Bumpy Roads - A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book 11) (The Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery Series) by Terri Reid Page B

want to go,” she
replied. “That way they can’t check with each other.”
    “Oh,” Clarissa replied.
    “And you ask them when they are busy with something else, so
they really aren’t paying attention to you,” Maggie added.
    “Does that really work for you?” Clarissa asked.
    Grinning, Maggie nodded. “All the time,” she said. “All the time.”

Chapter Fourteen

 
    Mary arrived home only moments before the bus pulled up to
the curb.   She hurried to the front porch
to greet Clarissa, worried about the way things had gone that morning.   After waving to Maggie and her brothers as
they exited the bus and walked toward their house, she turned to watch Clarissa
slowly exit the bus, her head down, and walk toward the house.
    “Hello sweetheart,” Mary said. “How was school today?”
    “Fine,” Clarissa replied softly.
    “I picked up some wonderful things for dinner tonight,” she
continued, trying to make conversation. “I thought it would be lovely to have a
special dinner, just you and me.”
    Clarissa froze and looked up at her. “Bradley…I mean, Dad’s
not coming home?” she asked.
    Mary shook her head, trying to keep the disappointment from
her face. “No,” she said brightly. “He has to stay and do some extra work at
the office. So, it’s just us girls. Won’t that be fun?”
    Sighing loudly, Clarissa nodded. “I have lots of homework,”
she announced. “So, I won’t be in your way.”
    “Clarissa,” Mary replied, nearly dumbstruck by Clarissa’s
remark. “You are never in my way. Never think that.”
    “Okay,” Clarissa replied meekly. “I won’t.”
    She scooted around Mary and made her way into the
house.   Hanging her coat in the closet,
she turned to start up the stairs.
    “Don’t you want an afterschool treat?” Mary asked.
    Halting on the steps, Clarissa turned back. “You don’t have
to bother,” she said.
    “Darling, it’s no bother,” Mary answered, moving into the
kitchen and pulling the peanut butter and bread from the cabinet. “I could make
you a sandwich with some milk. How does peanut butter and jelly sound?”
    Shaking her head, Clarissa started up the stairs again.
“It’s okay, I can wait until dinner.”
    Mary watched her slowly walk up the stairs and waited until
she heard the door close to Clarissa’s bedroom.   She pulled out a piece of bread, slathered it liberally with peanut
butter, folded it and took a big bite. “So much for happily ever after,” she
muttered.
    “Sorry, I couldn’t understand you,” Mike said from behind
her. “Your mouth was full.”
    Startled, Mary jumped and then turned on her friend. “I feel
like I’ve walked away from my life and into an episode of the Twilight Zone,”
she said, taking her frustration out on the sandwich with an angry bite.
    “Wow. Remind me to never get close to your choppers when
you’re angry,” he teased.
    “It’s just that…” she started. “It’s just that…”
    Suddenly, tears began to flow down her cheeks and she felt
overwhelmed.   She sank down into the
nearest chair, next to the table, and laid her head in her arms and cried.
    “Hey, now, it can’t be that bad,” Mike said, floating over
next to her.
    “It is,” she said, her voice muffled by her arms. “It’s
terrible.”
    “What’s terrible?” he asked.
    “Bradley can’t be home for dinner,” she muttered through the
peanut butter.
    Mike leaned closer to hear her. “Bradley can’t be a humdinger?”
Mike asked. “Well, babe, not everyone can be like me.”
    She shook her head, “No, he’s not coming home,” she said
emphatically.
    “What?   When did this
happen?” he exclaimed. “What the…heck? Is he abandoning you and Clarissa?”
    Lifting her head, Mary reached for a tissue, blew her nose
and wiped her eyes. “No, he’s not abandoning us,” she said. “He can’t make it
home for dinner.”
    Mike exhaled in relief. “Well, if that’s all,” he began.
    “All?” Mary