Game of Hearts Read Online Free Page B

white lilies. The immaculate deep green grass accented the soft pink cyclamen flowers along the front of the house.
    Scarlett's daughter, Victoria, welcomed us into a long hallway. Pictures of the family lined the walls, and a peacock figurine sat atop a small entryway table off to the right. The green of its tail matched the green of the stems in the glass surrounding the front door.
    I gave Victoria a hug."I'm always amazed by how beautiful your home is."
    "Thanks. Mom's in the kitchen." She turned her attention to Sarah and Kendra. "Want to come see my room? I've redone it."
    "Again?" Kendra pushed her wire-framed glasses higher on her nose and groaned. "Don't you ever get tired of redecorating?"
    "Never." Victoria laughed. "It's in my blood."
    The girls headed upstairs. I'd overheard Kendra on many occasions explain to my Sarah that no one should buy new clothes if the old ones still fit. It kept Sarah from wanting to keep up with Victoria. Kendra was often a godsend in my otherwise tight budget.
    The aromas of barbeque and hot pepper sauce assaulted my nostrils as I followed Rachel to the kitchen. I could overhear Scarlett ’s husband Robert speaking, "The only spicy thing I want is you." Robert's voice had a sensual tone to it.
    Scarlett giggled. "Don't you ever get enough of me?"
    Rachel glanced over her shoulder at me and placed a finger to her lips. She tucked her head into the entrance to the traditional kitchen, which boasted charcoal gray countertops with cream-colored cabinet panels. She smiled, gave me a wink, and then took a step forward. "We'd be more than happy to wait in the other room until you're finished," she said to the two in the kitchen.
    We both walked into full view. Robert removed his arm from around his wife. He blushed all the way over his bald head. His gray polo shirt made his complexion even more pronounced.
    "We was just cuddling," Scarlett said with as much Southern charm as she could muster. Her red face matched the apron she wore around her waist.
    "Funny, looked more like pawing to me." Rachel poked her elbow into my ribcage.
    "I'm off." Robert kissed Scarlett's cheek. "Nice seeing you again, ladies."
    "Robert," Rachel and I sang in unison.
    "So where are the girls?" Scarlett spoke with a quiver in her voice.
    "Up with Victoria." Rachel leaned over taking in a whiff of the chicken. "Umm. The wings smell good."
    "It's a new recipe." Scarlett came around and gave me a hug. "How are y'all holding up, darlin'?"
    "We're getting by," I said.
    "Well, don't y'all worry, I'm sure something good'll come out of it." Scarlett gave me one last squeeze. "But if you need any help, you let me know. Robert and I'll be more than happy to give you some money to get you by. It won't be a loan, either. It'll be a gift."
    "Thanks, I appreciate it. Less working hours might give me time for something else, like collecting cans on the side of the highway. Think how much nicer the town will look without all the garbage along the road." My day had been filled with fear and anxiety. But I didn't want my friends to know, so I forced a smile. "I wouldn't be so worried if Michael actually paid his support."
    Rachel slid her finger over the stirring spoon for the wings and brought it to her mouth for a taste. "I thought you had a court date back in July to get him to pay what he owed you."
    "The judge told him to pay ten percent and get a job. The rest got broken down into payments again. The ten percent went to my lawyer, and I have yet to see anything since then. And as far as I know, he still isn't working."
    "You've taken him to court three times now, and each time they've increased his monthly payments after he makes a small stipend." Rachel pulled out one of the bar stools from under the cherry-stained kitchen island. "Are these judges so thick they don't see he's never going to pay if he doesn't have to?"
    "What do they care? It doesn't affect them." I pushed hair back from my face, willing my tears back. I