Stone de la Bru Familia Read Online Free Page A

Stone recognized as his own. 
    "You bin in my room?" He'd turned from the bimmer with the soapy goat hair mitts covering his hand. 
    "Of course not!" Her smile betrayed the lie. "Coretta says what do you want for lunch? I want some orange chicken from Tao's…" 
    "You better stay outta my room." He waved her away with this, giving her permission to tell Coretta whatever she wanted. He heard the words orange chicken and then soft laughter. He resisted the urge to turn for the smile on Lillian's pretty face. 
    "He's washing his toys," Lillian teased  into the phone. They were having a good time discussing  Stone. "She wants to know if she can bring her car for a detail… Shoot! I need mine done too." 
    Stone rounded the back of the BMW to rinse the trunk off, looking to Lillian. He smiled, knowing she didn't expect him to say what he was about to say. "Y'all better hurry up." 
    Lillian grew animated. "Girl, he said to hurry up. It is not often we get to put him to work!" Lillian leaned back with her laughter, her beige face reaching for the sky. "I know that's right! See you in a minute girl." 
     Stone's mother appeared behind Lillian, hitting her gently with the opening of the screen door. Lillian stepped forward on the porch, careful not to fall over the edge. Mabel looked to her curiously. 
    "Don't you fall now," she warned with wide, dark eyes before looking to Stone with one hand shielding her eyes from the sun. "Baby, the social worker is here for you." His mother's voice was a plea to be on his best behavior. 
    "Send her around the side mama." 
    "She's in the living room. Maybe you should come on inside and clean up a little bit," Mabel suggested.  
    She was rarely without an apron over a flower print dress. Her large breasts and wide hips only added to her matronly disposition. Long black hair (pulled into a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck) and smooth black skin was a reminder of the extraordinary beauty of her youth. 
    "She'll be all right out here mama," he replied, moving to the other side of the BMW to spray water over the soapy top. He didn't see any reason why he had to stop what he was doing for someone who wanted to take Serena away from him. Besides, what he had to say was better said out of earshot of his mother 
    "If you say so," Mabel said at length before turning back into the house. 
    "You gone have that poor woman out here in the hot sun?" Lillian wanted to know, shielding her own eyes now, suddenly infected by their mother’s sensitivity to sunlight. "You know she's probably wearing a suit," she added in a lower tone. 
    Stone smiled to her mischievously. "So, what you about to do?" His question caught her off-guard. She considered protesting his subtle suggestion for her to make herself disappear (she'd wanted to stay), before turning abruptly into the house. 
    Stone was watching her as she stopped in mid-stride through the doorway. Something in her posture told him that the social worker was right in front of her. He turned his attention to the rims as Mrs. Karen Cartwright negotiated the back porch and looked out towards the backyard of luxury automobiles. 
    "Mr. Stone Sweetwater?" the thin, dark skinned woman asked. Her words came out fast. If they were cars on the highway they'd rear end one another at the slightest lull in traffic.  
    The red linen pantsuit clashed against her dark skin with purple paint over her eyes. Why did black women paint themselves purple? Stone wondered as he observed her carefully stepping down the porch in red high heels. 
    “I forgot your name," Stone answered as he moved around the front of the BMW. 
     A large Rottweiler lounged lazily in the shade of the house. He looked up suddenly when Mrs. Cartwright rounded the trash bin which obscured him from view. She jumped to the grass, startled, nearly dropping the bright red folder and lizard handbag she cradled in the crook of her thin elbow. 
    Stone