Mississippi Blues Read Online Free PDF Page B

came downstairs, she appeared normal–as normal as she could be anyway. Her hair was done in a French twist and she wore a flowery dress and sandals. “Mornin’, darlin’.”
    â€œGood morning, Mama.” Summer poured them each a cup of coffee and pulled out a chair. Her nerves played cat and mouse. “Please sit down. I need to talk to you.”
    Her blue eyes clouded. “No more talk of that … family.”
    â€œThis is about our family.” Summer waited until her mother was seated. Taking a deep breath, she tried to steady herself. “I have some bad news.” Mama’s eyes began to cloud and Summer blurted out the rest. “Jace escaped from prison yesterday.”
    For a moment, Mama didn’t react. Then her eyes brightened. “My boy is out of that horrible place?”
    Summer reached across the table and squeezed her hand. “Yes, but not legally. Apparently, he was on a bus transporting prisoners and it overturned. Two men escaped, Jace is one of them.”
    Mama gave a small cry and twisted her fingers together until they turned white. “Oh, my Lord. What’s going to happen to him?”
    Summer circled the table and folded her mother in her arms. Her body shook with uncontrollable tremors. “I don’t know, Mama. The police think he’s going to come home.”
    â€œI hope he does,” she sobbed. “I’d give anything to see him.”
    â€œMama, that isn’t likely to happen.” Summer patted Mama’s back until she calmed. After a few minutes her tears dried, but her body still shook. Summer reluctantly released her. “Are you going to be okay?”
    â€œYes.” She wiped her face with a corner of her apron. She looked around. “Oh, heavens. I have so much to do. Cleaning, cooking. Yes, cooking. I’ll make stuffed pork chops, my boy’s favorite. Oh, and an apple-cinnamon cake with vanilla ice cream. He loves that.”
    Summer’s heart lurched. She chose her words carefully. “Jace can’t stay here. You understand, right?”
    Mama’s lips tightened, making her scar stand out in stark relief against her pale face. “He can if no one knows.”
    Summer stood up. She’d have to make Mama understand later. “I have to go to work. I’ll call you as soon as I have a break. Love you.”
    â€œLove you, sugar.” Mama got up and began rummaging through a drawer. “Where’d I leave my recipe for orange-cranberry glaze?” Her mind was on her meal preparations and Summer let it go. If she pressed the issue, Mama might have another fit. Better to leave her halfway happy in her own world.
    Summer got ready to leave, still troubled. If Jace came back, he would probably wait for dark. She’d be home by then. A regular client had an appointment at ten and Summer couldn’t just not show up. During high school, she had taken enough courses at the vocational school to certify as a hairdresser. Luckily, she’d found a job at a salon. Doing hair wasn’t her dream job, but at least she could keep her mother at home.
    Living in Juliet was hard, but nowhere else would be any easier.
    â€¢ • •
    Summer’s old car sputtered to a stop in front of the Curl Up and Dye. As she turned it off, the beast backfired loud enough to send the robins in a nearby tree off in flight. One of these days, the Escort was just going to croak on the spot, forcing Summer to walk or peddle her old bike to work. She couldn’t afford a new vehicle right now. As she gathered her bag from the backseat, a shadow fell across her window. She looked up, startled. Galen Franks stood there smirking at her with his gap-tooth grin.
    â€œMornin’, Miss Summer.” He leaned over and she tried not to gag at his awful odor.
    â€œHello, Galen.”
    Already running late, she didn’t have time to chat today. He waited for her outside the shop nearly