Clarity by Kim Harrington Read Free Book Online Page A

he deserved it for messing with my brother. A dropped pencil had given me the vision and it took a sizable donation from Dallas Clayworth to keep Stephen’s spot at the Ivy League school he was headed to in the fall.
    The Clayworths own half of Eastport and can trace their heritage back to the pilgrims. Dallas Clayworth, the town’s golden boy, is Eastport royalty and was now running for mayor against Harry Spellman. Dallas Clayworth’s father had been mayor in his younger years and used it as a stepping-stone to the U.S. Congress. I assumed that was dallas’s plan, too. And eventually Stephen’s. Must be nice to have your life mapped out.
    Despite how well Justin’s dad was doing as mayor, some people in town felt he was undeserving of the office. He hadn’t been born and raised in Eastport. He didn’t come from money or a well-known family. He didn’t have a law degreelike Dallas. He’d been an elementary school teacher before he became mayor. But he was a great guy, loved the town, and didn’t want to use the position for higher aspirations. Mr. Spellman had always been nice to me when Justin and I were dating.
    It was funny. If Justin and I were still together, I’d probably be helping out, holding signs, and passing out bumper stickers. Instead, I was staking out the new psychic in town and about to be accosted by the junior Clayworth.
    “Checking out the competition?” Stephen sneered.
    I crossed my arms and looked the other way, but he walked up to me and kept jabbering.
    “Madame Maslov can tell the future, you know. That’s something you can’t do, Clare.”
    “No one can tell the future,” Mom said, stepping closer to me. “We have free will and the future is constantly changing due to the decisions we make every moment. You should know that, Stephen.”
    He narrowed his eyes at my mother, then focused back on me. “Madame Maslov told me something about my future. Wanna hear it?”
    “Sure, Stephen,” I muttered, humoring him.
    “She told me a little redhead was gonna bring me trouble. I told her you already had, but she said you weren’t done with me yet. What do you think of that?”
    I shrugged and put my hands in my pockets. “I think it’s a load of bull.”
    “You know what I think is a load of bull?” he asked,raising his voice. “That Mayor Harry Spellman is letting this town fall apart.”
    Oh no, here we go. A pompous rant. Perry rolled his eyes, and I sighed loudly. I could be home watching zombies in high-def.
    People walking by slowed their pace and some stopped completely as Stephen’s hands flailed in the air and his monologue went on.
    He bent over to pick up a candy wrapper. “Like this litter on the boardwalk,” he said. “And most shocking of all, a tourist getting killed! Tourists have never been killed before in this town.” He poked my shoulder as he asked, “What is your beloved Mayor Spellman going to do about this disgrace?”
    That snapped Perry out of his disinterest. He bolted over to us and shoved Stephen aside.
    “Hey!” Stephen bellowed. “Don’t push me!”
    “Don’t touch my sister,” Perry countered.
    Mom stood frozen with her fist covering her mouth.
    Just as I thought they’d go to blows, a finely manicured hand appeared on Stephen’s arm. He looked over his shoulder and immediately calmed and stepped back. Cecile Clayworth had that effect on people.
    Her silky black hair hung evenly to just above the shoulder, where a handbag worth about the same as my brother’s car hung. Stephen’s mother hadn’t been born an upper-crust WASP. Rumor had it her childhood was a rough one, spent in foster care and bouncing around. But she had big dreams andhigh hopes and the looks to match. Landing a man like Dallas Clayworth was a life-changing prospect, and she’d easily molded herself into a snob.
    “I apologize for my son’s behavior,” Cecile said, her voice smooth.
    If there was anything Cecile Clayworth hated, it was a scene, and she