Foolish Notions by Aris Whittier Read Free Book Online Page A

them
later, preferably in the morning after a long night’s sleep.
    As he rolled his neck, it snapped and
cracked a few times, relieving the pressure, which had increased to
extreme pain, the moment Raymond had told him about the leak. A loud
growl came from his midsection; he was not only dog-tired, he was
starving. He hadn’t eaten since Shelly, his secretary, had
brought him a blueberry muffin at noon. Coffee was all he had managed
to get down before that. No wonder it felt as if he was going to
collapse alongside the things at his feet. He rubbed his stomach.
Food would have to wait—he wanted to see his mom first.
    Taking a step toward the stairs, he
stopped instantly. Moving his head from side to side he sniffed the
air. That scent. He closed his eyes and savored the fragrance that
engulfed his senses.
    Under the influence of her perfume,
dozens of memories popped in his head. Images, of Samantha’s
lips, her fingers, her hips, and her toes. Lovemaking and picnics.
Visions of how their bodies intertwined together as they slept in
every Saturday, and visions of late romantic dinners on the patio
beneath the stars, teased and tricked him. He believed she was there.
He sensed her. He felt her.
    The ache in his stomach changed into an
intense hunger that no food could ever sedate. The powerful memories
took him by surprise. Images uncontrollably inundated his thoughts.
Some were of times they had shared together. He could see her in the
kitchen cooking, in the garden planting, and in his bed smiling.
    But some were also of events that
hadn’t happened, although he had wanted them so desperately to.
Visions of children popped into his head, small fingers and toes to
kiss and tickle.
    Suddenly his eyes sprang open; he
gripped the railing at his side. God, he was glad he hadn’t
come home any sooner. If this was what happened just smelling her
perfume, he didn’t dare to think of how he’d have reacted
if he’d actually seen her.
    As he climbed the stairs he redirected
his thoughts to his mom. He hoped her spirits hadn’t been
broken after speaking with Samantha. She had seemed so cheerful this
morning, and he didn’t want her to lose that.
    “Hi.” He was pleasantly
surprised to see his mom sitting in a chair by the window. She was
typically in bed by this time of day. She was never one to stay up
late. And now that she was sick she seemed to retire even earlier. He
kissed her softly on the brow. “It’s good to see you up.”
    “It feels good to be up,”
she said enthusiastically. “For some reason I’m not
tired.”
    He said a silent thank-you to Samantha
for letting his mom down easy. Marie obviously didn’t show any
ill effects from the reunion. He should have known Samantha would
come through. She always did. “Good. You need to be in good
health and spirits when you start your treatment.” He leaned
down again. “What’s that smell?”
    “I believe it’s the perfume
you bought me for Mother’s Day.” Marie raised her wrist.
“I haven’t felt like getting myself all fixed up lately.
It just doesn’t seem worth it if I’m going to be sitting
around the house all day. But like I said, I’m feeling really
good today.”
    “It smells nice.” God, if
this is what Samantha could accomplish just by talking with his
mother, he should have called her weeks ago. The transformation was
amazing.
    “How was work?” Marie asked
seriously.
    “Long,” he said with a
sigh. “I finally closed the Malone deal, though,” he
added with a positive tone.
    Marie smiled proudly. “Wonderful.
You’ve been working on that one for awhile.”
    He held his fingers up. “Three
months.”
    “Maybe a celebration is in
order,” she said with a wink.
    A smile spread across his face. “Wow,
you are feeling better.” His eyes narrowed mischievously. “What
did you have in mind?”
    “Let’s go bar hopping.”
    The burst of laughter couldn’t be
contained as he tilted his head back and expressed his