The Way to Yesterday Read Online Free PDF

the hallway and looked back. Daniel was standing in the
shadows with his arms around his wife, holding on to her as if his life
depended upon it-and she was holding him back-her head buried on his chest. her
hands fisted in the fabric of his jacket. Quickly, she turned away. unwilling
to admit that the fresh set of teas ir her eves were
because of them. and not the loss of her home.
    'Come on. Phyllis.- Mike said. ''You shower first."
    She took a deep breath and lifted her chin as she walked into the room.
quietly closing the door be hind her.
    Daniel gave Mary a swift kiss and then followed her into the kitchen. It was
warm and comforting and smelled of chocolate and cinnamon. He took one look at
the table set for four and hugged her again.
    'You are a saint," he said quietly.
    'No, Daniel. Just a woman fighting for a place in your world."
    'You are my world, Mary Faith. You and Hope matter more to me than anyone or
anything else."
    She pulled back and looked at him then, her shy smile almost childlike.
    'I know that... at least ...I know that now. I'm sorry I doubted you."
    'Forgiven," he muttered, and slanted a hard kiss across her mouth
before he turned her loose. "Is there anything I can do to help?"
    'I couldn't find the marshmallows for the hot chocolate. Do you know where
they are?"
    'Nope, but I can look."
    'Thanks," she said, then fluttered nervously toward the cabinet.
"I just want this to be nice for them."
    He frowned. "I don't know that they actually deserve this, but I
appreciate it, just the same." She turned, her hands clutched against her
middle. "Daniel, please. Don't say anything to them about... well, you
know. They've suffered a traumatic loss. Let bygones be bygones, all
right?"
    "Fine, but I'd better not hear one critical remark out of my mother's
mouth or they'll be looking for that motel after all."
    She smiled. "Thank you."
    'Don't thank me yet," he muttered.
    'The marshmallows, please?"
    'Oh. Yeah. Right."
    About a half hour later, Mike and Phyllis emerged from the bedroom, freshly
showered and shampooed and wearing clean clothes. Daniel was waiting in the living
room, watching Mary sleeping on the sofa. When he heard the door open, he
arose, then pulled the afghan a little higher over her shoulder before he went
to meet them.
    'Where's Mary?" Mike asked.
    Daniel pointed toward the sofa. "Asleep. She doesn't get much rest
these days and Hope's already had her up once tonight. I thought it best to let
her sleep."
    Phyllis peered over the sofa and stared at the thin, pale face of the woman
who'd married her son. Even from here, she could see dark circles of fatigue
beneath her eyes and felt a quick spurt of remorse. She remembered how hard it
had been to be a mother for the first time and how exhausted she'd been.
Fortunately, she'd had her mother and older sister nearby who'd been of
tremendous help and support. She looked at Mary again. Mary had no one. As
Daniel and Mike moved into the kitchen, she turned away and followed them, well
aware that she had Mary to thank for her present safety and comfort.
    'What's all this?" Phyllis asked, as she entered the kitchen.
    Daniel took the pot of hot chocolate from the stove where Mary had been
keeping it warm and began to pour it into their mugs.
    'Cinnamon coffee cake, freshly warmed in the oven, and hot chocolate,"
he said, as the warm, sweet scent filled the room. "Mom, will you cut the
cake?"
    Reluctantly, Phyllis picked up the knife and thrust it through the cake. It
parted tenderly beneath the blade in perfect slices.
    'It looks wonderful," Mike said.
    Daniel beamed. "It tastes even better. Mary's a really good cook."
    Phyllis served up the slices, then sat down in her chair. The horror of what
they'd just endured had been lessened by the warmth and comfort of this home.
Up until she'd walked into the kitchen, she hadn't been able to get the smell
of burning wood and smoke from her nostrils. Now all she could smell was hot
chocolate and cinnamon. She