Highness (The Lonely Heart Series) by Latrivia S. Nelson Read Free Book Online

catch for Momma.”
    Hope snickered. “Are you still trying to get your momma married?”
    Bree laughed. “Girl, the Lord said that he who finds a wife finds a good thing.  He did not say that the man couldn’t get any help in finding her.”
    Hope laughed. “Yeah, you right.” Without meaning to, she instantly thought of Sean.  She hoped God found him a psychopath.  That was all that he deserved.
    “I’ve packed all of your things.  As soon as we get your walking papers, we are out of here,” Bree said, standing up.  “I just don’t know what to do with all these flowers.  There are so many of them.”  She cut her eyes at Hope.
    “I told you what to do with them,” Hope sneered. “Get rid of any of them that came from Sean.”
    “That would be…almost all of them,” Bree corrected.  She put her hand on her hip. “Seems like an awful waste.”
    Hope didn’t care.
    Bree begged.  “At least let me give them to the other patients in here who don’t have someone groveling after them.” She looked around the room at the many vases of roses and daffodils, Hope’s favorite flowers, and the many balloons and cards and almost felt a smidgeon bad for the man.
    “I don’t care who you give them to,” Hope said, staring blankly into the glib, twilight coming through her pupils.
    Bree saw that even the mention of the man was bringing her friend down and chose to change the subject.  “While you were napping, I went to the house and started dinner.”  She knew that would cheer her up.  “And because I know that you didn’t inherit any cooking skills from your grandmother, I took the liberty of preparing fried chicken, greens, candied yams, okra, fresh cornbread and pineapple cake.”
    Hope ducked her head and smiled again.  “Damn, girl. Why you aren’t married yet yourself is beyond me.”
    “The Lord is going to have to find someone extra special for me, darling.  I don’t take hand-me-downs.   Now, come and let me get you ready so we can get you home.”
    ***
    Even though Hope couldn’t see a thing, she still looked out of the window while Bree drove her home from the hospital.  With her eyes picking up the light of the cloudless day, she could imagine all of the cypress and oak trees as they made the short drive from the neighboring town of Southaven to Hernando.  Supplementing her sight, she focused on her other senses, specifically the smell of fresh air tumbling through her cracked window. She hadn’t smelled clean, fresh air in six weeks.  Just to have the wind blow through her hair and the sun shine directly on her face felt like a blessing. 
    Within minutes, Bree pulled up in the long drive of Hope’s home and headed up the gravel road to the house on the hill.  Hope tilted her head up and smiled.
    “Mr. Jernigan cut the yard for me, didn’t he?” Hope asked, smelling freshly cut grass in the breeze. It instantly brought back memories of her childhood. 
    “Yep.  I told him that you were coming home today, so he did it this morning. He’s been keeping it up weekly since you’ve been gone,” Bree answered, putting the car into park. “Oh shit,” she said under her breath.
    “What?” Hope’s ear perked up.
    Bree looked over at her friend and shook her head.  “Sean is here.”
    “What!”  Hope growled.  “What does he want?” she asked as she held on to the handle of the door. 
    “Well, I don’t know yet,” Bree said, opening the door. 
    “Tell him to go away,” Hope said after her as Bree closed the door.
    Sean was patiently waiting on his trunk, sitting in his three-piece suit, looking at his iPad.  As soon as he saw Hope, he stood up, threw down his pad and walked toward the car.
    “Sean,” Bree said with a warning voice.   She put up her hand to stop him. “What are you doing here?”
    “I came to see her,” Sean said, looking over Bree to the window of the car. 
    “She’s not in the best of moods.  Can’t your groveling