Dead Woman Crossing J.R. Adler (early reader chapter books txt) 📖

“What changed? Why was he there for the birth?” Nicole creased her brow.

“I’m not sure. Trying to clear his conscience or something. He was gone two weeks later, claiming it was too much for him to handle, and he never wanted her anyway. But he still manages to send a text here and there to ask how she is, as if he cares.” Kimberley shrugged her shoulders and took a long sip of her wine.

Nicole refilled both their glasses.

“Jessica is better off without him and so are you. He’s an asshole,” she said with a stern nod.

Kimberley let out a small laugh. She always loved when her mother would get a little tipsy and crass. It was completely out of character for her, but it was refreshing to Kimberley.

“He is.”

“You’ll find a nice man here in Oklahoma, a real southern gentleman,” Nicole said encouragingly.

Dating was the last thing on Kimberley’s mind. Unlike her mother, she was okay with being alone; maybe not for always, but for now, alone was just fine. Kimberley shuddered at the thought of dating a southern gentleman. She could open her own damn doors, pull out her own chair, pay for her own meals, and hold her own umbrella.

“Anything I should know about Dead Woman Crossing?” Kimberley asked, quickly changing the subject before her mother tried setting her up or started detailing all the local bachelors.

“People are nice around here. Striking up conversations with strangers is just what they do in the South. Might seem odd at first, especially coming from the New York. I felt the same way when I moved here from Jersey. But, after a while, you’ll start to embrace and enjoy it.”

“Enjoy? I don’t know about that,” Kimberley teased.

“Oh, just wait and see. You’ll be out and about saying ‘Hey y’all,’ to strangers in no time.” Nicole laughed.

Kimberley took another drink of her wine, finishing it. A yawn forced its way out of her.

“Sweetie, you’re tired. Go on and head to bed.”

“I’ve got a set bedtime again,” Kimberley teased.

“Yes. Now off to bed.” Nicole smiled.

Kimberley rose from her chair and smiled back. “Night, Mom.”

“Good night, Kimberley.”

Kimberley pushed her chair in, trying to leave as little mess as possible. She was about to pick up her empty glass to go clean it, but she knew her mother would tell her to put it down and leave it for her.

“I’m so happy you and Jessica are here,” Nicole added.

She had said that to her already. Her mom had always been that way. When she meant something, she said it more than once.

“Me too, Mom.” Kimberley glanced again at her mother and then left the dining room.

She walked down the dark hallway, the floorboards creaking beneath her with each step, careful not to run her hands along the hazardous walls. Standing in front of her bedroom, she slowly opened the door and, without turning on the light, she entered and closed it gently. She felt her way to the bed, removing the bag from it, pulling up the covers and sliding underneath them. Kimberley had already memorized the layout of most of the house, where every item and piece of furniture was, just by walking through it. She was good at that sort of thing.

3

Kimberley sat up from her bed, still dressed in her travel clothes from the day before. She had been too tired to change, too tired to brush her teeth, too tired to wash her face. As soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out like a light. She reached for her phone, noting the time, 7 a.m. Kimberley hopped out of bed and walked to the crib, expecting to find Jessica, but the crib was empty. Panicking, she ran out of the room, down the hall, and into the kitchen. Relief hit her just as quickly as the panic did when she spotted Nicole holding Jessica while she poured herself a cup of coffee. Kimberley smiled at the sight of grandmother and granddaughter. Jessica was awake, holding and petting her toy elephant, saying “Ellie,” over and over again. It was as close as she had gotten to saying elephant.

“Good morning,” her mother said as she turned around and spotted a frazzled Kimberley. Her entire appearance was disheveled thanks to a deep, deep sleep—the first in a very, very long time.

She was surprised she hadn’t heard her mother come in and get Jessica. Kimberley was used to waking to any and every sound. She had always been that way. Growing up with a father that was like an atomic bomb, ready to explode at any time, day or night, had heightened her sense of awareness, whether she was asleep or awake. But it had gotten more intense since becoming a mother herself.

Kimberley and Aaron had lived together the first two weeks of Jessica’s life. He had helped out, waking up in the middle of the night to tend to her when she was crying as Kimberley was still healing from giving birth and was dealing with a bout of postpartum blues. She remembered the night that changed her. Jessica had begun to cry sometime in the wee hours of the morning. Kimberley stirred awake almost immediately.

“Go back to sleep. I’ve got her,” Aaron said, rubbing his hand across her swollen belly.

Kimberley smiled, relief rippling through her, grateful Aaron had finally decided to step up as a man and a father. People could change, she remembered thinking.

Aaron slid out of bed and softly padded out of the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Kimberley rolled over and let her heavy eyelids close, drifting back to sleep.

She stirred awake sometime later from the piercing cries coming from the living room where Jessica’s crib was. She had wanted to put the crib in the bedroom, but there was barely room to walk around the bed, let alone space for a baby. Kimberley wasn’t sure if Jessica was crying