Shattered: A Salvation Society Novel Bella Emy (best ebook reader for laptop .TXT) 📖

nods, but I feel terrible. Why did she say she had to check on brunch? Our cook always makes our meals. My mother barely ever lifts a finger. That’s how it is when your parents have more money than they know what to do with.

Daddy points to the sofa facing the fireplace. “Why don’t we sit down until we’re called in for brunch. You can tell me all about yourself, Kalen.”

“That sounds great,” Kalen responds.

The men sit on the couch, and as they do, I realize this is a perfect time to go and speak to my mother.

I place a hand on Kalen’s shoulder. “I’ll be right back.”

Kalen nods and smiles at me. I guess he hasn’t noticed the way my mother acted, so that’s a good thing. But I need to right things before they get messed up at the table once we are all forced to sit together.

I exit the den and make my way to the kitchen. The smell of pancakes, bacon, and freshly baked biscuits fill the hallway, and I realize how hungry I am.

“Mom,” I say as I enter the kitchen.

She’s standing at the sink, facing the opposite direction. And then I see her shoulders shudder and shake, her head hanging low.

I walk over to her, and I’m just in time to see her wiping away at tears. “Mom, what’s wrong?”

She takes a deep breath, but in an instant, her tears have dried, and she forces on a smile. She pulls out a pocket mirror from her pocket, the one my grandmother gave to her for her fortieth birthday with the lid decorated in pearls and rubies, her birthstone. Looking at her reflection, she dabs her eyes with a handkerchief at the nonexistent leftover imaginary tears.

Then she shuts it and places it back into her pocket. She carries that thing everywhere with her.

She turns to face me. “Nothing. Nothing is wrong, my sweet Lexi Bug.”

There she goes again, using that damn nickname for me.

I search her eyes, but there is not one single sign of something bothering her anymore. Maybe my dad is right. Maybe she got scared, and her nerves got the best of her.

But the tears? What was that about? Maybe later she’ll want to talk.

She places a hand on my shoulder and says, “Come on now. We have a guest to feed.”

Brunch was perfect. As if nothing happened during the introduction, the conversation around the table was light and fun. Daddy asked Kalen all about what he’s into, what his father does, and what his intentions after high school are. Mom even joined in on the conversation after hearing about how Kalen helps his father restore ships and boats and said she always wanted to take a month-long cruise out on the open sea.

Overall, brunch was fantastic. She even had me go into the kitchen after we were done to bag up some leftovers for Kalen to take back home to his dad. I ended up spending a little more time in there than expected because I wanted to make sure I bagged it up nicely and added some finishing touches to the wrappers. I’m just so glad it turned out so well. I’m on freaking cloud nine right now.

“Here you are, babe,” I say, handing Kalen his goodie bag.

He grabs it out of my hands and his lips pull into a nervous smile. What is that about?

I furrow my brows. “Hey, are you okay?”

He searches my eyes and then says, “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. I should get these to my dad though. He’ll enjoy them,” he says, lifting the bag and reaching for the door.

I grab his arm gently. “Hey, wait… no kiss?” He’s always given me a kiss good-bye.

Kalen pauses for a moment and then gives me a peck on the lips. Wow, that was cheap.

“I’ll call you later, okay?” he says, opening the door.

“Um, okay…” And after those words leave my lips, he’s gone.

What the hell was that about?

I frown, leaning up against the closed door and think over brunch. Had I said something wrong? Did I do something I wasn’t supposed to, making him feel uncomfortable?

Nothing comes to mind that would cause him to act so weird, but maybe he’s just not feeling well? Maybe something he ate didn’t sit right with him and he didn’t want to say something to hurt my feelings. Not like it would because it’s not like I was the one who cooked it, but maybe he thought he’d put me in a tough spot.

I bet that’s it. I guess it’s nothing and I was just overthinking things.

I smile so that I don’t make myself into a nervous wreck for no reason and push away from the door. I walk back to my room, but on the way there, I pass by Daddy’s office. The door is slightly cracked, and as I look inside, I see him placing some papers into his briefcase. I guess he’s getting ready to leave again.

I frown. I hate whenever he has to go, and lately he’s been taking longer and longer trips each time. He claims they’re work-related, but I don’t even know anymore. He never used to be gone for more than only one night at a time. Now, he’s been spending long weekends away from home almost every week.

“So, where are we going on Friday?” I ask Kalen through the phone. I’m lying on my bed, getting ready to go to sleep, but before I do, I need to hear his voice. This is a nightly ritual of ours. I can’t sleep unless we talk first.

Friday is two days away, but I can’t wait to see him then. We’ve had a date set to hang out since Sunday night. He’s been spending a lot of time working with his dad lately, so I’m really looking forward to some extra time with my baby. Thank God he’s no longer working at the construction site or I’d probably never see him. Ha, yeah