Can't Let You Go by Jenny B Jones Read Free Book Online Page B

where James now sat. “Is my dad helping you?”
    “Helping?” Loretta huffed. “Honey, Thrifty Co. doesn’t just want my restaurant. The want almost the whole block.”
    Maxine stood to her feet. “I want eggs, and I want them now!”
    But I ignored the outburst.
    As the cold blood drained from my body, and I stood eye to eye with my grandmother.
    “Is there something you’d like to tell me?”
    She eyed my print blouse. “You really shouldn’t wear orange. Clashes with your hair.”
    “How. . .” I breathed maple-scented air through my nostrils. “How could you keep this from me?”
    “Now, Sweet Pea, we didn’t want to upset you.”
    “When were you going to tell me?”
    “When your head healed. Or if it didn’t, when we got you settled in the institution.”
    “Did you know about this?” I asked Charlie again.
    His face tensed in sympathy. “I’m sorry, Katie.”
    “Exactly what properties does Jiffy Co. want, Maxine?”
    She wrung her hands, the gold bangles on her wrist clanging like a gypsy. “It’s not a done deal.”
    “Which ones?”
    She pressed her pink lips together. “Micky’s Diner. Betty’s Hair Salon—but that’s no loss. The old bird only knows bowl cuts and poodle perms. I forget the rest.”
    A hammer pummeled my head. “Spit it out.”
    “The Valiant.” Maxine reached for my hand and held it tight. “Katie, they’re going to tear down the Valiant.”

Chapter Seven

    T here comes a point where the dark overtakes you, and a girl just has to give into the sinking pull of despair.
    I was at that point.
    I had spent the last three days locked in my bedroom with unwashed hair, season four of Friday Night Lights , People magazine on my iPad, and the empty carcasses of two jars of peanut butter.
    I had received three voice mails from some director in New York, one from another theater friend with an audition lead, and two from Ian the Ex. I didn’t want to talk to any of them. I wouldn’t spit on Ian if he were on fire, and as for the director, I didn’t know what he was looking for, but I was certain I wasn’t it. I was a screw-up of an actress. You didn’t just bolt on a play. Like any job, you gave notice. I would probably be blacklisted, but that really didn’t matter anyway. I wasn’t going back to the stage.
    James and Millie had tried to coax me out with ice cream, offers of shopping, even invitations to a big concert in Houston. But I remained in my room. Just me, my comfy bed, and Coach Taylor. Clear eyes, full heart, total loser.
    I had no career, no direction, no love life, and now my beloved Valiant was going to be destroyed.
    And I was out of peanut butter.
    I loved the Valiant for a million reasons, but if I lost it, that was the end of my job plans.
    I clutched my pillow to my chest and sat up as someone knocked at my door.
    “Go away.”
    Maxine bravely walked in. “How much longer is this pitiful display going to last?”
    I reached for the remote and upped the volume. “I’ve only just started. I haven’t even moved on to the sleep days on end and cry uncontrollably portion yet.”
    She plopped herself on my bed. “Let me know when that is. I’ll want to snap photos for my blog.”
    “What are you all dressed up for?”
    Maxine wore black cropped pants, shiny red flats, and a sweater that accentuated the curves she still had at whatever mysterious age she was. “It’s First Friday Festival. The whole town is going. You should join us.”
    “Give me one reason I should.”
    “Food trailers.”
    If anything could tempt me, that would be it. On the first Friday of the month, the town gathered on the square. They showed a movie on a giant screen, food vendors sold all varieties of gourmet and deep-fried delights, and a local band sang deep into the night.
    “You guys have a good time.”
    Maxine sighed heavy enough for me to smell the spearmint of her gum. “Katie, this is ridiculous and totally unlike you. Quit your moping and get out of