Three of Spades by W. Ferraro Read Free Book Online Page A

mortgage and monthly bills on her salary when the time came that she lived by herself.
    “Look, Natalie, I’m not going to wait until the middle of dinner to spring this, I’m here because Mom has decided to take Reggie and me up on our offer. She moves into the Assisted Living Place in Minkton this weekend,” Sam finished, observing what he could only describe as fury in his sister’s gaze.
    “What!?! No, she doesn’t want that. She wants to be in her own home. How many times does she have to tell you?” Natalie shouted, then looked toward the house for any sign Gloria knew of the outburst.
    “Look, Mom came to this decision on her own, and we feel it’s the best. If you are worried about staying in the house, we know she isn’t going to ask you to vacate.”
    Is he serious? Like the largest concern at the moment was whether she would have a place to live? Natalie had never wanted to hit someone as bad as she wanted to strike out at Sam right now. Maybe what Natalie had perceived as nonsense from Gloria, was really truly how she felt. No, that couldn’t be right, could it? Why, after all the times of saying no, did she now decide she wanted to make the move? Natalie felt as if the ground was opening up at her feet. She looked at her brother and thought, as familiar as his face was, the person behind it was foreign to her.
    “If that is really what Mom wants, then of course, but I want to hear her say the words to me. And Sam, I truly appreciate the vote of confidence that my highest distress of the moment would be where I would lay my head at night.”
    She needed to get away and get her thoughts and emotions in check, before she said anything else. Natalie climbed behind the wheel and pulled out of the driveway. She needed a diversion to the situation that was awaiting her after her run to the grocery store. As she drove, she could not help but focus on the answer she would receive tonight. Would Dylan really sign on for this production of a relationship? Would he be willing to fulfill the rest of her demands? Or would she have to find someone else? Someone less experienced. Natalie could not think that way, ever since she learned that the man she walked into was Dylan Cross, she prayed he would be agreeable. She hoped he would give her the focus of something else that she desperately needed. That was the only thing giving Natalie the strength to get through the next five hours until their meeting.
     

~FIVE~
    S o, after cleaning up the mess from prep, cooking, and dinner, Natalie was sure she scrubbed every inch of the kitchen. She had to admit it was somewhat therapeutic to be able to get some of her frustration out in manual work. Sam made the announcement at dinner and Natalie thought for a moment that Gloria did not look happy. Then her mother went on and on about how it really was the right move for her. Natalie tried to get a read on her mother but Gloria would not make any eye contact after that. Gloria had announced that she would be going to stay at Sam’s for the next few nights, especially since there would be all the paperwork and such to fill out. Natalie offered to pack her a bag and to her surprise, Gloria told her that Rose had already done it. Natalie felt that Gloria was trying to put as much distance between them at the quickest possible speed. She refused to shed any tears but when she saw the Mercedes reverse out of the drive, with Gloria nestled in the front seat, she shut the door and cried; knowing it wasn’t right.
    After showering and changing, she could not stay in the lonely quiet house another minute. She left a light on in the kitchen, as well as the outside porch light, and headed out to her car. Looking at the clock in the dash, she still had forty-five minutes to go until their agreed upon meeting time and it only took ten minutes to drive there. Natalie decided to go to the park area on the east side of the lake. She pulled in and noticed a few couples walking hand in hand