What's Life Without the Sprinkles? Read Online Free

eight-thousand-dollar check and feeling as if her life was finally on the right track?

Chapter Two
    Nate West grabbed the ringing phone as he stepped out of the shower. Slinging a towel around his hips, he walked into his master bedroom and pressed the talk button.
    “Hey, Claudia. What’s up? You have another huge check to deposit? Or are you finally returning all the phone calls you’ve been avoiding from me? I don’t get why you have a cell, if you’re never going to answer it.” He laughed and waited for her to laugh, too. But she didn’t, and silence hung in the dead space of the phone wire. “Claudia?”
    Throat clearing that sounded like Claudia, but nothing else. Had someone hijacked her phone?
    “Claudia?”
    “Yeah, I’m here, sorry. I was trying to clear my head from all the Lysol and perfume I just had to use. That boy is going to get his rear end grounded.”
    This ought to be good. Justin stories always were. He loved that kid, but he did not envy Claudia having to deal with his shenanigans sometimes.
    “What did he do now?” He settled back on his bed with his arms crossed behind his head. He didn’t have anywhere to be tonight and had some time to kill before he made himself dinner. Telling her about Peter could wait a minute.
    “Well, how about we stick with this afternoon only, since I don’t have time for the whole day. Let’s just say I smelled something foul when I walked past his bedroom. I went in armed with Lysol and came out with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich that looked like it had petrified under the bed, except it smelled horrendous. I sprayed and sprayed and sprayed. Then hit myself with an extra dose of perfume just to clear my nose. I probably reek like a whorehouse, but whatever.”
    “That’s disgusting.” But he was laughing.
    “You’re telling me. And don’t you dare laugh about it in front of him. I don’t want to encourage him.”
    “You know I’d never do that. Whenever I’m around him I try to be on my best behavior.”
    She sighed, and it sounded weary. He didn’t like Claudia to sound weary. “Do you want me to come pick him up for a little? I could take him to the batting cages or out for dinner. Maybe the skate park? I have the night free. You could come, too.”
    She sniffed. He hoped to God she wasn’t crying.
    “Would you mind?” she asked, her voice stronger. “My mother just called to cancel on taking Justin for the night, and I have a date.”
    “Edward?” He did not particularly like the guy the one time he’d met him, but he and Claudia had always stayed out of each other’s love lives. He wasn’t going to interfere now if she wanted to be with some egghead.
    “Yes, Edward. He’s going to be here in an hour and a half. Can I drop Justin off now, or is that too quick?”
    “Bring him now. We’ll grill and then play some games. We’ll be fine, and I’ll have a little talk with him about cleanliness.” Of course, he should probably clean his house first, before trying to give advice on the topic.
    She laughed, and that sounded much more like the Claudia he’d known since they were little. “Yeah, you do that. Let me know how it works out. And thanks for stepping in at the last minute, Nate. I really appreciate it.”
    “It’s always my pleasure. It is not my pleasure to tell you something else, though.”
    “I’ve had about enough with cryptic today. What else do you have to add to my plate? I’m on my third helping as it is.”
    There was that weariness again. It pulled at something in his chest. But he had to tell her. “I saw Peter today in town.”
    “Yeah, I heard. May told me he’ll be here for a few weeks helping with their dad’s house. Thanks for letting me know, though, so I wouldn’t be taken off guard. I’ll get through this, Nate, like I always do.”
    Weariness sounded almost like defeat. That was not like Claudia. She was a fighter, scrappy to the last. “You know I’m here if you need