Antonia's Choice Read Online Free PDF Page A

he is about that. Anyway, I hope it’s okay that I just let him watch TV after that. It was the only thing I could think of.”
    â€œYou did fine.” I perched on one of the stools at the granite countertop and pressed my fingers against my temples. “Why don’t you grab us each a Coke and we’ll talk. I want diet.”
    â€œIs there something wrong, Mrs. Wells?” Lindsay said.
    â€œJust stressed out over Ben.” I watched her take two tumblers out of the cherry cabinet and move smoothly to the fridge for ice. It occurred to me that she was much more at home in a kitchen than I had ever been. And she’d probably make a better mother.
    Lindsay set a Diet Coke, still spitting bubbles, in front of me and hiked herself up onto a stool.
    â€œHe’s probably just going through some ‘thing,’” she said. “My little brother did that.”
    â€œHow old was he?” I said.
    She looked sheepishly into her Coke. “Two.”
    â€œRight. And Ben’s five.”
    â€œGoing on six,” Lindsay put in. “He always corrects me.”
    â€œToo old to be throwing tantrums, anyway. But I’m taking some action—and it kind of affects you, Lin.”
    â€œI’ll do anything you want,” she said.
    â€œStop. You’re making this harder than it already is.” I tilted my head at her. “I’m changing my working hours. I won’t need you to come anymore.”
    â€œOh.” I think it was the first time I’d ever seen her approach anything close to sadness. But she recovered nicely and said, “Does that mean you get to be with Ben when he comes home?”
    â€œIt does.”
    â€œThen I’m happy.”
    I shook my head. “You are amazing. How do you manage to smile about absolutely everything?”
    â€œIt’s a God-thing.”
    â€œWell, I gotta get me some of that.” I reached out and put my hand over her very-tanned one. “I’m going to need a sitter some evenings. Can I call you?”
    â€œAny nights but Wednesday and Sunday. I’ve got church.”
    â€œExcellent. This starts tomorrow, but I’m going to pay you for the rest of this week and next week, too.”
    â€œNo! I couldn’t take that!”
    â€œYou have to. It’s business protocol. You get two weeks’ notice or two weeks’ pay. Don’t ever let anybody get away with less.”
    â€œI’m not comfortable with this.”
    I grinned as I pulled my wallet from my purse. “Learn to live with it, girl, ’cause life is going to get a lot less comfortable as you get older. Trust me.”
    â€œI’ll go say good-bye to Ben,” she said.
    As she headed for the family room, money in hand, I wandered down the short hallway between the powder room and the butler’s pantry and across the foyer into the study. Stephanie’s sheets were neatly folded at the end of the copper suede couch, which gave me a pang of sadness. She’d brightened up the ponderous feel of this dark red room with its overstuffed everything. In fact, she’d brightened up the whole house, and I missed her.
    I went to the desk, intent on deciding how to set it up forevening work, and noticed the flashing light on the answering machine.
    â€œI’m leaving, Mrs. Wells,” Lindsay said behind me.
    â€œDo you know who the messages are from?” I said.
    â€œI heard one of them when we first came in—I think it was your mother, only it didn’t sound totally like her. I didn’t hear what she was saying.”
    â€œOkay, I’ll check it later.” Much later. I gave Lindsay a hug, which she returned hard enough to crack a couple of my ribs.
    â€œI’ll miss you,” she said.
    â€œYou won’t have to miss me—I’ll be calling you. And you can drop by anytime. We’d both love to see you.”
    â€œI don’t know about Ben. He didn’t even