Gold Hill by Claudia Hall Christian Read Free Book Online

change
and so I am changing.”
    “ I believe in you, son,”
Mr. Stone said. The woman behind him groaned.
    “ I believe in him too,”
Tanesha smiled at Jeraine and he blushed.
    She pointed the woman in
front of her to the grocery clerk ready to check her groceries. The
rush of putting their groceries on the belt and getting ready to
pay took their attention. Jeraine was standing in front of the
grocery clerk while Tanesha bagged their groceries in reusable
bags. The clerk was passing Jeraine their receipt when she
smiled.
    “ I saw your interview,”
the clerk said. “I just wanted to
say . . . ”
    Tanesha held her
breath.
    “ Good luck,” the clerk
nodded. “It takes a lot of courage to change your life. I’ve got
ten years sober. My husband stayed with me. Talk about stubborn. It
was hard, but we fought it together and . . . it was
worth it.”
    “ Thanks,” Jeraine
said.
    “ I think you’ll be fine,”
the clerk said.
    “ Me too,” Jeraine smiled,
picked up the last bag of groceries, and followed Tanesha out of
the store. They pushed the cart to his Expedition, loaded the
groceries, and got in before he asked, “Anything you need to
say?”
    “ When are you getting rid
of this pimp mobile?” Tanesha asked.
    “ I meant
about . . . ”
    “ You made your money off
those very people,” Tanesha said. “They feel like they know you
through your music. After that interview, they feel like they have
a stake in our lives. We’re going to have to either avoid contact
with them all together or get used to it. Denver is a small town
with a lot of mouthy nosey people. If we want to live here, we’re
going to deal with that.”
    “ And you? Are you all
right dealing with it?”
    “ I’ve been dealing with
those nosey so and so’s all my life,” Tanesha said. “My Daddy was
in prison for murdering some white girl. My Momma is a hooker. My
Gran, well . . . . Let’s just say that I don’t
care what anyone says.”
    “ Except Jill, Sandy, and
Heather,” Jeraine said.
    “ My Gran, Dad, and maybe
even you,” she smiled. “Sometimes.”
    He smiled and started the
car.
    “ What?”
    “ I’m just happy to be here
with you,” he said.
    ~~~~~~~~
    Tuesday evening — 7:25
p.m.
     
    Mike was in their small
kitchen making popcorn when he heard Valerie say something. Knowing
they were alone, he assumed she was on the phone. Her contractions
were coming strong and fast. Bumpy had already stopped by to check
on her. Valerie would do most of her labor at home and zip to the
hospital to have the baby. They’d even worked out a way for her to
get up the coal tunnel if she couldn’t walk. Delphie and Sam were
downstairs waiting for his signal. She’d wanted to hang out on the
couch and watch a movie.
    He finished putting the
last drops of butter on the popcorn and went out into their living
area. Valerie wasn’t there.
    “ Val?”
    Nothing. He could still
hear her talking. He checked the bathroom, their bedroom, and the
nursery he and Jill had decorated. Nothing.
    He could still hear her
talking.
    “ Val? I don’t know where
you are,” Mike set the bowl of popcorn down on the changing table
to listen.
    He could still hear her
talking. It was as if her voice was coming through the walls. He
pressed his head against the nursery wall. Her voice was on the
other side of this wall. His heart pounding in his throat, he
hammered the wall with his fists.
    “ Val!”

Chapter One Hundred and
Ninety-One Shift
    He heard her laugh. His
eyes scanned the room until they fell on the closet door. He put
his head against the door.
    Her voice was coming from
inside. She laughed again.
    Mike opened the door and
turned on the light.
    Nothing. No Val.
    He had painted this closet
just last week. He knew every nook and cranny. He patted the walls
and listened. He could still hear her talking to
someone.
    At the very back of the
closet, he saw a small trap door. He had tried to open the door
when he was painting