Bitter Crossing (A Peyton Cote Novel) Read Online Free PDF Page A

business in Garrett, which she still believed.
    Now seven-year-old Tommy was the focus of her life. She’d been shot at only once—in El Paso, six months ago—and had put in for her transfer the next morning. Eight weeks later, she’d arrived home. She’d come back for Tommy—yes, he needed a mother; but he also needed a father. So, had her divorce been a two-way street?
    Aren’t they all?
    “I don’t know what I’m saying,” she said. “But don’t worry about me. I can fend for myself. Something’s bothering you, Ellie.”
    “You’ve always been the strong one.”
    “What’s that mean?”
    “Just that you’ve always been true to yourself. I respect that because I never have been.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    Elise dug through her purse, found Kleenex, and blew her nose.
    “You’re crying.”
    “Must be hormones.” Her younger sister forced a smile.
    “Are you pregnant?”
    “No, and you sound like my husband when you ask that. But, no, not pregnant. Jonathan suggested we adopt, but Max is all I can handle, especially right now.”
    “What do you mean? What’s happening ‘right now’?”
    Elise looked down at the tabletop and shook her head.
    Peyton knew couples who had babies in an effort to save a sputtering marriage. Jonathan had suggested adoption. How bad were things between he and Elise?
    “The good news is that we’ve hired a heavy hitter, a lawyer from Boston.”
    “To appeal Jonathan’s firing last year?”
    “He wasn’t fired , Peyton. His contract wasn’t renewed. They couldn’t fire Jonathan. He’s an excellent teacher, and he can teach Spanish to go with history. He’s so versatile. He brought culture to that school. That’s why we’ve done so much traveling—a year in San Francisco, a year in Mexico, then last year in Boston—for the experiences. That’s what he keeps saying.”
    “And what do you say?”
    “What do you mean?”
    “I thought you didn’t like constantly moving.”
    “Well, sometimes it can’t be helped.” Elise looked at Max. “And you do things for your family.”
    “Like moving every twelve months?”
    “Just let it go, okay? I know you’ve never liked Jonathan, but he’s joining us for breakfast.”
    “I like him just fine.”
    “Seriously, Peyton. You can’t get over his mistake. It was just a wrong-place, wrong-time thing.”
    “Let’s not do this again, Elise. He had three hundred grams of oxycodone and was walking five hundred yards from a high school. That’s two felonies for the price of one. Not personal. Factual. And I look out for my sister.”
    “He wasn’t dealing. He’d never do that. And he’s paid dearly. He’s teaching high school with a Ph.D.”
    “He finished his Ph.D.?”
    “Well, he still needs to write his dissertation.”
    “So he shouldn’t go around telling people he has a Ph.D. That’s not quite accurate.”
    “He’s done all his course work, Peyton.”
    “And I’m sure he’s still trying to get you to support him while he writes his book.”
    Elise sighed. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”
    “No, no,” Peyton said. “I’ll be polite. But a lot of people finish their doctorates while holding full-time jobs.”
    “Let’s just get through this breakfast,” Elise said. “Don’t mention the dissertation or Boston. Those things make him edgy. And Morris Picard is observing his class later today.”
    Peyton nodded. Jonathan Hurley was still telling Elise what to do. Apparently he now listed conversations that were off limits. In the short time the sisters had been home together, Peyton hadn’t spent enough time with Jonathan to notice that yet. In fact, she’d spent no time with them as a couple. Elise had been married for more than seven years. That seemed a long time to Peyton—because she imagined years spent with Jonathan must be like dog years (each one feeling like seven)? Or because her own marriage failed after only six?
    Outside, vehicles moved past the diner leisurely.