes later, she stepped into the woods.  She opted to keep her I-pod in her pocket this time.  Hoping that if she paid more attention, no wildlife would sneak up on her.
    She didn’t push a full on run, but settled on a stead y jog.  Thirty minutes in she’d broken a sweat and slowed to a walk. 
    She heard the crunch of pine needles behind her and turned to eye the forest.  Seeing nothing, but feeling slightly spooked she faced forward and resumed her jog. 
    Movement in the corner of her eye had her stopping.  Red fur?   She focused and saw the movement again, verifying that it was in fact red fur.  Fox.   Too small to be any real threat, Chloe ignored the fox and continued her jog, but after a few moments she noted that it was shadowing her.
    She wasn’t some fanatical animal rights activist, but she did believe in not disturbing an animal in its own habitat.  She veered left, hoping to leave the fox to its portion of the woods.  She jogged a few minutes and didn’t spot the animal.  Satisfied that she’d