Bumpy Roads - A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book 11) (The Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery Series) Read Online Free Page B

“I have a feeling that butterfingers might be a family trait that I’ll
pass on to all of our children.”
    Mary laughed and smiled up at Bradley. “Well, in that case,
I’m going to hide all of my breakable things.”
    Mary was laughing, but Clarissa remembered her own mother
would laugh when her father was home.   Then when he left, the pain would show on her face and she would lie
down for a long time.   Mary must hate her
but didn’t want her dad to know.  
    She shivered as she remembered back in Chicago when she
dropped a candy dish at Mrs. Gunderson’s house.   Mrs. Gunderson had slapped her hard across her face and told her she was
a stupid child.   Mary probably thought
she was a stupid child too. Was Mary going to slap her once her dad left?
    Bradley knelt down next to Clarissa and gave her a hug.
“I’ve got to go into the office early,” he said. “But I’ll see you tonight.”
    “Okay,” Clarissa whispered. “Have a nice day.”
    Pulling Mary into his arms, Bradley kissed her and then
tenderly looked down into her eyes. “I’m really going to miss you,” he said.
    Clarissa stomach tightened even more. He hadn’t said he was
going to miss her. Did he love Mary more than he loved her?
    “I’ll miss you too,” Mary said, tenderly running her hand
through his hair. “Be careful out there.”
    They kissed once again and then Bradley bent down and
pressed a quick kiss on Clarissa’s forehead. “Goodbye my lovely ladies,” he
said with a wink, before he left.
    Hearing the door close, Mary sighed softly. “Well, this was
an exciting way to begin our first day as a family, wasn’t it?” she asked
Clarissa with a smile. “Do you need me to help you get dressed?”
    Shaking her head, Clarissa stepped away from Mary. “No, I’m
fine,” she said. “I’ll just get ready.”
    “Okay, I’ll get your lunch ready and then we can have
breakfast together,” Mary said, as she leaned down and gave Clarissa a quick
hug. “I’ll see you in a few minutes.”
    Clarissa watched Mary go down the stairs.   When was Mary going to be angry?   When was she going to yell at her?  
    She looked at the large shard of china she had placed on her
nightstand and Mary hadn’t thrown away.   It was so delicate and so beautiful. Mary must hate her for sure.

Chapter Six

 
    There was a quick knock on the front door while Mary was in
the kitchen putting a bag lunch together for Clarissa.   She wiped her hands on a towel and hurried to
the door.   Opening it, she smiled when
she saw Ian and Gillian standing hand-in-hand at the door.
    “Come in,” she invited. “I was just getting things together
for Clarissa.”
    “Oh, good, then we haven’t missed her,” Ian said. “We wanted
to see her before we left town.”
    Mary sighed. “I’m going to really miss you,” she said. “You
were the best roommate I ever had.”
    Ian turned to Gillian. “She meant that only in the most
platonic way,” he assured her.
    Gillian laughed. “Aye, I can see she only has eyes for
Bradley,” she said. “And it’s good for you that she does.”
    He leaned over and kissed her. “And I only have eyes for you,
my love,” he said.
    “What a charmer,” Mary laughed as she headed back to the
kitchen to pack the rest of Clarissa’s lunch bag. “Clarissa should be down any
minute and I know she’s going to love seeing you.”
    “Hey, are you having a party and no one invited me?” Mike
asked, appearing in the living room.
    “Aye, it’s a going-away party,” Ian said. “Gillian and I are
off to Chicago this morning.”
    Gillian looked around the room. “Who are you talking to?”
she asked.
    “Oh, it’s Mike,” Ian explained. “He’s the angel I was
telling you about.”
    “The good-looking one,” Mike added.
    “Aye, the poor disfigured fellow,” Ian said. “I’ve never
seen such an ugly bloke in my life.”
    Gillian watched a mirror float through the room and hover in
front of Ian’s face.