Autumn Leaves by Barbara Winkes Read Free Book Online Page B

some of the chocolate she’d shared with Maggie, and also the wine that Rebecca had brought on her very first visit.
    “Cal! It’s so good to see you!” A cheery Asha greeted her.
    “It’s eight in the morning,” Callie said, accusatory, by way of greeting.
    “Yeah, so? I left at five this morning, beautiful sunrise, almost no traffic. Are you going to let me in?”
    “I guess I’ll have to. I need those royalty checks.”
    Asha laughed. “As good a reason as any. I take it you don’t have breakfast ready? Want to go out?”
    “I need to shower. Wake up. Maybe later.” If she could just annoy Asha enough, she wouldn’t stay too long?
    “Okay. I’ll wait. You know what, Callie? You’re actually looking better than you have in a while.”
    “Thanks. I guess.”
    “I mean it. You’re taking long walks under the fall trees? That’s romantic.”
    Callie hadn’t left the house much except for some inevitable grocery shopping and church on Sundays, but she wasn’t going to share that.
    “If you say so.”
    “I’m just glad you’re doing better.” Asha leaned forward to kiss her, lingering when Callie didn’t pull away immediately.
    “That’s a bad idea,” Callie said.
    “If you say so...” Asha smiled.
    Casting her guest a dirty look, Callie left her standing in the kitchen as she headed for her bathroom.
    * * * *
    “Callie? Anybody home?” Rebecca stepped inside, clutching the pot to her chest with one hand, closing the door with the other. After canceling on Callie last minute and forcing the babysitter job on her, her friend truly deserved some homemade lunch, especially since she wouldn’t cook it for herself. That Rebecca’s rationalization. The truth was, after the latest crisis regarding Dina, Rebecca was looking forward to a small time-out. They hadn’t really had time to talk in some time.
    “Obviously not,” she murmured to herself, “so I’m just gonna...Whoa!” Rebecca nearly dropped the pot when she saw the woman sitting at Callie’s kitchen table who studied her with an amused smile.
    “Hello there. I was just dropping this off.”
    “Lunch?” The woman’s smile widened, and Rebecca instantly felt like the worst cliché of a hovering housewife.
    “Callie’s working hard on her deadline,” she said defensively.
    “I should hope so. I’m Asha. Her editor.”
    “Oh.” Rebecca now recognized her as one of the friends who had helped Callie move in, the one who had complained about the weight of wisdom.
    “Rebecca Lowman. I live across the street.”
    “Of course you do,” Asha said in a conspiring tone. Without getting up, she turned to the bedroom door and called, “Hey! Cal! It’s your hot MILF neighbor!”
    Rebecca was quite sure there was an insult somewhere in there, but she didn’t want to embarrass herself further by asking.
    Callie appeared from the bedroom, drying her hair with a fluffy white towel. “I see you met Asha,” she said with obvious disapproval. “She’s my editor. She also might still be my girlfriend if she didn’t have the vocabulary of a fifteen-year-old boy in public.”
    Asha laughed. “You never complained about my vocabulary before...”
    “I do now. I’m thinking we were done here?”
    Rebecca flinched slightly, wondering if she’d just gotten into the middle of an argument.
    “I guess we are,” Asha said after a long look to Rebecca. “Have fun girls. I’ll just come back whenever you have that writing sample ready for me.”
    “Speaking of which,” Rebecca said, trying not to stare after Asha sauntering out the door, “I brought your books too.”
    “Oh no,” Callie said when Rebecca laid the books onto the table. “I meant for you to keep them. I’ve got plenty.”
    “Okay. Good. Thanks.” Rebecca picked them up again, standing, indecisive for a moment.
    “I...I’m sorry to interrupt. You have business to do.”
    Callie shrugged. “She should know better than wanting to do business before 10:00