Hold on My Heart Read Online Free

aghast.
    “Could we hold off on the inquisition for a bit and just enjoy this dinner, please?” Marti said.
    Dante glanced around and finally seemed to realize his mistake. “I don’t have anything against college. I tried it for a while, but it wasn’t a good fit for me.”
    “Dante is a jousting instructor,” Marti said. “And he’s studying filmmaking, just not in a formal program.”
    Libby knew if Seth was there, he’d bet ten bucks that meant the kid sat around all day watching movies and talking about how he could make them better. She took a bite of roast beef and was glad to not be a locavore.
    “So, Ginny,” Marti said, clearly intent on redirecting the conversation, “are you sure there’s only one baby in there? You’re looking kind of wide.”
    Ginny wiped a bit of gravy off the front of her shirt with a napkin. “I have
not
gained too much weight. Someday you and Libby will be pregnant, and you’ll see—”
    “All right. All right. Let’s not start bickering.” Their father tapped his fingers against the tabletop, drumroll style. “Now that you’re all here, I have an announcement to make.”
    Libby glanced at her mother, taking a mental “before the homicidal breakdown” snapshot. She’d hoped her father might hold off on this grand proclamation until after dessert. There was strawberry shortcake in the kitchen, and she really wanted some, but she could hardly sit there eating it while her mother wept. Could she?
    Her father cleared his throat again. “Since my retirement last year, it’s no secret I’ve been floundering a bit. There’s only so much golf a man can play, especially since I don’t particularly like golf.”
    He seemed to be waiting for them to chuckle. Open with a joke and all that. Only no one laughed, even his own mother, so he plowed forward, making eye contact with each of them to ensure their raptattention. “I have found myself a project. A pretty big one, and you are all invited to help me with it, if you’d like to. Or not. It’s your choice.”
    “What are you talking about, Peter?” Beverly prompted.
    He took a sip of water. Libby saw the liquid quaking in the glass as he set it back on the table.
    “Beverly, kids, Mom, I bought the old Mason schoolhouse, and I’m going to turn it into a vintage, turn-of-the-century ice-cream parlor.”
    A
whoosh
of stunned silence swept through the room. The air around Libby felt thick with their disbelief. She looked at their stunned faces, her gaze finally landing on her mother.
    Beverly’s expression blanked even as a telltale flush crept up her peach-hued skin. She touched her throat with one hand. “You did… what?”
    “I bought the old Mason schoolhouse, and I’m turning it into an ice-cream parlor.” He said it with a hint of defiance this time, as if saying it louder and faster made it seem like a better idea. “I have all the details worked out. Well, most of them. And I’ve asked Libby to help me,” he added with far too much enthusiasm.
    “I haven’t said yes.” Libby shook her head.
    Her father frowned at her lack of solidarity.
    She couldn’t help him. She really wanted that shortcake.
    Beverly blinked rapidly. “I see.” Her voice was honey-soft, but her skin was turning a mottled sort of fire-ant red.
    “Which place?” Nana asked.
    “The Mason schoolhouse, over near the lake.” He smiled tentatively at his wife. “I didn’t want to tell you beforehand, Bev, because I wanted it to be a surprise. So… surprise!” His voice was strained with painfully false glee.
    Libby shook her head at his simplicity. He was playing the dense card, pretending it had never occurred to him that her mother would be upset. Then he could act wounded and victimized when she got angry. It was textbook passive-aggressive. Nana had taught him that.
    “That’s amazing, Daddy,” Marti said. “What a fabulous idea. Everybody loves ice cream.”
    “It’s a crazy idea, Marti,” Ginny scoffed.