Versace Sisters by Cate Kendall Read Free Book Online Page B

a major neat freak about all her living areas. Sera
was more interested in styling and decorating her home
than keeping it immaculate, especially with two small children
thwarting her every move, but she knew she'd never
let her home fall into the kind of chaos she and Bella had
grown up in.
    Just remembering the pigsty that had been their home,
and how their mother never seemed to notice the mould
in the shower or the stains on the carpet, was enough to
spur Sera on to extra cleaning efforts in her own home.
    Marlene's housekeeping indifference had spilled over
into her mothering, Sera thought, trying to remember a
time when her mother had shown concern or worry over
her. And yet Joan flew into a maternal frenzy if Tony broke
as much as a toenail. On the rare occasions they spoke, her
own mother would never even ask how she was. Not that
Sera cared any more. She shook her head defiantly as she
stood and enjoyed the early morning sunshine that poured
through her kitchen windows. Marlene was just too caught
up in her own dramas to think about her daughters. Which
reminded her of Joan's message the other night; she still had
to call her mother back. Probably some minor drama she
needed someone to listen to.
    'Stuff her,' Sera announced to the empty kitchen.
It wasn't as if she needed to be mollycoddled anyway.
She turned to the tap to fill the kettle and caught sight of a
dirty brown used teabag flung thoughtlessly into her stainless
steel sink. A tannin stain had spread an ugly and dark
shadow across the shiny surface.
    'For God's sake,' she spat angrily. Was the woman
trying to melt her brain on purpose?
    She suddenly remembered the brochure that had
arrived in yesterday's mail. She sifted through the rubbish
in her crystal bowl, sighing at the mess it contained. The
punch bowl meant a lot to her; she was humbled to think
that she'd been entrusted with the care of such a family
heirloom.
    The ceremonial handing over of the bowl on her
wedding day was a sign that Joan was on the verge of
accepting Sera into the family; a really significant moment.
After the wedding she had placed the heirloom in pride
of place on the long kitchen bench to show Joan how
much she treasured the gift, but try as she might to make
it otherwise, every member of the family used the bowl
as a dumping ground. Out of desperation she'd filled it
with water one day and floated a couple of orchids on the
surface. That night Tony, out of habit, tossed his mobile
phone and keys into the floating garden.
    And when the kids came along she'd had to push the
bowl back to a safer spot at the back of the bench. She
didn't want to put it away because it was such a pleasure
to look at, especially when the sun hit it at a certain angle,
throwing tiny refracted rainbows around the kitchen.
    Right, she was going to clean it out today, she decided.
She'd wash it until it sparkled and maybe use it for fruit
instead. She'd get on to it after taking the children to
daycare, as soon as she'd taken the lawnmower in for a
service, but before she made dinner, and maybe after her
DJs' shift . . . She sighed in defeat. Maybe tomorrow.
    Sera rifled through the paperwork in the bowl and
found the envelope she was after. She felt a twinge of guilt
twist as she opened it, looking over her shoulder before
slipping out the letter.
    Dear concerned family member, the form letter began. When the people we love reach a certain age and perhaps are
no longer able to effectively look after themselves or are perhaps
a little too distracting to be minded by family members in their
own home, we want to ensure they're cared for in a loving and
sympathetic manner.
    Here at Sleepy Hollow Aged Care Facility we genuinely
care for our guests, offering a wide range of programs and
activities to help keep minds and bodies active. For example,
daily lectures include: 'Our Friend Fibre', 'Life Between
Meals', and 'No one's Trying to Steal Your Purse'. Our
exercise and gaming program is extensive,