Read Online Unforgivable by Tina Wainscott - Free Book Online

Katie’s hair. “Have you ever done anything to it? Like highlighted it or cut it? You’re starting to get the grays.”
    “Just a few.” Katie glanced at her distorted reflection on the paper towel dispenser. She’d worn her hair straight and just past her shoulders since she was a teenager. “Ben likes it this way.”
    “And what about you?”
    She shrugged. “If I had my way, I’d cut it short. Especially for the summer.” Even in the distorted image, she could see the wine stain on her neck. “Maybe to my shoulders. Ben would kill me if I dyed it.”
    “Even to cover the grays?”
    “Yep. He likes it just the way it is.”
    Bertrice rolled her eyes. “I like Ben and all, but I don’t understand why you can’t do what you want with your hair. He’d get used to it.”
    “I’ll think about it.” And that’s all she’d do. She didn’t even want to start the discussion with Ben.
    “And what about your clothes? I know you wear this boring outfit for the hospital, but what about after work?”
    Despite the gentle badgering, Katie was enjoying the conversation. She’d never had a girlfriend before. “I don’t do much after work. Sometimes I pick out something at the K-Mart when Ben and I go out of town. And he orders me things from catalogs.” She pretended to love everything, the same way she’d pretended to love her one Christmas gift from the Emersons every year. Like the bra or the box of tampons.
    “Cool stuff?” Bertrice looked skeptical already.
    Now it was Katie’s turn to see if Ben was in the vicinity. “Boring stuff,” she whispered. “I don’t go anywhere, so it doesn’t matter.”
    Bertrice eyed Katie’s waist. “You wear what, a seven?” 
    “Or eight. But I’ve got a flat butt.”
    “No, you don’t.” She glanced at her own behind. “At least you don’t have a fat butt, like me. Anyway, I’ve got some stuff you can have. It’s a little out of style, but, like, what does it matter? Step out of middle-aged-lady stuff and start dressing your age.”
    “Yes, ma’am,” Katie said with a smile. The prospect of getting something stylish, even teenage stylish, made her giddy. “I wish I’d had someone like you for a friend when I was your age.”
    “But you had sisters, didn’t you?”
    “Not really. I was the intruder. They were nice, but I didn’t really belong. Don’t get me wrong; I was lucky to have them, to have a home.”
    “I know what you mean. Sometimes I hate my mom, but then I think what I’d do if she weren’t around.” She gave Katie a sympathetic look. “Hey, we should go shopping sometime.”
    “Uh oh,” Ben said, walking around the corner. “Sounds like a conspiracy we can’t afford.”
    Bertrice rolled her eyes. “You must make a fortune here, with all your customers.”
    “Not when he gives his services away half the time.” Katie never wanted to begrudge Ben his generous nature.
    “What else can I do? Turn away a sick or injured animal? It can’t be helped.”
    “You’ve got a good heart, Dr. Ferguson.” Bertrice’s smile was genuine.
    “Katie, the town council is having a meeting tonight, trying to come up with strategies about the land.” 
    That’s what everyone called the acreage the town had been trying to buy for two years: simply, ‘ the land.’  Now that the historical district had been fixed up, even with a board depicting where the old jail and courthouse used to be, the town was vying for more business. Without a historical claim to fame, it was tough to woo people to move to Flatlands. A lot of folks were moving closer to Gray or Macon.
    “Celine Inc. still won’t return our calls,” Ben continued. “I think we’re going to send someone up to find their offices. We’re tired of playing games with them. Anyway, we can grab a bite at Pie in the Sky and then you can head on home. I’ll catch a ride from Tate or Harold.”
    Katie nodded. She already knew asking him if she could sit in on the meeting would