Chance Of Rain by Laurel Veil Read Free Book Online Page B

cheered.

    “We’re here, Mom!” Bri called out.
    “Hey! Come in! Come in!” Nina answered.
    I loved Nina’s spirit. She was very colorful, and Bri got her spunk, which I adored, from her mom.
    Nina was flying around the kitchen in a brightly colored muumuu. She wore her trademark thick makeup, and her bleach-blond hair was up in rollers. She was a full-figured woman, and she knew how to work it.
    “How was school?” she asked.
    “Same old, same old. Nothing exciting.” Bri responded.
    We saw KFC on the table. The former Mrs. Branson did not cook.
    “Well, don’t keep us in suspense. Will you be buying me a new wardrobe or not?” Bri asked as she washed her hands. I did the same, and we each poured ourselves a tall glass of iced tea. When Nina didn’t answer right away, Bri asked again, “Are we celebrating?”
    Nina sat down and began making her plate. “Well…yes and no.”
    “Do tell. Do tell,” encouraged Bri, as we sat down and filled our plates.
    Luckily, the chicken had cooled down. The last time we had it, it was so hot, I could barely hold it with the tips of my fingers. I helped myself to a heaping pile of creamy mashed potatoes and gravy and placed a spoonful of coleslaw on my plate.
    Their kitchen was cozy. It was painted yellow, and there were ceramic roosters everywhere.
    “First off, I didn’t get the job at the bank.” Bri and I looked at each other and then at her with shock.
    “What happened?” Bri asked.
    “Well, the interview started out normal.” She paused to lick some mashed potatoes off her finger. “The lady asked me a few typical questions: my name, past work experience, et cetera. Then it got a little weird.”
    “What do you mean?” Bri pressed.
    “Outta the blue she asked me, ‘What’s the last book you read?’” Nina jabbed a large forkful of coleslaw into her mouth and continued to speak after she swallowed.
    “You know me. I’m not illiterate. I like to read, but she was acting all snobby and condescending and threw me off. All I could think was,
Who cares, lady? I just want to answer your dang phone
. When I didn’t answer, she asked me again a little differently. She said, ‘What’s on your night stand right now?’ So I told her the first thing that came to mind. I said, ‘A crack pipe and a bottle of Jack,’ and I got up and walked out!”
    Bri and I busted out laughing. “Mom! You…did…not!” Bri said. It was so funny to see her turn red. Her mother was the only one who could make her blush.
    “I did! I did!” she said, laughing uncontrollably as tears squished out of her eyes. She wiped her mouth with a napkin then bit a hunk out of a chicken leg.
    My stomach was hurting, and we all had tears in our eyes.
    “So what’s the good news?” Bri finally choked out.
    “Well, I left that stuffy bank, and I went directly to J.T. and told him I wanted a raise or I was quitting! So he gave me one!”
    “That’s great, Mom!”
    “Oh, it gets even better.”
    “Just say it already!”
    “He asked me to go out with him tonight…and I said yes!”

    Later that afternoon Bri drove me to the police station so I could see if my dad was on duty. We checked the parking lot three times, but his truck was nowhere in sight.
    We headed toward his dilapidated rental house, but his truck wasn’t there either. Bri stopped in front, and I scribbled a quick note, begging him to call me, and stuck it in the crack of the front door.
    Then Bri took me home so I could get ready for my date with Trent.

VII
    45 %
    I had the house to myself. It was very peaceful. I took an extra-long hot shower and slipped into a cute denim mini skirt with an emerald cotton top.
    The closer it got to six, the harder my heart pounded.
    At last I heard a soft knocking at the door. Since my mom was still at work, I went to answer it. I peeked out the window first, and my heart fluttered.
    Trent drove a sleek black Challenger with darkly tinted windows. It fit him perfectly. He wore a