The Living Room Read Online Free PDF Page B

elementary school and told Amy all about it.
    Upon returning home to Cross Plains, the war hero went into business and became a multimillionaire who went through almost as many wives as he had millions. Mr. Phillips was Mr. Dominick’s lawyer, and Amy had met the tall, white-haired man with the colorful personality on several occasions. Even though he was very charming and garrulous, there was always an underlying pathos that touched Amy enough that she started praying for him. She finished the article and placed the paper on an empty chair. Sonny Dominick’s medals and millions wouldn’t be relevant wherever he was today.
    While she watched people come into the shop and order drinks, Amy thought again about a visit she’d made the previous night to the living room. It had been a time of needed encouragement after the stress related to Jeff’s job and the family finances. Nothing came out of the dream about another book; however, the experience ended with an unusual twist. As Amy felt herself being pulled away from the room, a quick series of images raced past her eyes. It happened so fast that she couldn’t remember the pictures, and that left Amy puzzled. As she took a drink of coffee, she tried to revisit the scene and slow down the slide show, but it remained a blur. Amy lowered her cup as her petite friend with short black hair and sparkling dark eyes came into the store and rushed over to the table.
    “Sorry I’m late,” Natalie said in her Midwestern accent. “I’m driving car pool this week and had to wait on Braxton Green. It’s a good thing being tardy won’t get you kicked out of kindergarten.”
    “That’s okay. I’ve enjoyed relaxing and watching the people. I’ve been busy this morning, too. I mopped the kitchen floor after Megan and Ian left for the bus stop.”
    “Already? I’m impressed.”
    Natalie slipped off her coat and draped it over a chair. She had two sons. Ben was a second grader at Broad Street Christian School, and Noah was in kindergarten. There was no bus service to the private school.
    “I went through the same thing when Ian and Dallas were in kindergarten together at Broad Street,” Amy said. “Being on time is tough for Kim and her kids.”
    “Yeah, but Braxton is the cutest little guy. Every time I hear that lisp in his voice, it makes me want to give him a hug and pinch his cheeks.”
    “Is Kim still putting product on his hair?”
    “Oh yeah. It was spiked up a couple of inches when he got in the car. Noah wanted to touch it, but I wouldn’t let him unbuckle his seat belt.”
    Natalie went to the counter to order. Amy drank either a cappuccino or a morning blend of regular coffee if she needed an unflavored jolt of caffeine, but Natalie experimented with different drinks. In a couple of minutes she returned with a clear glass mug filled with light brown liquid topped with foam and unidentifiable sprinkles.
    “What is it today?” Amy asked.
    “Cinnamon dolce latte.”
    “A coffee candy bar.”
    Natalie took a sip. “Yep. No afternoon chocolate for me.”
    Amy and Natalie were sitting at a table for two in the back corner. They sipped their drinks and watched an older couple enter. The man was wearing a black beret and had a thin mustache. The woman’s gray hair was covered with a colorful scarf.
    “You should put that couple in your next novel,” Natalie said in a low voice. “I’m sure they have a story to tell. I mean, how did a man who wears a beret and sports a French mustache end up in a town in eastern North Carolina? And his wife looks like she has a lot of flair.”
    “She sure does.” Amy stared at the couple for a moment. “Natalie, how do you know they’re married? They could be reuniting forty years after first falling in love. They met years ago at a French coffee shop a lot like this place. He was working in Marseilles, and she was an American college student traveling across Europe with a friend. They both ordered a latte and an apricot