Read Coming Attractions for Free Online

responsible. I
just wish Freya would goof off a little. Be a kid. You know?”
    “I hear you,” Cara said. “Want me
to talk to her? Give her some words of wisdom from the crazy, irresponsible
branch of the family tree?”
    “I never said you were crazy or—”
    “It’s okay, Mia. I was kidding.” Kind of.
    “Oh. Of course. A chat with Freya sure
can’t hurt.”
    “And what about Joe?” Cara asked,
her concern overriding her sense of boundaries. “Is he in touch? Paying child
support?”
    “Like clockwork. I’m putting it
aside for the kids’ educations. Freya, at least, is college material.”
    “It must be hard for you without
him.”
    “Seems to be a family curse.” Mia
shrugged. “Grandpa Hank left Grandma Beth when the kids were small. Dad
disappeared when we were babies. I shouldn’t be surprised that Joe left me. It
was like history repeating. At least he didn’t go and get himself shot to death
by Middle Eastern thugs like Dad.”
    It physically hurt her to see her
sister so despondent and she could only imagine Joe’s pain in living without
the woman he clearly loved. When two souls were so obviously meant to be together,
it was excruciating to watch them tear their love to shreds.
    “I’m so sorry, Mia.”
    “Forget it,” Mia said brusquely. “I’m
not inclined to wallow. He’s gone. There’s nothing I can do about it except get
on with my life and do my best for the kids. Speaking of, why don’t you go and
have a word to Freya, if you’re still willing. She’s heading for her hidey
hole, the tree house. I’ll go and fix some lunch.”
    ****
    As Cara climbed the creaky rope
ladder to the tree house in the old elm, she could hear Freya moving about and
papers being shuffled. She rapped lightly on the trapdoor. For a moment, the
rustling sounds stopped dead. Cara waited. Eventually, the trapdoor swung open
and a pair of serious gray eyes stared down at her.
    “May I come in?”
    The girl paused, thought about the
request, then finally nodded a wary acquiescence.
    Glad she was not overweight, Cara
squeezed through the tight opening and into the tiny but immaculate space.
    “You keep the place pretty clean.
My tree house used to be a dog’s breakfast—full of cobwebs and junk food
wrappers and comics.”
    Freya didn’t respond. She just
watched Cara cautiously.
    Cara tried again. “I notice you’re
working on something there.” She nodded at a bundle of papers beside the little
girl. “Something interesting?”
    Freya nodded but didn’t elaborate.
    Finally, Cara eased into a more
comfortable position with her back against the wall and relaxed. If Freya didn’t
want to talk right now, that was okay. She would just share the tree house
space for a while and let the girl get used to her presence. There would be
other opportunities to talk.
    Over the next fifteen or twenty
minutes, the silence grew more comfortable. Eventually, Freya picked up the
papers beside her and began to skim them, making corrections and adjustments
with a serious scowl. She paused and glanced up when Cara shifted position, but
then carried on with her project.
    Cara’s eyes drifted closed and her
mind turned to Levi. Was he getting through his errands? Was he looking forward
to their meal together tonight? Was he missing her as much as she was missing
him?
    The thought brought her up short.
She had only just met the man. Missing him seemed a little over the top. But
she couldn’t deny the subtle ache in her chest when she thought of his arms
around her, his mouth against hers, their breath mingling.
    “It’s a journal. Like Gran’s,”
Freya said.
    Cara’s eyes flew open, her
attention instantly zeroed in on the little girl.
    “That’s a great project, Freya. I
read all Gran’s journals. It was a wonderful way to learn about parts of her
life that I didn’t know. Do you think someday someone will read your journals?”
    “Maybe. But they’re mostly for me.
To remind me.”
    Freya turned her