Rumpled Between The Sheets Read Online Free Page A

own." She peered out. "You are
staying, right?"
    Where
would I go? She painted on a smile. "Looks that way. My
mother left me everything and thinking through it all, I can't imagine putting
the house up on the market."
    "Memories
will get you every time."
    Mary nodded, her
hand absently running over the banister to the upstairs. "I'm going to
freshen up, if you don't mind."
    "You go
ahead. I'll let myself out."
    Each step
brought a fresh memory. Her prom, standing next to Billy Garner, and posing as
her mother belted out a few Polaroid snapshots. The frilly dress, a creation of
her mother’s, had been a hit. The pride on her mother's face when Mary bundled
up the dress to fit into Billy's car felt like yesterday.
    How many times
had her father scolded her for riding the banister down? Or the scary moment
she tumbled down the flight playing dress up in her mother's heels. She still
bore a scar from the stitches high on her forehead.
    At the end of
the hall was her old room. The house was huge by Beowulf Hollow standards. Her
parents wanted a big family. When her father passed away, her
mother never bothered to remarry, though many suitors called. Mary had a
suspicion Vivian had something to do with that. Her father had a premium life
insurance policy and her mother was far from poor. Gold diggers, Vivian had
called the men and helped send them packing when they showed up on the stoop.
    The door to her
room creaked as she opened it, and she was transported back to her senior year
at Hollow High. Several David Cassidy posters hung on the wall along with
Queen, sporting their pose from the A
Night at the Opera album. A few stuffed animals, stacked in soldier-like
rows, lined her dressers. Her mother had threatened to paint over the hot pink
walls yet never did. How often did she step in here to remember the wayward
daughter who ran away?
    Curling up on
the bed, Mary hugged her pillow. Before long, her eyes closed to the world
around her.
    ****
    Delightful
smells assaulted her senses and brought her out of slumber. Voices drifted from
downstairs and for a moment, Mary thought she was back a few nights before she
decided to go to New York. One glance at her bare toes and rumpled clothing
told her different.
    Gathering
herself up, she headed downstairs to find several people milling about in the
living room. None of them were strangers, although the multitude of people
overwhelmed her. Betsy waved from the kitchen.
    "I hope you
don't mind. When I saw how little was here, it just didn't feel right leaving you
alone tonight. Your mother would have wanted us to
celebrate, not weep."
    Mary's lips
trembled and a few tears leaked out. "Yes, she would."
    "Oh,
dear." Betsy hurried over and wrapped her arms around Mary.
    In that moment,
she was glad that events in New York had led her back to this small town. The
community was just what she needed to heal. She belonged here.
    Betsy guided her
out to the kitchen. "My lemon pepper chicken is just the thing for
you."
    Mary wasn’t
hungry but passing up one of her favorite meals during neighborhood picnics
wasn't going to happen. She sat on one of the stools around the center island
and Betsy filled a plate with more food than she could eat in one sitting. Two
bites in and her appetite took over. She swallowed, another smell—though
faint—tickling her nostrils. The sweet scent of pine.
    "You
cleaned?"
    "Of course,
sweetie. You need to rest." Betsy patted her cheek. "Have you decided what
you're doing with your mother's business?"
    Mary shook her
head, chewing on a piece of biscuit. "I went to the store before coming
home." She shoved another piece of biscuit in her mouth, not wanting to
reveal anything she found there. Betsy snapped a piece of carrot off between
her teeth, nodding. Mary didn't miss the calculation gleaming in the woman's
eye.
    "I mean, I
have to settle the estate and whatnot before I make any decisions." Mary
covered her mouth and yawned. Self-generated but she needed to get