Say You'll Never Love Me by Ann Everett Read Free Book Online Page B

trifecta. Yep, that’s what she had. The padre’s words encouraged her and if she continued to meet with him, maybe she’d get control of the crying.
    She brushed a strand of hair from Silbie’s cheek and planted kisses across her forehead. “Wake up, sweet girl. It’s a school day.”
    Her eyes fluttered open for a second, then closed again. “Five more minutes.”
    “I’ve already let you sleep longer than usual. Hop up. I’ll scramble you an egg. You want bacon?”
    “Give me a piggyback ride.”
    Raynie smiled. She’d never had that request, but she twisted around for her rider to mount, then took off in a gallop with Silbie giggling all the way. She deposited her passenger onto a stool then beelined to the fridge.
    “Why does my room feel like Antarctica and in here it’s like Hawaii?”
    Thanks to the geography books she used to keep up with the grandparents travels, the kid asked questions beyond her years. “The cooling vents are closed in here. Why, are you hot?”
    “No. I’m okay. But I’m cold in my room.”
    “If you’ll sleep with the door open, it won’t get that way.” The frying pan clinked as Raynie set it on the burner. “I signed the form for you to attend the lock-in on Friday night.”
    Silbie bounced in her seat. “We’re gonna watch a movie and play outside and do karaoke.”
    “Do you plan to sing?” Raynie cracked an egg into a bowl and stirred, one of her few specialties including sandwiches, frozen dinners, and takeout. Thankfully, Silbie wasn’t picky.
    “Yep. Katie and me.” She slipped off the stool and shed her pajamas.
    “What song?” Raynie wrapped two strips of bacon in a paper towel and put them in the microwave. She might suck at cooking, but she excelled at nuking.
    “Love Story.”
    “Who sings that?”
    Silbie pulled on a bright red shirt emblazoned with a glittery unicorn. “Duh. Taylor Swift.”
    “Oh yeah. The one about Romeo and Juliet.”
    “Yep.”
    Eggs sizzled in the pan. “I bet you do great.”
    “They’re going to video it and sell copies.”
    The timer beeped. Raynie dumped eggs, bacon and toast onto a polka-dotted plate, added a glass of juice and delivered the grub like a short order cook. “I should buy you and your friend special princess dresses.”
    “No. My teacher says we should wear play clothes we can sleep in, so we don’t have to change.”
    “Okay. What about matching pajamas?”
    “Not alike. I want to be Cinderella. Katie likes Snow White. That’s her favorite. Who would you want to be?”
    She should warn her what a sham fairytales were and there was no happily-ever-after, but the kid would find out soon enough. “Well, I’m not into the whole royalty thing, but if I had to choose . . .” Raynie put her thumb under her chin and tapped a finger against her lips. “Mmm, let me think. Oh. I’d be Tiana, from the Princess and the Frog. She’s a strong, independent woman.”
    Silbie bent over laughing. “You’re silly! She wants to open a restaurant and you can’t cook!”
    Raynie frowned. No argument there, but with her new assignment, she should try to broaden her culinary horizons. “Oh, yeah. Now I remember. But it’s a story, so we can pretend I know how.”
    Silbie scooted her dish away. “All done.”
    “Okay. You finish getting dressed and I’ll make your lunch.” She smiled. Another dish she’d mastered. Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Yeah. And her microwave mac and cheese was to die for.
    By the time Raynie dropped Silbie off and returned home, it was eight-thirty. If things went well, she’d finish packing Celeste’s clothes and shoes today. As Greta pointed out, sunlight filtered into the kitchen and washed everything in a cheery glow. Raynie splashed coffee into a smiley face mug. Her third cup.
    She stuck two slices of bread in the toaster. Once done, she topped them with her favorite recipe. Calling butter, honey, and a sprinkle of cinnamon a recipe was a stretch, but it did require