Reluctant Consent by Saorise Roghan Read Free Book Online Page A

from a great distance.
    “Dude!”   Lucas said, eyes never leaving the
screen in front of him.   A zombie
surged up from a pile of gore.
          Zander
chortled, thumbs working furiously, and the thing exploded into green gook.   “Fucking zombie whore!”
    Andrew
let his eyes travel through the gloom and eventually spied William.   The kid was hanging upside down from
the back of an immense settee to the left of a fireplace large enough to roast
a horse.   Ear buds in his ears, he
held an IPad much closer to his face than was recommended.    Aware that the kid was an
e-genius, he   hoped William wasn’t hacking into the Pentagon at the precise moment   his new step-father stood looking at
him.
           Except
for the one “dude” the three boys ignored Andrew completely.   He took in the piles of dishes, gear, and
clothing strewn across the room.   A
cat slept on a coffee table, curled in a box that still held a piece of pizza.   The situation was appalling.   Something had to be done and he knew
it.   No doubt that was why an
immense rock had taken up permanent residence in his stomach.
    The
rest of the house wasn’t a complete disaster.   The housekeeper appeared to maintain some order in the areas
of the house where she might expect to find Andrew.   He located Denise in the open living area on the second
floor.   Playing solitaire.
      Stacks of books and an open laptop sat
on the floor next to her. When she saw him she stiffened.
    Andrew
sat down on a loveseat and looked at her.   “How are you?”
    “Fine.”   Her eyes went back to the game.   “And you?”
    He
didn’t bother to answer. She couldn’t have exhibited less interest if she
tried.
    “Did
the boys go back to school today?”
    She
didn’t look up.   “NO.”  
    Nothing
else.   Not even the slightest recognition
his question contained dangerous flammables.   Personally, he was inflamed by her intelligence and
stubbornness. “Shouldn’t they?”
    “There’s
no rush, surely.   They just buried
their parents.   No one expects them
to just carry on.”  
    “I
do.”
    Her
head snapped up and her eyes meet his.   She flushed.   “What?”
    “I
do.   I expect them to just carry
on.   And you.   I expect you to carry on too.   That’s what people do.”
    Denise’s
face remained a polite mask but he could see the slight movement in her throat when
she swallowed.   “What are your
plans?”
    Her
eyes widened, and her mouth opened but after a second or two she closed it
without saying anything.  
    “Would
you like to go back to school?   Do
you want to look for work?”
    Denise
looked back down at her cards.   “No.”  
    “This
place is a disaster, Denise. Do you want to live here?   Or get another place?”
    No
answer.   He watched her play a card.
Her eyes blinked -- she was holding back tears.   Denise had never been weepy, and for a moment, the he hated
the stress he had created in her life.
    “I’ll
help, Denise.   I’ll help you figure
it all out.”   He sat up straight
and placed his palms on his thighs.   “It won’t just go away.   We
need to deal with it.”
          Having said
that, he got up and walked out of the room.
     
    ***
    Denise
lifted her eyes and watched him go.   She had no idea what she wanted.   She had no idea how to make things right.   She had no idea how to talk to him. She’d like to pretend he
didn’t exist.
    ***
    Evan
Martin looked at Andrew and shook his head.   “It won’t work.   You have to begin the way you mean to go on.”
    Andrew
let out a breath of exasperation.   “I did.   I told you about
the prenup.”
    Evan,
older than Andrew by at least ten years, waved a hand to stop him.   “Yeah.   You did.   And since then?   What have you done?”
    Andrew
chewed on his lip.  
    “Like
I thought.   Diddly squat.”   Evan snorted.   “That’s your problem.   You may have started, but then you stopped.”
    Andrew
flashed