Read Online The Grand Finale by Janet Evanoich - Free Book Online Page A

cab. They looked all done in.” He took her hands and pulled her to her feet. “You look even doner. Let’s go home.”
    “I have to clean the ovens, the floor—”
    Jake pointed vehemently. “To the car, woman!”
    Berry was too tired to argue. She followed Jake to the car and sat beside him, remembering the way he’d said, Let’s go home, as if it really was her home, too. Wouldn’t that be nice, she thought, succumbing to the hypnotic drone of the engine. Imagine if that lovely Victorian house could actually be my home. It’s nice to see Mrs. Giovanni’s geraniums, but Jake’s house has trees and a real lawn. She closed her eyes and imagined what it would be like to be barefoot on that lawn. No responsibilities, no plan to follow…just bare toes and soft grass.
    When Berry opened her eyes she was in the garage.
    “Come on, sleepyhead,” Jake said. “We’re home.”
    Berry looked at him drowsily. There was that word again. When Jake Sawyer said home ,it took on spiritual proportions. Home was an ark: a refuge against flood, pestilence, and rude drivers; a haven for the harried; a cure for the sexually deprived.
    Berry followed Jake into the kitchen and wondered what it was that made this house so homey. It was empty of furniture. Voices echoed in rooms not yet softened by curtains or carpets. By all standards the old building should have felt inhospitable. But it didn’t—it felt like a home. Berry could practically smell butterscotch pudding cooling on the counter.
    Suddenly the ghosts of crushed dreams tugged at her heart. Dreams of towheaded children getting tucked into bed at night, dreams of a husband who nuzzled her neck in the kitchen and told her important things, like I took the car to get a new muffler today. She’d entered into marriage anticipating a family, fantasizing about a big old house that would be filled with noisy love and security taken for granted. What a dope she’d been to look for domestic bliss in a marriage to Allen. It had never really been a marriage at all. It had been a living arrangement. She’d expected so much, and she’d left with so little.
    She chewed on her lower lip. No, that wasn’t entirely honest. The dissolution of her marriage wasn’t a totally barren experience. She’d walked out on her emotionally shallow husband with renewed self-esteem and a hard-won sense of purpose. Somehow, an individual had emerged from the muddle of matrimony. She was proud of that.
    “Looks like some heavy thinking going on behind those pretty blue eyes,” Jake said.
    Berry struggled for something to say. “This house feels like it should be filled with children.”
    “I agree. It’s going to be perfect for a pack of kids and a couple floppy-eared dogs.”
    Berry stared at him in confusion. He didn’t have kids, and he didn’t have a dog. What was he telling her? Had he bought the house for someone else? An investment? Was he only living here temporarily? Lord, did he have a pregnant girlfriend in Spokane?
    Jake leaned against the counter. “I have a plan.”
    “What sort of plan?”
    “When was the last time you ate?”
    Berry blinked at the change in the conversation. “I don’t remember when I ate last.”
    “Did you have supper?”
    Berry’d had a candy bar for supper. She’d intended to have a sandwich, but somehow she’d never gotten to it. “What’s this got to do with your plan?”
    “Nothing. Everything.” Jake opened the refrigerator door. “There’s not much food in here.”
    “So, I’m not the only one who forgets to eat.”
    “I’ve been eating out. Mostly at my sister’s house. She’s only a few miles from here.” He put a half gallon of milk on the counter and found a box of raisin bran in the overhead cupboard. “I’ve only got breakfast food.” He located a spoon and poured her a bowl of cereal.
    Berry aimlessly pushed the raisins around with her spoon. “I’m not sure I have the energy to eat this.”
    Without saying a word,