determined not to get any closer to him than she already had. She caught herself at the most inappropriate times looking for him, wondering where he was in the big old house. Then he would appear right behind her, as though he had been conjured for her discomfort.
She had given him the wrong impression. She wasn’t like her mother and she never would be. She would never allow a man to use her for sex and then discard her like a piece of trash. She didn’t know why every time she got close to Brody, she behaved like a harlot. She let him take liberties she normally didn ’ t allow anyone else to take . I t all felt so natural , like he’d been there forever. But he wasn’t. And he wouldn’t be.
To avoid the pitfalls that must come with lust, Lou drowned herself in work and her daughter. She found paperwork to do and Girl Scout schedules to adjust. She helped with homework and fought about ponytails and pigtails.
The nightmares had started to subside, although they were still troublesome. After waking in a pool of sweat, B rody’s bedroom door squeak ed open. She would try not to move, hoping she hadn ’ t disturbed him. He would wait for a moment or two and then she would hear his bedroom door close again. Sometimes, she imagined she heard him blow in frustration.
She regretted disturbing him at all , but it seemed to be unavoidable. Her waking moments were filled with his presence. Was it so bad his sleep was filled with hers?
****
Brody woke on Sunday morning around nine, much later than normal. Lou’s clock usually woke him as it blared music from a popular rock station. It always screamed well before dawn.
His eyes opened slowly as he glanced around and noticed that daylight had flooded the room. He squinted and rubbed his eyes, slightly disoriented. He glanced at the clock and remembered it was Sunday. He donned some lounge pants and a printed T-shirt. He then slipped his bare feet into slippers and ran a hand through his curly blond hair, all of which was standing on end.
He padded softly down the stairs and entered the kitchen. The smell of coffee met his nose. He blindly poured a cup and turned around. There sat Lou, sitting casually at the kitchen table with the newspaper, one leg dangling on the floor and the other knee up by her nose with her arm wrapped around it. She looked just as tousled as he did in a robe and fuzzy bedroom slippers with Pooh Bear faces at the toes. She looked like she had just risen from bed, too, with hair that was askew and lines pressed across her face from her pillow.
“Where is everyone?” Brody mumbled.
“Church,” she replied, without looking up.
“Everybody?”
“Yep,” she continued to read her paper and eat her Lucky Charms from a bowl in front of her.
“Is that marshmallow cereal you have there?” he asked, appraising the contents of her bowl.
She slurped her milk loudly. “Yep,” she replied.
“Got any more?” he asked quietly.
“Maybe,” was her response.
“What would I have to do to get some?”
She held out a coffee cup in response. “Get me some coffee when you go and get a bowl.”
“That I can do,” he said casually, as he walked to the coffeepot . “Where’s the cereal?”
“Uh uh…coffee first,” she sang.
“You drive a hard bargain,” he grunted.
“Don’t ever forget it,” she mumbled.
Brody poured her coffee and held it out to her.
“Cream and sugar?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Damn, you’re tough on me . ” H e added both and held the cup out to her.
“Cereal is in the pantry, in the corner behind the mashed potatoes.” She pointed her finger at him. “And don’t tell anyone about my secret stash. I save it for Sundays when I’m usually alone.” Her tone let him know she did not like the interruption.
“Where’s Sarah?”
“Church,” she said around a mouth full of Lucky
She had given him the wrong impression. She wasn’t like her mother and she never would be. She would never allow a man to use her for sex and then discard her like a piece of trash. She didn’t know why every time she got close to Brody, she behaved like a harlot. She let him take liberties she normally didn ’ t allow anyone else to take . I t all felt so natural , like he’d been there forever. But he wasn’t. And he wouldn’t be.
To avoid the pitfalls that must come with lust, Lou drowned herself in work and her daughter. She found paperwork to do and Girl Scout schedules to adjust. She helped with homework and fought about ponytails and pigtails.
The nightmares had started to subside, although they were still troublesome. After waking in a pool of sweat, B rody’s bedroom door squeak ed open. She would try not to move, hoping she hadn ’ t disturbed him. He would wait for a moment or two and then she would hear his bedroom door close again. Sometimes, she imagined she heard him blow in frustration.
She regretted disturbing him at all , but it seemed to be unavoidable. Her waking moments were filled with his presence. Was it so bad his sleep was filled with hers?
****
Brody woke on Sunday morning around nine, much later than normal. Lou’s clock usually woke him as it blared music from a popular rock station. It always screamed well before dawn.
His eyes opened slowly as he glanced around and noticed that daylight had flooded the room. He squinted and rubbed his eyes, slightly disoriented. He glanced at the clock and remembered it was Sunday. He donned some lounge pants and a printed T-shirt. He then slipped his bare feet into slippers and ran a hand through his curly blond hair, all of which was standing on end.
He padded softly down the stairs and entered the kitchen. The smell of coffee met his nose. He blindly poured a cup and turned around. There sat Lou, sitting casually at the kitchen table with the newspaper, one leg dangling on the floor and the other knee up by her nose with her arm wrapped around it. She looked just as tousled as he did in a robe and fuzzy bedroom slippers with Pooh Bear faces at the toes. She looked like she had just risen from bed, too, with hair that was askew and lines pressed across her face from her pillow.
“Where is everyone?” Brody mumbled.
“Church,” she replied, without looking up.
“Everybody?”
“Yep,” she continued to read her paper and eat her Lucky Charms from a bowl in front of her.
“Is that marshmallow cereal you have there?” he asked, appraising the contents of her bowl.
She slurped her milk loudly. “Yep,” she replied.
“Got any more?” he asked quietly.
“Maybe,” was her response.
“What would I have to do to get some?”
She held out a coffee cup in response. “Get me some coffee when you go and get a bowl.”
“That I can do,” he said casually, as he walked to the coffeepot . “Where’s the cereal?”
“Uh uh…coffee first,” she sang.
“You drive a hard bargain,” he grunted.
“Don’t ever forget it,” she mumbled.
Brody poured her coffee and held it out to her.
“Cream and sugar?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Damn, you’re tough on me . ” H e added both and held the cup out to her.
“Cereal is in the pantry, in the corner behind the mashed potatoes.” She pointed her finger at him. “And don’t tell anyone about my secret stash. I save it for Sundays when I’m usually alone.” Her tone let him know she did not like the interruption.
“Where’s Sarah?”
“Church,” she said around a mouth full of Lucky
Similar Books
