The Gingerbread Boy Read Online Free PDF

speechless.”
    “I have an older brother kind of like him,” she said.
    “Does he pick on you like that, too?”
    “At one time he did.”
    Daniel and Joey looked curiously at her.
    “Until I beat the snot out of him.”
    Joey laughed and backed away. “Watch out for her, Daniel, she’s a wild one!”
    Catherine’s jaw dropped slightly. She snickered to herself. Someone was actually calling her a wild one? Her brother, Tony, was the only one who’d ever considered her even remotely wild, and she hadn’t seen him in years. He could be dead for all she knew. She pushed that disturbing thought aside, as always, and dwelled on how most people now thought her too practical most of the time, too analytical. Wound up tighter than an eight-day clock, Tony once said. As prickly as a pinecone, but just as tough, he’d added. Yet with quirky, silly Joanne Prescott as one of her roommates now, Catherine felt she was changing. Thank goodness. And as much as she loved Hazel VanHoofstryver, she hoped never to become as crusty and distrustful of the world as her dear old friend back home.
    Catherine eventually noticed that both Joey and Daniel were staring over her head. She turned to see them looking out the closest window. Her eyes widened at an outdoors obliterated in white.
    “When did the snowstorm start?” she gasped.
    “Minutes ago,” said Joey. “I’d heard we were in for a blizzard, but it’s a surprise that it’s starting this early in the season.”
    “It’s a whiteout.” said Daniel.
    All three fell into silence. About the same time the wind began to shriek around the windows, rattling them so badly Catherine was afraid they’d break and send snow swirling throughout the lonely old ballroom.
    Finally Daniel turned to Joey. “I promised to get Catherine home safely, but the starter went out on Bruiser. I hoped to get a ride home from you, and maybe one for Catherine, too. She’s been walking forever.”
    “Walking!” said Joey. “No one should be walking around in that. Sure, I’ll give her a ride home.” He rolled his eyes. “I’ll probably eventually have to give half the drunks downstairs a ride too.”
    Daniel held his scarf out to Catherine. “Why don’t you wear this,” he said. “You’ll need some protection from this weather.”
    “But what about your cold, your sore throat?”
    “I still have my hat. I’ll be fine.”
    “If you’re sure,” Catherine agreed as Daniel stepped close to gently wrap the scarf around her head. She found herself staring numbly at his mouth as he bundled her up.
    “I’ve had this same scarf since my sister gave it to me when I was twelve years old,” he said quietly. It’s kind of ratty now, but it’ll keep your ears warm.”
    Catherine suddenly realized the night was almost over, and she didn’t want it to end.
    “We should take another stairway back down,” Joey said, jingling some keys in his pocket. “It’ll take us around all of the congestion down there.”
    Catherine was puzzled. “Why do you seem to have keys for everything around here?”
    As Joey started to walk off toward wherever the stairway lay, he looked back at her. “Didn’t Daniel tell you? I own this house.”
    Catherine looked at Daniel in surprise
    He wiggled his eyebrows. “I told you his rent was cheap,”
    “I reckon there are a lot of things you didn’t tell her.” Joey laughed, walking off so that his voice was muffled.
    But Catherine heard.
    ****
    Dear Hazel,
    I hope you are well. I’m fine… Beth is still driving me crazy at the house, as usual. If it weren’t for Joanne’s goofiness, I’d have a nervous breakdown. I’m glad I found at least one good friend out here. Just last week she dragged me out to a march at the capital. This one protested the cruelty of experiments on lab animals. If it boils down to senseless torture, I understand why Joanne feels so strongly, but someday I’m going to have to treat animal victims in my own practice, and just