Read Online The Keeper's Vow by B.F. Simone - Free Book Online Page A

sure whatever parenting book you got
that line out of says not to judge your daughter,” she
said.
    “Tell you what. Don’t have sex till I’m good
and dead and we won’t have to worry about any of that.” He kissed
the top of her head and laughed.
    “I might as well become a nun.”
    “That works.” He ran water over the noodles.
“You going to taste that sauce or what?”
    Katie looked at it cooking in the pot. If it
was anything like his lasagna she’d pass.
    “It’s not going to kill you,” he
laughed.
    “The eggs you made yesterday almost did,”
Katie said.
    “I put in too much onion. I was trying to
make an omelet. You have to give me some credit on
presentation.”
    “Sprinkling green things on top didn’t make
it taste any better,” Katie laughed for the first time.
    She helped him set the table and they sat
down for dinner. The spaghetti was better than she thought it would
be. It was too good. After going back for seconds, she
teased him until he admitted the sauce was from a jar.
    “I commend you on your jar selection, Sir,”
she laughed. They cleaned up like they did almost every night—he
washed, she dried, and put away. They watched a little TV until he
fell asleep. She’d laugh at the way his head dropped back jolting
him awake, until he threatened to make her watch Matlock and Jag
reruns.
    On the way to her room, she stopped in the
hallway at the picture of her mom. If she told her dad now, what
would he say? Would he tell her why he kept the truth from her in
the first place? Would he tell her a different story about her
mom?
    She had passed that picture a thousand
times; never once had she stopped and wondered anything more than
what her dad told her about the woman smiling back at her. She
could turn around and tell him about yesterday. All she had to do
was open her mouth and say it. But she couldn’t. Something about
Tristan stopping at the street corner made her hesitate. He knew
something, and she couldn’t be sure her dad would tell her what
that was.
     

 
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FIVE
     

     
    Katie woke up
early to get started on the yard. Anything to avoid a conversation
with her dad. She was knee deep in weeds when he came out to help.
Every time they were within twenty feet of each other, she’d find
something somewhere else to work on. The entire day passed with
only a few grunts here or there between them: “What do you want for
dinner?” he’d ask. “Eh, whatever,” she’d reply. “What do you wanna
watch?” he’d mumble. “Eh, I don’t care,” she’d yawn. It wasn’t that
hard or unusual for them to murmur that way. That’s how they
usually talked unless there was something specific to talk about.
The only unusual behavior that day was the way Katie froze anytime
he’d grumble out a question. When he said: “Hmph, it’s hot.” She’d
freeze as if his words had slapped her. Or when he said: “Hmph,
water?” She felt her own words drowning in her throat.
    He never noticed, or if he did he made sure
to pretend like he didn’t. They were both masters at avoiding
anything close to an awkward situation. It was good he didn’t feel
chatty or ask too many questions. All she thought about for two
days straight was Tristan. Him reading her mind . How did it
work? How far did he have to be before he didn’t hear her thoughts.
How long had he been hearing them? That last question she’d
spent hours on, wondering if he’d heard her most private thoughts.
It was a complete invasion.
    How the hell had this happened to her ?
     
    It was Monday.
    Katie was out of bed, dressed and eating her
cereal an hour before it was time to go. It was Monday. This never
happened on any day of the week let alone a Monday. It was still
dark when she got out of the shower. The fact that she had time to
take a shower and dry her hair was a phenomenon.
    She couldn’t stop wondering what would
happen at 7:25 when it was time to leave. Would they all walk to
school