The Sweet Under His Skin Read Online Free

are you making?" she asked, setting herself down in a chair at the kitchen table, yawning yet again.
    Jolene smiled at her brightly, flour on her cheek. "Pancakes. I found your pajama pants in a box while I was looking for pillows. Hope it's okay."
    Arielle hadn't even noticed that Jolene's denim skank skirt was gone. "It's better," she assured her sister. "Calvin doesn't need the birds and the bees talk early, just because he got an eyeful of where he came from." Jolene just laughed, flipping the pancakes she had in the skillet. "Did you actually sleep?"
    Her sister didn't look at her as she shrugged one shoulder. "I guess. A little."
    Arielle shook her head, crossing her arms on the table and letting her head fall forward onto them. "Christ, I'm so exhausted."
    "I know Arielle. That's why I'm here! I'm helping."
    Arielle had to admit that breakfast smelled awesome. She dragged her sad ass off the chair and set the table, getting the butter and syrup, dishes and flatware while Jolene prattled on about all the fantastic things she'd seen and where she'd been the last three months.
    Breakfast was served at the kitchen table, with Jolene asking Calvin all the polite questions an aunt would ask when visiting. It was a strange demographic, but it worked for them for whatever reason. Calvin helped load the dishwasher, and Jolene sat staring at him while Arielle brought two mugs of coffee to the table for them. Jolene was shaking her head as she took a sip.
    "He's so awesome, Arielle. He's so smart!"
    Calvin could hear her of course, but he just sniffed and pushed his glasses up his nose, his ears turning a bit red.
    "He is smart," Arielle confirmed. "Teachers all say he's the brightest in the class. Right, Peanut?"
    "Yes, Aunt Arielle."
    "I'm so sorry you're sick, Arielle." Jolene said quietly. "It…it should be me getting sick."
    Part of the manipulative personality again, but Arielle wasn't playing into that. "We have no say over this stuff," she said. "I just wish I didn't lose all of mom and dad's money fighting for custody," she said it quiet, but Calvin was smart enough to know what they were talking about.
    Jolene set her coffee down. "I wouldn't take his money, Arielle." Arielle just scoffed. "I wouldn't," Jolene hissed through clenched teeth.
    "You'll steal it from strangers but not your son? That does makes you a good person."
    Jolene fell silent, her lower jaw thrust to the side to show she was pissed. Now we were getting to the ugly truth; the fact that Jolene was still half-gone and the addiction was very much in control.
    "You know what?" The ugly side finally spat out. "You win. Sit here and feel fucking sorry for yourself. Play‘mommy martyr’and collect all those fucking sainthood points. But don't you ever imply I don't care."
    "You don't," Arielle said back.
    "Fuck you, Arielle."
    Arielle got to her feet. "Get out."
    Jolene looked shocked. "What?"
    "Get out of this house."
    "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"
    "You never mean anything. You show up here at three in the morning, wake up your son, show a handful of stolen money at me and expect it to make anything better? You're not welcome here until you're straight, Jolene. I can't have you in here with…stolen property and controlled substances. You need to leave." She saw tired, and overly cranky, but she meant every word. This was as close to an intervention as her sister was going to get.
    Jolene's eyes welled up, ready to play for the sympathy. Arielle had seen it too many times. "I'm sorry, Arielle," she whispered, standing slowly like she'd just been beaten. "I'll go."
    Calvin had quietly slipped out of the room to watch TV, and Jolene left much the same way. Arielle's heart was pounding hard and her blood was roaring; but it never lasted long. She felt the exhaustion again and had to sit down, calming herself with even breaths. She didn't have energy to waste this way, not in the morning anyway.
    When Jolene returned with her bag she put a pile of money on