Read Dreams of Fire (Maple Hill Chronicles Book 1) for Free Online Page B

vivid images return, she lay between the sheets unable to sleep. When Oscar jumped back up and curled against her hip, she was able drift into uneasy slumber with his company.

    Marianne woke some hours later to Oscar tickling her face with his whiskers. It was an adorable, albeit annoying, habit of his. She rubbed his chin and snuggled with him for a few minutes, feeling him purr on her chest, but an already warm breeze was coming in the window, spoiling the nighttime cool of the house. Though she did not feel rested, she roused herself from bed anyway and went around closing windows to preserve the cool inside. By the light of day, the house seemed ordinary and certainly had no fire damage or smell of smoke.  
    After a lukewarm shower, she put her wavy, dark hair up in a ponytail, slipped on a fresh shirt with yesterday’s shorts and got breakfast. A call to Mrs. Thomas was on the top of her list today since she couldn’t really unpack until she’d painted. She also planned to get the utilities—mainly the Internet—up and running, and explore the rest of her new place. She saved the trip to Grandma’s for a treat in the afternoon.
    Retrieving her cell phone from the bedroom—she slept with it under her pillow ever since Geoffrey had started stalking her, she found Mrs. Thomas’ number. It was after eight a.m. on a Friday and should be okay to call.
    After many rings Marianne was ready to give up, but finally the phone picked up.
    “Hello?” Mrs. Thomas sounded old and a little shaky.
    “Mrs. Thomas? Hello, this is Marianne Singleton, Selene Singleton’s granddaughter?”
    There was a pause before she said, “Oh yes. Selene said you wanted to rent my house over in Maple Hill. That would be fine. I don’t think I have any renters right now…”
    “Yes, Mrs. Thomas, I know. Remember we talked last week about my living here for a while? I can’t really pay you a lot of rent, but I’d be happy to fix things up in exchange for some of the rent.” She sat upright on the edge of the couch as if Mrs. Thomas could see her.
      “Oh?” There was a pause and Marianne was about to fill the void when Mrs. Thomas added, “Yes, I remember we talked about that. I’m sorry—sometimes it takes me a while to remember things. I haven’t been able to do much with that house, and it would be nice to have things fixed up.”
    “Thank you, so much. I just wanted to let you know I’m here at the house, and I got in yesterday.”
    “Oh good, good. Is everything in order? Are you having a hard time?” She sounded a little anxious.
    “What? No, the electric is on, and the water is fine. Listen, I wondered if you would let me paint the inside? It doesn’t look like it’s been repainted in a long time, and I’d be happy to do it. I promise I’ll pick decent colors. I can show you the palette, if you want to approve it.” She looked around the sad pink living room and crossed her fingers.  
    “Oh, no, I trust you. It’ll look splendid with fresh paint.”
    Relieved she said, “Thank you! I’ll get started right away. When I’m done you can come by and see it.”
    “That would be very nice. Are you sure everything is all right? He’s not giving you a hard time?” She sounded worried.
    “Who are you talking about? Gloria’s Realty? The neighbors? SueAnn Talmadge seemed nice if a bit rushed, and I haven’t met the neighbors yet.”
    “Well, if you’re sure, then maybe you’ll do all right there. I have to go. Miss Lisa is at the door to take me to bingo at the senior center.”
    “Okay. Nice to talk to you, Mrs. Thomas. ‘Bye.” The connection ended. Mrs. Thomas seemed a bit vague but nice enough.  
    She made a call to the local cable-Internet company and arranged for her hook up. Mid August was a slow time, so they promised to send someone out on Saturday for an extra fee. After that she walked around the house with the color palettes in hand thinking about paint until she’d decided on a simple