A Sliver of Sun Read Online Free

grown-ups settled on the front porch, sipping sweet tea and watching Ginger and I battle it out. Then after a bit, Miss Claudia went inside and reappeared with her suitcase in hand. Mama waved us over to say our goodbyes before Ben drove her home.
    Miss Claudia gave us a half-way hug without getting too close. “Now don’t y’all take it personal,” she said, “but one shower a day is plenty.”
    My soaking bangs dripped water into my eyes as I watched the car disappear back down the driveway. It gave me a little pang in my heart to realize Miss Claudia wasn’t my across-the-hall friend, or neighbor, or babysitter anymore. And even though we’d only moved a few miles away, it wasn’t the same … nothing was the same.
    “Wanna play any more?” I asked Ginger.
    She shook her head, and water droplets sprayed onto my shoulder. “Naw,” she said, “think I’ll go dry off.”
    “Me too,” I said. But what I really wanted to do was talk to Mama. She still sat on the porch, sipping her tea. I ambled toward the house real slow so Ginger had plenty of time to get ahead. Then after she’d gone through the screen door I kneeled down beside Mama’s chair.
    She jerked her leg away with a laugh. “Goodness, Piper Lee, you’re freezing.”
    “Is everything okay, Mama?”
    “Everything’s just peachy, honey. Why?”
    “I heard what you said to Ben, about us maybe not liking something.”
    Her face flushed a shade rosier. “Oh … did you now?”
    “What do you think we won’t like?”
    She pushed a wet chunk of hair from my face. “We’ll talk about it later. Maybe tonight after supper.”
    “But nothing’s wrong is it, Mama?”
    She clamped her lips into a smile and shook her head, and I knew she wouldn’t let me finagle any more information, at least not right then. “Okay, fine,” I said. “Then can you at least tell me if I’m in trouble with Ben for what happened to his Mustang? ’cause I swear, Mama, the whole thing was Mowgli’s fault. I was up on the ladder, and I was being real careful and everything.”
    Mama shook her head. “It’s okay, honey. At first he was a little put out, but he can always paint again if he needs to. Let’s go take a look.”
    I led her over to the hood and watched her expression. Her eyebrows knit together. “My goodness! All that worry for this? I was expecting something much worse.”
    I couldn’t help but grin at how perfectly Miss Claudia’s plan had worked. I only hoped it worked as good on Ben. “Should’ve seen it at first,” I said.
    “Well, I don’t think you have much to fret about now,” Mama said. “Get dried off, and then let’s see what we can find for supper.” She made a half-turn and stopped, a funny look on her face. She rested her fingertips on my arm.
    “You okay?” I asked.
    She shook her shoulders. “Just a pinch dizzy all of a sudden. I’m fine now. Come on.”
    Ginger and I were on the porch steps, shelling a big bowl of peas when Ben came back from dropping off Miss Claudia. My insides wobbled like a fried egg as he walked over to look at the Mustang’s hood. He stood for a minute, his back to us with feet planted wide. Then he turned and headed toward the porch.
    “Sorry,” I mumbled, as he walked past.
    “I’ll declaw that dang cat,” he said. And my mouth went dry as I stared up at him. But then he winked, and I started to breath again.
    Ginger grinned and stuck a pea in her mouth. “Guess what, Daddy? Me and Piper Lee divided up my bedroom.”
    “Divided it up?”
    “Yep. Cut it right in half with a chalk line. Wanna see?”
    “I reckon I better,” he said.
    I stayed put, shelling peas, and trying to calm my nerves.
    Mowgli strolled over a minute later. He sat himself on the top step and started to lick his behind. Ever since the incident with the car hood, I’d tossed his leash and left him to his own devices. I flicked a pea at him. “That’s disgusting, Mowgli, knock it off.” He watched the pea roll off