The Truth About Mallory Bain Read Online Free PDF Page B

jumped out of bed enthused that my own life was already falling neatly into a good place.
    I dashed downstairs without taking time to dress. Caleb and Mom were leaning over hundreds of jigsaw pieces spread over the dining room table.
    â€œYou let me sleep in.”
    Mom patted my back. “Noon is sleeping in.”
    â€œDana invited me to coffee. Are you up to an afternoon with this guy?” I gave Caleb a hug.
    â€œYou bet. We’ve been having fun all morning.”
    â€œThanks for watching him. I’m glad you’re having a nice day.”
    â€œIt’s good.”
    â€œYou slept with me last night,” I said to Caleb.
    He paused a moment. “I missed you.”
    â€œMommy instead of dinosaurs.”
    He grinned sheepishly.
    â€œI’m glad you found Monster. He’s a good friend.”
    Caleb giggled. His laughter reaffirmed my decision to move home. I ran my fingers through my tangled hair and plopped down on the chair beside him.
    Mom wagged her finger at me. “I’ll have you know we ate a healthy breakfast before heading over to the park. We kicked around the soccer ball and then ate popsicles on the veranda. Nowwe’re piecing this thing together, if we can—he insisted on the five-hundred-piece puzzle because apparently he likes dogs besides dinosaurs.”
    â€œHe must have woken up early.”
    â€œHe trotted into my room at five fifteen saying his tummy was growling.”
    â€œYou’ve put in a full day.”
    â€œGrandma’s making tacos and I’m helping.” Caleb squirmed in his chair to sit on his heels. “No mushrooms in tacos, Mom.”
    â€œHe’s concerned about mushrooms these days, just this past weekend, as a matter of fact,” I explained. “He thinks mushrooms are poison like toadstools.”
    Caleb stared at me as if he wanted to add a thought.
    â€œI’ll teach you the difference,” said Mom. “I have a few books in the study from my teaching days.” She paused while she placed a few pieces into the puzzle. “You might find fungi pictures fascinating.”
    â€œFun what?” He giggled again and I giggled with him.
    â€œFun-gi. Mushrooms, toadstools. The ones you can eat and the ones you better not touch. I used to teach biology.”
    â€œToday is Wednesday. Wait. Thursday already,” I realized. “Labor Day on Monday confused me. All I did was pack.”
    â€œWhat time are you meeting Dana?”
    It’s almost ten now. After lunch, I guess. I also need to find a job.”
    â€œOh, let the people’s dirty teeth wait, babygirl.”
    Mom pushed back her headband as she reached across the table to connect a red-and-blue piece into the puzzle edge. She and Caleb howled with laughter, smacked a high-five at her finding the missing piece.
    â€œThere is no hurry to find a job,” she added. “Take the rest of the week as vacation. Relax. There’s plenty of time to find a dentist needing your help.”
    â€œI need the dentist more than the dentist needs me. Paychecks are good.”
    She had insisted on paying the private school’s tuition for Caleb. We paid no rent. Accepting more of her generosity was out. I’d pay our way. In time, we would move into a place of our own, unless of course she needed us to stay on and help with the house.
    A distinct
“Ahem”
came from a few feet away. My stomach flipped. My aunt Judith, dressed in mousy gray slacks, a patterned gray blouse, and gray vest stood in the kitchen doorway. She stared at me over the mug she cupped between her hands.
    I stiffened in my chair, expecting lightning darts to shoot out of her eyes. I scrunched my shoulders and pinched the collar edges of my pajama top closer together.
    â€œMom forgot to mention you’d be here.” I sent Mom a frown. “I would have dressed.”
    She snorted. “I shouldn’t matter. Apparently lounging around all