Some Women Read Online Free Page A

Charlotte?” She nodded confidently before shoveling a heaping spoonful of rice pilaf into her mouth. “Just because you can’t see her doesn’t mean she’s not real.”
    â€œWell, actually, it does mean that.” Piper laughed effortlessly. Fern had been born with an overactive imagination, which—most of the time—worked to everyone’s advantage. Like when they took long road trips, or at night when it was time to go to sleep. Unlike other children her age, her daughter was perfectly content to lie in silence, concocting convoluted stories in her head. Stories so elaborate that when she relayed them to Piper the following morning, it was hard to believe Fern hadn’t pilfered them from an epic fairy tale. “But she seems like she’s going to be a pretty easy pet, so I’m on board. Todd?”
    â€œAbsolutely! Can I get your little buddy a treat?”
    Fern rolled her eyes. “She’s not hungry.”
    â€œOkay. Well, then, we’ll feed her later.” Todd squeezed Piper’s leg under the table.
    â€œI’m thankful for two things,” Piper spoke up, turning the attention away from Fern’s satiated, not to mention bogus, dog. “Anyone have a guess?”
    â€œI’m one!” Fern shouted, flaunting a punctured grin as she shot her arm to the ceiling. The tooth fairy had been working overtime lately. Teeth didn’t come cheap these days. When Piper was growing up, she was certain that one dollar had been the going rate. Now the other kids in Fern’s fifth-grade class were reporting cash earnings of twenty bucks a pop, which was way too steep for Piper’s wallet. Of course, Todd always offered to pitch in, but they weren’t there yet. She was more than happy to let him take on some of the household expenses, since they were, in fact, cohabitating now, but when it came to Fern, Piper still assumed the financial responsibility as hers and hers alone.
    â€œYou’re right! How did you know?”
    â€œBecause you always say the same thing, Mom.” She rolled her eyes again, though not in the same way as she had at Todd. “What’s the other thing?”
    â€œThe other thing isn’t any more a thing than you are. It’s Todd. I’m thankful that he’s here with us and that we can all be a family.”
    Fern was silent. She’d always been a good girl. Never defiant or bratty, as so many of the other kids at her school were. Perhaps because of their circumstances, she’d matured faster than her years. If Fern’s nose wasn’t in a book, then she was researching something online such as brown recluse spiders or goblin sharks. She’d had an enduring obsession with Piper’s favorite book since Piper had first read it to her as a child, mesmerized by the fact that she shared hername with one of the main characters—no coincidence there. To this day, Fern slept with the same stuffed pig she’d received as an infant and had named Wilbur as soon as she could speak. She’d declare to anyone who listened that
Charlotte’s Web
was the key to all of life’s most vital lessons, a hypothesis Piper never dared refute.
    â€œI’m thankful for that too,” Todd echoed. “But, most of all, I’m so grateful to have you in my life.” He smiled at Fern.
    â€œI’m not your daughter.” She pushed her plate forward and stood up. “I’m tired. May I please be excused?”
    â€œFern.”
Piper’s voice was stern. “You have to finish your dinner.”
    â€œI’m not hungry.” She stared down at her uneaten salad and a piece of steak with one bite cut out of it.
    â€œIt’s okay.” Todd nodded at Piper reassuringly. “If you want to go to bed, that’s fine.”
    He may not have been the bearer of permission Fern had expected, but she seized the opportunity nonetheless, not bothering to say good