Read Online Thursday's Child by Clare Revell - Free Book Online Page B

it.”
    Niamh gazed at him. “What’s my favorite perfume?”
    “Eighteen fourteen.”
    She shook her head. It didn’t sound right. “Oh.”
    “Why?”
    “Half thought you’d say something else.”
    He smiled. “Well, strictly speaking that’s your current favorite. It seems to change each year or so. Why? What were you expecting me to say?”
    “Blue Moon.” She caught her breath as his eyes glistened and looked down at her hands. “Did I say something wrong?”
    “No, no, you didn’t. You wore that the day we got married. You had the whole range of stuff from body lotion, and bath oil, to hand cream…”
    “That I do remember. It was all I ever wanted for Christmas and birthdays. I couldn’t justify spending that much money on myself.”
    “That doesn’t sound like you. You love shopping and buying yourself new stuff.” He paused, changing the subject. “It’s warm tonight, despite being October, so I figured we’d eat outside, if that’s all right. Mind the step.”
    “I got it.” She made her way outside and lowered herself onto the patio furniture. She hadn’t told him about the voice crying Mummy because that bit made no sense, even to her. She needed to think it through first.
    Niamh took the lap tray he offered and smiled. “Thank you.” As the sun began to set, casting a purple hue over the clouds, she looked down at the plate and her smile widened. “I haven’t had chicken chow mien in ages. Did you vanish down the take away?”
    Jared smiled, a faint blush touching his cheeks. “No. I have to admit I was tempted as you love the food from the local Chinese place, but this I made all by myself.”
    Surprise filled her. “Wow, that’s so clever. I wouldn’t even know where to start. Did you make the fortune cookies, too?” She pointed to the bowl of cookies on the table.
    “Ah, no. They came from this box.” He laughed and reaching down beside his chair, picked up and then jiggled a cardboard container. “But yes, the noodles and chicken chow mien are mine. This was the first thing I ever cooked for you.”
    Niamh took a bite, and her eyes widened in delight as she chewed and swallowed. “It’s delicious. Did I marry you for your cooking skills?”
    Jared laughed. “Quite possibly. We shared the cooking. You cooked when I worked, and I cooked on my days off.”
    Niamh ate, enjoying the food. Then she reached for a fortune cookie. “Do not sleep in a eucalyptus tree tonight ,” she read.
    Jared laughed. “Don’t think we have one of those even if I wanted to try.” He broke his. “ Indomitable in retreat; invincible in advance; insufferable in victory .”
    She grabbed a few more and kept two and tossed two to Jared. “ When you make your mark in the world, watch out for guys with erasers .”
    “ You will experience a strong urge to do good, but it will pass .”
    “ Love thy neighbor. Tune thy piano .”
    Jared looked up at the clouds as he read the last one. “ It is said that no one regards what is before his feet; we all gaze at the stars . Well, clouds in this case.” He pointed upwards. “That one looks like a dragon.”
    She followed his finger but couldn’t see which one he was pointing to. “Where? I don’t see it.”
    “There,” he said. “Second cloud to the right and straight on ’til morning.”
    “That’s stars, not clouds. Dragon, huh?”
    “Yeah, a big fire breathing dragon, that has chicken chow mien for dinner, and will have ice cream and fortune cookies for dessert.”
    She smiled, letting slide the fact he was implying she was a fire breathing dragon. “What kind of ice cream?”
    Jared grinned at her “Your favorite of course. Neapolitan, with chocolate sauce and sugar strand sprinkles. So, this here dragon. Do you see it now?”
    She looked at the cloud critically for a moment. “It needs a name. Call it Deraj. Unless it’s a female dragon.”
    He fixed his eyes on her, a gaunt look in them. “We’ll call it