Taking Chances by Nina Perez Read Free Book Online Page A

go to the bathroom,” she called over her shoulder.
     
    I sat down on the edge of my bed and rested my head in my hands. I wondered how I’d ever be able to tell my parents. Our mother would be devastated. I tried to think back to the last time we were all together—when things were good, when they were normal—and I couldn’t. The Charlotte before me that day was nothing like the girl I’d grown up with.
     
    There was a knock at the door and I looked up, expecting to find Chloe or Paul, but instead it was Mrs. Brooks. I hadn’t realized I’d been crying until I saw her there with a concerned look on her face. Embarrassed, I tried wiping the tears away with the back of my sleeve.
     
    “Oh, please, child. I’ve seen bigger and badder men than you cry.”
     
    She walked into the room without waiting to be asked and closed the door behind her. She took a seat next to me on the edge of the bed.
     
    “Did you know your sister was a drug addict?”
     
    “I’d suspected, but tonight confirmed it.”
     
    “I didn’t think so. Did Chloe tell you I work with welfare mothers, most of them ex-drug users, trying to help them get their lives back on track?”
     
    I nodded.
     
    “Well, I can tell you from experience doing that, and on the job for twenty years, that people cannot fight addiction until they are truly ready and, even then, they’re going to need a lot of support.”
     
    “I have to tell my parents.”
     
    “And it has to be soon,” she agreed, nodding her head.
     
    “I’m scared.”
     
    Admitting that took me by surprise. I’d just met this woman, was trying to impress her and show that I was good for her daughter, yet here I was, crying like a child.
     
    “I know you are, but you’ll do the right thing. Chloe was right.” She placed an arm around my shoulders. “You are a good guy.”
     
    “Thanks, Mrs. Brooks.”
     
    Telling my parents was going to be a nightmare, and what we could do, if anything, to save Charlotte was beyond me. I had no answers, but for just that moment I felt better. 
     
    “Call me Adrian.”

Chapter Seven

The Two Thanksgivings, Part 2
Chloe
     
    Patrick had been right: sleeping on the sofa was not a good idea. Between Charlotte’s appearance and meeting Patrick’s parents the next day, I was a ball of nerves. Sleep didn’t come easy and neither did peace of mind. After Charlotte left it was hard to get back into the holiday spirit. Patrick decided to put off telling his family about Charlotte until he could see them in person. I didn’t think it was such a good idea to divulge such information on Thanksgiving, but Patrick felt that the problem with Charlotte had been ignored long enough. My mother agreed, stating that the sooner they knew the faster they could all see about getting Charlotte some help and ease the burden on Patrick.
     
    I wasn’t sure what happened between my mother and Patrick after Charlotte left, but I wasn’t complaining. She seemed to have warmed towards him considerably and, in turn, Patrick seemed content to take her advice about a very personal situation. It was nice to see, but just increased my fears of meeting his parents.
     
    We’d spent the rest of the evening trying to make the best of things; Brianna and I watched The Sound of Music —a holiday tradition—and Crystal and Uncle Troy taught Patrick and Paul how to play Spades. Tired of losing, Patrick and Paul suggested poker after a while, and fed up with winning so easily Uncle Troy agreed. My mother insisted on cleaning the kitchen and putting the food away while all of this was going on. That was just one of many benefits to having my mother visit. Another was her ability to put everything into perspective and deliver sound advice, whether you wanted to hear it or not.
     
    Once everyone had gone home, my mother, Patrick, and I shared a bottle of wine while Patrick and I filled her in on the latest developments in our careers.
     
    “I have to say, I’m