My Sister's Keeper Read Online Free PDF

paper, and made a note to remind me to stop by Mom’s in the morning. As I propped it by the coffee pot, Ashleigh drifted toward me jamming her shirttail back into her jeans. Her eyes were downcast and her shoulders slumped. I lifted her raincoat off the cabinet knob and held it open for her. She slipped her arms into it, pulled the collar high, and buttoned it. She kept her eyes low and said nothing.
    I snared my windbreaker, pulled it on, and retrieved a flashlight from a drawer next to the back door. “Please don’t take this personally—”
    A clap of thunder rocked the house and the lights went out. Ashleigh screamed and threw her arms around me. The scent of her shampoo and the heat of her breath on my neck brought back long-forgotten feelings. I should have pushed her away. Instead, my arms folded around her and my lips brushed her forehead. “Shhh. It’s just thunder,” I whispered. For a long moment we held each other and, for that moment, she was all mine and I ached for more.
    As the lights flickered back on and the microwave beeped, she raised her face, closed her eyes, and puckered her lips. I hesitated, then as my lips touched hers, my heart stopped and I relived my entire life—falling in love all over again and making love a hundred times—before releasing her and turning away.
    “ I’m sorry,” she whispered.
    I cleared my throat, gripped the doorknob, and wiped a tear from my eye. “Don’t be. There are things in this world that frighten me too.” I drew a breath. “You ready?” She nodded and I opened the door holding it for her to step back out into the storm. I felt like a fool—like a failure. Coward!
    It was a short walk to her front porch. I held the light while she unlocked the door then followed her into the darkness panning the light about the room. The place smelled of perfume and potpourri and reminded me of a weekend cottage with a breakfast bar separating the living room and the kitchen. She took my arm and led me across the room saying, “The fuse box is over here.”
    Luckily the “fuse box” turned out to be a circuit breaker panel. I shined the light on the switches as Ashleigh stood closely behind peeking over my shoulder.
    “ See anything?” she whispered into my ear.
    The main breaker was off. Not tripped, but switched off. I flipped it on and the room filled with light and the hum of appliances. A second later, an ancient console television fizzled to life showing an old black and white Greta Garbo movie. Ashleigh leaned on the counter next to me and planted a hand on her hip. “Well, if I’d known it was that simple, I wouldn’t have bothered you.”
    “ Oh, it’s no bother,” I said scanning the rest of the switches.
    “ Can you stay a few minutes? I’d like to talk about the photos.”
    “ Well, I…” The rain pounding the roof caused me to hesitate.
    “ Please? I have some scotch,” she said. “Would you like a drink?”
    I closed the panel box and turned off the flashlight. “I—think I’d better go.”
    “ Couldn’t you at least have one drink so I could show you the pose I had in mind? Please?” Ashleigh lifted a tumbler she had waiting, opened the freezer door, and dropped a few ice cubes into it. “I promise I won’t keep you long.” She broke the seal on the bottle of scotch, screwed the cap off, and held it poised over the ice. “Please?” Her smile was soft. Her eyes had that sparkle children get when they’re excited and as she moved, the beads in her hair clinked against one another. She was much more relaxed here than she’d been in my house and I really didn’t have any reason to rush home.
    “ Well, okay. Just one.”
    She poured the liquor, placed the glass on a small square napkin, and handed it to me. “Just make yourself comfortable and let me get set up.”
    “ Thanks.” I sipped the whiskey and couldn’t help but smile as she scurried through the living room into the bedroom. There was a time when I, too, had