Secondhand Sinners by Genevieve Lynne Read Free Book Online

to get my baby as far away from the three of you as I could.”
    “Miller?” Gail asked again. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
    “It wouldn’t have mattered.”
    She and Jack left the hospital, and Emily drove back to the apartment feeling like an orphan. It was as though her family had been hit head-on by a freight train, and she was left lame and helpless in the wreckage while everyone bled to death around her. She had to save one of them. She had to save Levi.
     
    ***
     
    Once Emily got Jack settled on the sofa with a Magic School Bus video on her iPad, she sat at the little kitchen table and looked around the small, stylish room that was only meant for one person. The place was comfortable, cozy. Although Levi had claimed it and fixed it up, it was still family property. She had great memories of the place when it was an old shed by an old barn that was next to a willow tree. It was where she met Daniel when the family knew where she was and Miller when they didn’t.
    Now she and Jack would stay until she could get Levi out. She looked at Jack sitting on the sofa. “You want to go for a walk?”
    “No.”
    “You want me to read to you?”
    “No.”
    It was at that moment she realized Jack hadn’t asked about his father in months. Did he even know they were divorced? That his father moved to Seattle with his new wife? Did he feel anything? If he hadn’t even noticed, should she bring it up?
    “Hey, Jack?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Do you ever feel sad?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Are you sad about anything today?
    “Yeah.”
    “What’s making you sad?”
    “I can’t watch my movie because you’re talking.”
    Talking to Jack was like talking to her own mother. It was interesting how similar his lack of emotional connection was to Gail’s. Jack was physically autistic because of a defect somewhere in his body. Her mother was emotionally autistic because of a defect somewhere in her soul. All the questions she asked about Jack, she could ask about her own mother. What caused it? How severe was it? Could she be cured? Was it hereditary?
    Who was more disabled—her mother or her son?

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
    Miller
     
    Miller returned from Emily’s as Abby was walking into the kitchen. She sat in her usual chair while he put milk and cereal out for her.
    “How long have you been up?” he asked her.
    Abby stretched her arms out to her sides and yawned. “Long enough to know you were gone for at least fifteen minutes. Where’d you go?”
    He didn’t want her to know where he had been. He also didn’t want to have to start lying about the little things too. “I took some groceries over to Levi’s sister.”
    Abby raised an eyebrow. “Oh.”
    “I promised him I’d look after her.”
    “I thought he didn’t say anything.”
    “He didn’t. Not about what happened, but he asked me to look after Emily. I wanna talk about you posing for him.”
    “She’s pretty. I mean, if you can see past her tragic vibe and all. Do you like her?”
    “She’s the granddaughter of the woman I work for. I haven’t seen her in…No. We’re not talking about me. We’re talking about you and why you were alone with a grown man when I told you to leave him alone. When did you have the time to pose for him anyway?”
    “You’re doing that thing where you throw a dozen questions at me because you don’t want to answer one of mine. I think you do like her. Did you know her?”
    “Answer my question, Abby.”
    “I’ll answer one of yours if you answer one of mine.”
    “No games. Answer my question.”
    “I bet Mom knew her. I could call her and ask.”
    Miller stood up with his spoon and nearly full bowl and deposited them in the sink. “Yes. I knew her.”
    “I knew it! Did you like her?”
    Miller faced his daughter, leaned back against the kitchen counter, and crossed his arms.
    “Okay. Okay. He said he couldn’t get the arms right. I stood in the middle of that old barn for two hours