The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers Read Free Book Online Page B

building
    just as the bell rang to end the day.
    Children poured out of classrooms and filled the hallway. The
    cacophony of squeaking tennis shoes, friends calling to friends,
    and the general rush for the buses assaulted them. Carolyn
    clutched frantically at Sierra’s hand as they went against the flow,
    while Clanton plowed ahead and led the way to the main office.
    4 5
    T H E
    S C A R L E T
    T H R E A D
    A secretary greeted them. She was polite, but cool, clearly
    tired and ready to go home. “Fill these out,” she said briskly and
    went in to speak with the principal. Returning, she informed
    Sierra that Clanton would be in Mr. Cannon’s fourth-grade class
    and Carolyn in Mrs. Lindstrom’s third grade.
    “Both teachers have after-school meetings today, so you’ll
    have to wait to meet them until tomorrow morning. School starts
    at eight-thirty.” The secretary turned the forms around and
    looked them over. “Kling Street,” she said. “That’s only a few
    blocks from here.” Sierra’s face went hot with humiliation at the
    disclosure.
    “We have a list of parents who take turns walking their children to school each day.”
    “I’ll be driving mine,” Sierra said, unwilling to entrust her
    children to anyone. Clanton groaned expressively, and she
    gave him a quelling look.
    Back in the car, she sat studying the map before starting the
    engine. She didn’t want to get lost again and end up in Watts this
    time.
    Alex laughed when she told him about it. “I wondered where
    you were,” he said. “I called twice today and got no answer. I was
    afraid you’d packed up and gone back to Windsor.”
    She didn’t think his remark amusing.
    “Don’t worry about it,” he said, leaning his hip against the
    counter. “My first trip down here, I had an appointment in
    Burbank. I got on the wrong freeway and ended up in Agoura.
    It’s not hard to do.”
    His words were hardly comforting.
    They went to Steven’s house for dinner. Alex’s new boss had
    even made arrangements for a professional babysitter to look
    after Clanton and Carolyn. She came complete with references
    and a list of classes in first aid that she had completed at
    Northridge.
    4 6
    T H E
    W I L D E R N E S S
    Alex found his way to their Sherman Oaks home without difficulty. Steven answered the door and ushered them into a spacious, elegantly decorated living room. His wife, Audra, was
    perfectly charming and courteous, but Sierra felt an undercurrent of disdain that nullified the show of warmth and hospitality.
    Audra wore a fine, lacquered veneer of friendliness, leaving Sierra to wonder at what lay beneath the flawless surface.
    Alex seemed perfectly at ease with both of them, making Sierra wonder if she was imagining the crosscurrents and undertow. But within the course of the first ten minutes of
    conversation, she knew it was not her imagination. Somehow
    Sierra had been made fully aware that Audra was a graduate of
    USC who had studied—and mastered—liberal arts and who had
    been a member of one of the more prestigious sororities.
    Then Audra turned her perfect, elegant gaze on Sierra and
    asked where she’d gone to college. It was the first time in Sierra’s
    life that she was embarrassed to admit she had only graduated
    from high school and finished a year at a secretarial college.
    “Oh,” Audra said, looking utterly taken aback. There was a
    brief, mortifying lapse in conversation, until Steve jumped in.
    “Do you like the theater, Sierra?”
    “I haven’t been to many plays.”
    “What have you seen?” Audra inquired, her eyes lighting with
    interest.
    “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat,” she said, not
    telling Audra it had been a high school production. “And a few
    concerts,” she added, which was true—in just the last six months
    she’d gone to a country western concert and to hear a few Christian singers who had visited local Santa Rosa churches. Of
    course, she didn’t think Audra needed