Whispers of Home by April Kelley Read Free Book Online Page A

“Aren’t you eating?”
    “No.”
    A few minutes later Beverly came in. “Mom, Jaron isn’t eating.” Jaron glared at Travis, who looked smug. The bastard.
    Beverly looked up sharply at him. “Why ever not, dear?”
    “Just not hungry, Ma’am.”
    “Oh now, sit down and eat. You worked hard all morning. And I just have to tell you, I have never had anyone do such a great job before.”
    Jaron blushed. The woman knew just what to say to him. That was for sure.
    Jaron gathered up two plates and sat down at the table to eat.
    “How are Maggie and the baby, dear?” Beverly asked Travis.
    “Doing really good this morning, mom,” Travis said around a bite of his sandwich.
    “It’s a good thing Greg was in the barn when she started having trouble.”
    Travis nodded his head. But he was looking at Jaron when he spoke next. “Glad everything worked out for them both,” he said, absently.
    Jaron gave him a look right back. “What?”
    “What?”
    “Knock it off.”
    “What am I doing?”
    “You’re watching me eat. It’s creepy. So quit.”
    As they bantered back and forth, Beverly looked like she was watching tennis.
    “I can’t.”
    “Yes you can. I have faith in your ability to be non-creepy.”
    “Non-creepy? Is that even a word?”
    “It is now.”
    “You are something else, you know that.”
    “So I’ve been told.”
    “I bet you are so polite to everyone. But not me. Not now. Why is that?”
    “Are you trying to make me angry?”
    “Somehow I already pissed you off. Not sure what I did though. But yes I’m trying to make you angry.” Travis smiled widely.
    “Why?”
    “Because you are so damn cute right now.”
    Jaron’s head snapped back like Travis had slapped him. He abruptly stood and excused himself from the table, practically running up the stairs. He began folding the fresh laundry from the dryer, just to get away from Travis. Except he was folding Travis’s clean underwear which didn’t exactly help him shut off the thoughts floating around in his brain.
    No fucking way was Travis gay. And out to his family. No way.
    He told himself to just breathe. After all the times he had to take shit from the people in this town. He had been so alone in his suffering. Even Brian hadn’t stood with him. And Travis Heath was gay?
    Jaron found out just how difficult it was to avoid someone in their own home. His mom better never say he didn’t excel at something.
     
    At the end of the day Beverly walked him out of the house.
    “I just wanted to thank you. It has never looked better.”
    “Welcome. Thank you for having me today.”
    “I’d like it if you were here every day. I know you have transportation issues during the week. I was wondering if you could just move in permanently. I would give you two days off, they could be of your choosing. I have a room you could have. It has its own private bathroom.”
    Jaron was stunned. He really didn’t know what to say. “I’m sorry, ma’am. I don’t know if I feel comfortable moving my son again so soon.”
    “Yes, of course. I didn’t think of that.” She thought for a moment and then smiled. “Well, I will just send Travis or one of the hands to get you every morning until you decide. How does that work? And the offer is open to you when you feel comfortable.”
    “Thank you, ma’am. I guess I will see you tomorrow.”
    “Okay. We can discuss your days off tomorrow then.”
    “Sure.” He smiled and let himself out of the house.
    He smiled all the way to his car.
     

Chapter Five
     
     
    “Detective Martinez, please,” Jaron said into the phone. He sat in his mom’s driveway so neither his mom nor Bobby would have to hear his end of the conversation. Especially Bobby. The kid has been through enough.
    “Where are you?”
    “I’m back home.”
    “I know you’re not in the apartment, Jaron.”
    “No.”
    “Okay.”
    “So here is the 411.” To hear Detective Martinez use that bit of slang in his accented voice made