Broken Read Online Free Page A

reminded Bella of the type of grandmother she had always wanted. Her snow white hair reminded her of Mrs. Claus, and she had the peppy demeanor to go with it.
    “Good morning, Roslyn,” Bella said, forcing a smile. She was always forcing her smiles lately. Losing Lori had hit her incredibly hard, and Ethan seemed to be recovering better than she was. Kids were resilient from what she’d heard, and it must have been true since she and Lori had survived what they had in childhood.
    “Honey, are you okay? You look so tired,” Roslyn said putting her hand on Bella’s shoulder.
    “I’m fine. I just haven’t slept well lately,” Bella said biting her lower lip.
    “You know, I lost my sister four years ago myself…”
    “You did? How did you get through it?” Bella asked as she put on her green apron and started cleaning dishes from the morning rush.
    “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do, including burying Murray…”
    “Murray?”
    “My husband of thirty-two years. He died of cancer about six years ago. That was tough stuff, but losing Harriet was the worst. She was the only person who’d known me my whole life, ya know?” Roslyn said shaking her head.
    “I’m sorry for your loss,” Bella said as she scrubbed a particularly stubborn hot chocolate mug.
    “I know it’s gotta be hard coming to a new town like this and taking over for your sister, but I admire your tenacity.”
    “Thank you. I don’t feel very strong right now, but I’ve always had tenacity,” Bella said with an ironic laugh. Of course, Roslyn had no idea what kind of life Bella and Lori had lived.
    “Well, that will get you anywhere. You can’t give up, Bella, because I’ve learned that the best things in life are sometimes just around that corner that you’re afraid to turn,” she said as she wiped down one of the counters. Before Bella could respond, a customer came in and their workday continued.
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    “ H ey , buddy!” Bella said with a smile as Ethan walked into the kitchen. Sharon had agreed to bring him home from school that day so Bella could do a little shopping for his Halloween costume. He’d wanted to be Spiderman, of course, so she went out and bought him the best costume she could find.
    Bella was thankful that she had saved quite a bit of money to send to Lori for Christmas shopping. It was that money that would get her through those first few months without having to worry much.
    “Hi, Aunt Bella…” he said, throwing his backpack onto the stool by the breakfast bar.
    “How was school today?” she asked as she stirred a pot of frozen dumplings. She was attempting to make chicken and dumplings since they were one of Ethan’s favorites.
    “Not great. Someone made fun of me. About my mom…” he said hanging his head. Bella froze in place. Who would make fun of a child whose mother had died two weeks before?
    “What?” was all she could say as she put down the spoon and turned to him.
    “This kid, Jake Oliver, is a real jerk. He got mad at me because I was the line leader, so he said my family was trash since my Mom got hit by a garbage truck.”
    Bella’s anger started to rise to the surface as she struggled to put a muzzle on her mouth. She intended to take care of little Jake Oliver as soon as possible whether he was seven years old or not. She leaned on the counter across from him and grabbed both of his hands.
    “Ethan, some kids are silly and say stupid things. One day, Jake is going to feel really sorry for saying something so mean to you. I’m sorry he said it, but you know it’s not true.”
    “I know, but everyone stared. It made me feel so bad. Howie punched him in the arm, but he couldn’t take those words back.”
    “Hey, I have some good news! I found that Spiderman costume you wanted today.” She handed him the bag with the costume inside. Ethan opened it, muttered a half-hearted thanks and walked down the hall.
    With that, he went to his room and shut the door. Bella knew