Tomorrow's Lies (Promises #1) Read Online Free PDF

background before I left group. Mrs. Lowry has only one daughter. No sons and no husband. Thank God for small favors. Anyway, she owns what used to be a dairy farm. The cows are long gone, but she still runs a business—a successful crafting enterprise. Well-known regionally and growing rapidly, Mrs. Lowry calls herself “Crafty Lo.” And, oh, how she is loved and adored in these parts. She’s the ex-school teacher, who reinvented her life when her husband died ten years ago and she inherited the family farm.
    Mrs. Lowry’s twenty-one-year-old daughter, Allison, lives with her. She supposedly helps out with the family business. Although I heard rumors in group that it’s the homeless children Mrs. Lowry fosters who do all the work. Crafty Lo has a reputation for being this great benefactor of unwanted children, but the behind-the-scenes word is she works you hard for what little you receive.
    Oh well, I’d rather work my ass off making useless crafts than be forced to do things no teenage girl should ever have to do.
    When we reach the high gates, the rain comes to a sudden stop. I glance around. In addition to the fortress-like entrance, there is tall wire fencing sprouting from the heavy brush to my left and to my right. Though I can’t see the top, it looks as though the fence wraps around the full front of the property.
    Huh . Is Mrs. Lowry really just trying to keep bad elements out? I don’t know, but it sure looks to me like she’s trying to keep something in . Like maybe the kids who live up here?
    Carefully, I ask, “So, you mentioned four other foster kids. Do you know their names?”
    The gates open slowly, like a yawning mouth, as Saundra says, “I’m not sure of their names, but I know there’s a set of twins, a cute little boy and girl.”
    “Oh, how cool. How old are they?”
    “Eight.”
    We drive on, the heavy gates closing behind us, locking us in.
    “What about the other two kids?”
    “Well,” Saundra says, “the other two fosters are not exactly kids. Both are seventeen”—she smiles over at me—“like you.”
    “Two girls?” I ask, hopeful.
    “No. One guy and a girl.”
    Great , we’ll see how well this goes . I hope the guy keeps his distance.
    We proceed down a long driveway and eventually come to a stop in front of a spacious, red-brick colonial. The house looks a little too picture-perfect to me. The flagstone walkway leading to the porch is lined with tulips and daffodils, all in full bloom and evenly spaced. To the left of the walkway stands a large maple tree, the tips of its limbs covered in soft shades of pink. Pretty and welcoming, yes, but usually when something appears too good to be true, it is.
    I scan around to uncover the “real” feel of this place. When my gaze lands on a large pole barn, constructed of steel, located across from the house and down a slight incline, I suspect I’ve found it.
    “That’s the craft workshop,” Saundra says as she dips her head to follow my gaze. “Mrs. Lowry erected the barn not all that long ago in order to provide a nice, clean work environment. All her crafts are made in there.”
    I might as well find out now if all the rumors I heard at group were true. “So, Mrs. Lowry and her daughter make all the crafts in that barn?” I say, baiting Saundra.
    “Um…” She peers down at her hands, which are still grasping the steering wheel, even though we’re parked. “They do, but the kids help out a lot.”
    “Wait, she has, like, no actual employees?” This could be worse than I thought.
    Saundra shakes her head. “No.”
    I stare at the barn. It doesn’t look like a sweatshop, but I’m suspicious.
    “That’s enough shop talk,” Saundra says brightly as she pops open the driver’s door. “Let’s go introduce you to Mrs. Lowry. She’ll get you settled in and you can ask her more about the business then.”
    “Whatever,” I murmur.
    I make no effort to exit the car. Instead, I twist in my seat to peer out at