said, famous last words.”
Phillips
grunted and picked up his book again.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
They were
crammed awkwardly together in the front seat of Max’s small truck. “Sorry,”
he’d said, “I don’t usually have company.”
“So,” Sharon
said as they drove away from the ferry parking lot, “where are you from, Max?”
He hesitated.
“Chicago.”
“Really?” Sharon said, wondering a bit at his
reluctance. “Wow. You’re a long way from home.”
“Yeah.” There was obvious tension in his
voice. She tried to keep the mood light. “So, what brings you all the way down
south?”
“I didn’t like
the weather,” he said. Glory, wedged in the seat between them, turned and
raised an eyebrow at her. Sharon shrugged. The rest of the ride was short, but
the silence made it seem interminable. Finally, they pulled up in the drive of
the small trailer Sharon rented in the coastal scrubland a few miles from the
beach. “Well, here it is,” she said with a brittle cheerfulness. “Home sweet home.”
Max just
nodded and put the truck in Park. Sharon took a deep breath. “Ah, Max?” she
said. She hated what she was about to do. She hated the thought of being so
dependent, especially on this near-stranger.
“Yeah?” he
seemed a lot less tense.
“I kind of
need a ride somewhere tonight. Me and Glory.”
Max took out a
cigarette, popped the truck’s lighter in. “Where?”
“Glory’s
school orientation. It won’t be long. But we have to be there.”
Something
about that seemed to amuse Max. Sharon felt a flash of anger. If he was
laughing at her… she bit it back. She couldn’t afford it now.
“When?” was
all Max said.
Sharon looked
at her watch. It was later than she’d thought. “ Ahh …as soon as I can get changed.”
The lighter
popped out. Max took it and lit the cigarette. He took a drag as he thought it
over.
“Sure,” he
said. “You want me to wait for you here?”
“What, in the
truck?” Sharon said. “No. Of course not. Come on in.”
Glory looked at her quizzically. Sharon gave back a little, almost
imperceptible shrug. In truth, she had her doubts about inviting this odd
stranger in, but leaving him cooling his heels in the truck seemed unimaginably
rude.
He paused, as
if trying to process the fact that he was being invited in. “Okay,” he said at
last. He followed them inside.
Max looked
around the living room. “Nice place,” he said. She examined his tone carefully
for irony or sarcasm and to her surprise, found neither.
“Thanks,” she
said. “It’s not much, but it’s home. You want
something to drink? Tea, soda?”
“ Water’ll be fine,” he said.
She got him a
glass from the tap, with ice. When she got back he was on the couch, sitting on
the edge of the cushion. “Okay,” she said awkwardly. “We’ll just be a minute.”
When she came
out after changing, he was still there, perched on the edge of the couch. He
looked up at her. “You look nice,” he said. He looked so unsure of himself that
she almost laughed. Maybe he’s not weird ,
she thought, maybe he’s just shy .
“Thanks,” she
said.
Glory came out
of her tiny bedroom. She’d dressed in tight low-rise jeans and a midriff-baring
top. “Glory Angel Brennan,” Sharon said in exasperation. “ you are not wearing that to your orientation!”
“Mom!” Sharon said.
“Don’t ‘mom’
me! Get in there and…” but Glory had already slammed the door behind her. She
turned to Max. “Kids,” she said. “You know how…” she stopped. A weird blank
look had come over his face.
“No,” he said
softly. “I don’t reckon I do.” Even his accent had changed. Before, he’d
sounded generically Midwestern. This was a voice straight out of the Tennessee
hills. The voice, and the blankness of his eyes, sent a chill down her spine.
Then something changed and she was looking at Max’s by now familiar amiable
expression. He smiled. “Actually,” he said,
Phillips
grunted and picked up his book again.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
They were
crammed awkwardly together in the front seat of Max’s small truck. “Sorry,”
he’d said, “I don’t usually have company.”
“So,” Sharon
said as they drove away from the ferry parking lot, “where are you from, Max?”
He hesitated.
“Chicago.”
“Really?” Sharon said, wondering a bit at his
reluctance. “Wow. You’re a long way from home.”
“Yeah.” There was obvious tension in his
voice. She tried to keep the mood light. “So, what brings you all the way down
south?”
“I didn’t like
the weather,” he said. Glory, wedged in the seat between them, turned and
raised an eyebrow at her. Sharon shrugged. The rest of the ride was short, but
the silence made it seem interminable. Finally, they pulled up in the drive of
the small trailer Sharon rented in the coastal scrubland a few miles from the
beach. “Well, here it is,” she said with a brittle cheerfulness. “Home sweet home.”
Max just
nodded and put the truck in Park. Sharon took a deep breath. “Ah, Max?” she
said. She hated what she was about to do. She hated the thought of being so
dependent, especially on this near-stranger.
“Yeah?” he
seemed a lot less tense.
“I kind of
need a ride somewhere tonight. Me and Glory.”
Max took out a
cigarette, popped the truck’s lighter in. “Where?”
“Glory’s
school orientation. It won’t be long. But we have to be there.”
Something
about that seemed to amuse Max. Sharon felt a flash of anger. If he was
laughing at her… she bit it back. She couldn’t afford it now.
“When?” was
all Max said.
Sharon looked
at her watch. It was later than she’d thought. “ Ahh …as soon as I can get changed.”
The lighter
popped out. Max took it and lit the cigarette. He took a drag as he thought it
over.
“Sure,” he
said. “You want me to wait for you here?”
“What, in the
truck?” Sharon said. “No. Of course not. Come on in.”
Glory looked at her quizzically. Sharon gave back a little, almost
imperceptible shrug. In truth, she had her doubts about inviting this odd
stranger in, but leaving him cooling his heels in the truck seemed unimaginably
rude.
He paused, as
if trying to process the fact that he was being invited in. “Okay,” he said at
last. He followed them inside.
Max looked
around the living room. “Nice place,” he said. She examined his tone carefully
for irony or sarcasm and to her surprise, found neither.
“Thanks,” she
said. “It’s not much, but it’s home. You want
something to drink? Tea, soda?”
“ Water’ll be fine,” he said.
She got him a
glass from the tap, with ice. When she got back he was on the couch, sitting on
the edge of the cushion. “Okay,” she said awkwardly. “We’ll just be a minute.”
When she came
out after changing, he was still there, perched on the edge of the couch. He
looked up at her. “You look nice,” he said. He looked so unsure of himself that
she almost laughed. Maybe he’s not weird ,
she thought, maybe he’s just shy .
“Thanks,” she
said.
Glory came out
of her tiny bedroom. She’d dressed in tight low-rise jeans and a midriff-baring
top. “Glory Angel Brennan,” Sharon said in exasperation. “ you are not wearing that to your orientation!”
“Mom!” Sharon said.
“Don’t ‘mom’
me! Get in there and…” but Glory had already slammed the door behind her. She
turned to Max. “Kids,” she said. “You know how…” she stopped. A weird blank
look had come over his face.
“No,” he said
softly. “I don’t reckon I do.” Even his accent had changed. Before, he’d
sounded generically Midwestern. This was a voice straight out of the Tennessee
hills. The voice, and the blankness of his eyes, sent a chill down her spine.
Then something changed and she was looking at Max’s by now familiar amiable
expression. He smiled. “Actually,” he said,
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