Crossing the Line Part One (A Novella) by Samantha Long Read Free Book Online Page A

Halle?"
    "Good. Busy all the time. Trevor's been
really busy lately too, not getting home until the sun comes up, if
then." Halle sprinkled some of the chopped bell peppers into a
bowl. "I swear my blood pressure rises the moment I walk into that
place."
    Cecilia shot Victoria a look, then said,
"That's not good, darling. I think you should take some time for
yourself. Stop bending over backward for that job. Try something
new. Like yoga, or a gym. Maybe a knitting class."
    Halle gave her mom a perplexed look. "You
want me to knit? I can barely sew a button, but you want me to
knit?"
    "Okay, maybe knitting is a bad choice."
Cecilia told her. "But you shouldn't let your life revolve around
work."
    Or your husband, Victoria thought.
Especially when his life definitely didn't revolve around Halle. He
hardly came to family dinners, always stating some type of work
emergency. He'd never been with them on one of the family vacations
and seemed to like to do his own thing.
    "Honey, I'm home." Her dad strode into the
kitchen carrying a bouquet of sunflowers. He kissed Cecilia and
waved to his daughters.
    "Oh, they're beautiful, Wes. Put them in a
vase with water and set them on the dining room table."
    "Sure thing." He kissed her again.
    Victoria melted at the look of love in her
parents' eyes. It made them glow with happiness. It struck her in
that moment. She wanted that, so badly, and Roger would never have
given it to her. When she glanced at Halle, she saw the same
longing on her face and it pierced her heart. Her sister deserved
so much more than Trevor.
    She glanced down, cursed when she saw the
pot of tea boiling over. She picked it up and carried it to the
sink and made the tea.
    For dinner they sat in the formal dining
room with cell phones placed in a basket on the side table. Cecilia
forbade any form of technology at the table, preferring to have
actual conversations.
    Helena remained quiet, talking to her
grandfather only when he pestered her. Addie sat on the other side
of Helena and relentlessly tried to make her niece laugh. Lucia sat
at the other end of the table with Halle, Victoria, and Cecilia.
Victoria listened, but kept an eye on Helena. Lucia had no problems
talking, and kept up easy conversation with Halle and Cecilia about
boys and school.
    By the time dinner was over, the girls were
back in the living room with Addie, boxing it out on the Wii.
Victoria figured now was the time to broach the subject about
Helena to her mom and Halle.
    "Mom, I wasn't sure if you noticed Helena's
behavior lately. I don't know what to do." Victoria brought the
plates to the kitchen and scraped off the leftovers into the
garbage can. "She's been so hostile lately, and when she's not
argumentative, she's numb. Uncaring on the outside, but I know
that's not how she really feels. I can't tell if it's from the
divorce, or the kids at school, or maybe both."
    Cecilia stopped washing the dishes and
turned at the despair in Victoria's voice. She wrapped her daughter
in a hug.
    Victoria closed her eyes and held on
tightly. Her mother always knew that a hug could take the edge off
of any kind of pain. When her mom pulled back, she looked Victoria
in the eye. "Helena was as close to Roger as anyone could get. She
always followed him around, from the time she could walk, even if
he ignored her. That was her way of spending time with him. She
loves her dad and that stopped her from seeing how miserable you
were."
    Victoria sighed. "I didn't want them to see
how miserable I was."
    "In any case, right now all she's thinking
about is her dad is gone, and she's probably blaming you."
    Victoria opened her mouth to speak, but her
mom shook her head. "It's not your fault, we know that. But Helena
is a hormone fueled pre-teen who has to blame someone, and right
now, that's you. She'll get over it in a little while. She'll see
how her dad really is. Now, as for the kids at school, I can't say.
But that can be serious. You need to talk with her