All the World Read Online Free Page B

shouted the girl. “Whatever is going on between the adults of our family and Theodore’s family has nothing to do with us! Does anyone even remember what the start of the stupid Terrace-Rose feud was about?”
                  Mrs. Terrace gave an angry chuckle. “You watched a movie until four in the morning, Giulia? The movie theatre closes at midnight.”
                  “You are impossible!” Giulia snapped softly. Her gaze shifted to the window. “Theo and I love each other.”
                  Her mother didn’t seem to hear her. “I’m sick of the lies. One day you’ll show up and say you didn’t have sex but you’re pregnant. Or will you be adult enough then to admit you’ve got a Rose bastard in there?”
                  Talk about family issues. Lexie cleared her throat and approached the counter. Mrs. Terrace and Giulia looked embarrassed.
                  “Can I have a tall iced caramel macchiato with an extra shot of espresso, please?” Lexie smiled at Giulia.
                  Mrs. Terrace took over the cash register as Giulia prepared her drink, chucking ice angrily into the plastic cup. “So, you like extra caffeine too. Flora always wants two or three shots. I don’t know how that girl functions in an office when she’s drugged up on so much caffeine. Are you enjoying Vernon Hills?”
                  Lexie nodded. “Flora took me to the Windsor Bar to meet her friends. I think I’ll like it here.”
                  “Perhaps you can give Giulia an account of what happened with the Rose boys last night,” Mrs. Terrace said loudly.
                  “Rose boys?” Lexie remembered the boys discussing a friend named Theodore last night.
                  “Yes,” she said. “Apparently, a group of them tried to sneak into the bar. Johnny Flesh was smart enough for once to call the police. They’re all underage. When they got caught, they ran. Sheriff Cato—he’s my nephew—managed to catch up to one. The boy my daughter is in love with is a cousin of his.”
                  Giulia returned with the macchiato and a haughty expression. “Theo was not with them.”
                  “Of course not; he was with you.”
                  Lexie handed over the money, thanked Mrs. Terrace and Giulia, and hurried out. Another argument was starting. Lexie made a mental note to ask Flora what the Terrace-Rose feud was about. It was another interesting secret of Vernon Hills.
                  The sky was the color of a bruise. Rain drizzled down over Vernon Hills, and the dark clouds in the east threatened an approaching storm. Lexie hated driving in the rain and regretted leaving her umbrella boxed up in her room. Her car was parked in a small lot reserved for the residents who lived on Avon Road and Sutton Street.
                  People were hurrying inside, looking at the sky and muttering. The forecast had promised a nice day, but the weather changed its mind, ruining any outdoor plans. As Lexie thought about the task at hand, she decided a rainy day suited the mood better than a sunny one. Perhaps the rain would dampen Cesare’s arrogance.
                  Lexie came to a halt when she caught sight of the parking lot. The sheriff’s car, lights flashing, was blocking the entrance. A lanky boy with a buzz cut was arguing loudly with the sheriff. She recognized his voice as the one who had compared love to a will-o-the-wisp.
                  “Mark Cue, you should be happy that all you’re getting is a speeding ticket,” Sheriff Cato smirked. “I heard you were one of the kids trying to sneak into the bar last night.”
                  “Yeah, and how many people did you actually manage to arrest?” Mark snipped brazenly. “You never would have caught me today if my car hadn’t