kidding?”
“What’s the problem?”
“Jesus, Nate, a guy died on us tonight and you want to do that?”
“Yeah.”
Sara shook her head and dropped her clothes on the bed. She handed me the candle and said, “Not happening.”
When I asked her why, she changed the subject.
“What do you think we should do with that money?”
“I’ve got a few ideas,” I said.
“We have a lot to get before the baby comes,” Sara said. “I saw this crib I wanted, but it was almost seven hundred dollars, can you believe it? Who’d pay that kind of money for a crib?”
I set the candle on the nightstand then leaned against the headboard and said, “Lots of people.”
“Not me.”
“We can afford it.”
“No, we can’t, Nate.” She bent forward and unwrapped the towel around her head and used it to dry her hair as she spoke. “I was thinking that we’ve got to be careful with what we buy. It’ll go quick.”
“There’s a lot of it. We can get one or two things.”
“Like what were you thinking?”
“What about a new car?” I motioned toward the window. “We can get rid of that piece of shit out there.”
“We don’t need a car,” Sara said. “The Dodge runs just fine.”
“Don’t I get a say in this?”
“Sure you do.” Sara sat next to me on the bed then leaned in and kissed me. “But we need to spend it on important things, like a house or a savings account. We can’t go out and blow it on a car when we’ve got a perfectly good one already.”
Sara moved and her towel slid farther up her leg, revealing a soft dark patch of hair beneath. I put my hand on her knee then kissed her arm and said, “You’re probably right.”
I let my hand slide along her leg.
“This money can be a blessing to us, Nate, but we have to be smart about it.”
I agreed, kissed her neck.
Sara closed her eyes and leaned back on the bed. When she did, the towel slid away, exposing her breasts, warm and golden in the candlelight.
“Nate, stop.”
I didn’t, and Sara moved against me.
“You’re beautiful,” I said.
“I’m fat.” She put her hand on her flat stomach. “I can already tell.”
I kissed past her neck to her chest. Sara’s breath felt warm and strong against my skin, and I slid my hand along the inside of her thigh, moving slow.
Sara moaned then reached down and grabbed my wrist, stopping me. “No, Nate.” She moved out from under me then pushed herself up and off the bed, dragging the towel behind her. “Not now, okay?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” she said. “Just not yet.”
I watched her rewrap the towel around her chest, and I didn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It just seems weird with everything that happened tonight. Someone died in our car and we’re talking about what we’re going to do with his money. It doesn’t seem right. Can you understand?”
I told her I could, and the part of me that wasn’t disappointed actually did.
Sara took her suitcase and opened it on the floor. “Let me get dressed and dry my hair. Maybe I’ll feel different in a little while.”
I lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling and tried to settle my mind. It was a fight I was losing.
A minute passed, then another, then Sara said, “Nate?”
“Yeah?”
“Is that his?”
I lifted my head. Sara was pointing to Syl’s black and plaid suitcase.
“Must be,” I said. “I grabbed everything I saw.”
Sara was quiet.
I let my head drop back to the pillow and tried to think of anything other than how her skin had felt against mine. It wasn’t easy to do.
“Did you look inside?”
I didn’t say anything right away.
“Maybe we shouldn’t,” she said. “Right?”
I sat up slow then crossed the room to the suitcase. I picked it up and dropped it on the bed.
There was weight to it.
“Seriously, Nate, maybe we should just leave it be.”
The bag was black canvas trimmed with faded red plaid around the edges. A thick metal
“What’s the problem?”
“Jesus, Nate, a guy died on us tonight and you want to do that?”
“Yeah.”
Sara shook her head and dropped her clothes on the bed. She handed me the candle and said, “Not happening.”
When I asked her why, she changed the subject.
“What do you think we should do with that money?”
“I’ve got a few ideas,” I said.
“We have a lot to get before the baby comes,” Sara said. “I saw this crib I wanted, but it was almost seven hundred dollars, can you believe it? Who’d pay that kind of money for a crib?”
I set the candle on the nightstand then leaned against the headboard and said, “Lots of people.”
“Not me.”
“We can afford it.”
“No, we can’t, Nate.” She bent forward and unwrapped the towel around her head and used it to dry her hair as she spoke. “I was thinking that we’ve got to be careful with what we buy. It’ll go quick.”
“There’s a lot of it. We can get one or two things.”
“Like what were you thinking?”
“What about a new car?” I motioned toward the window. “We can get rid of that piece of shit out there.”
“We don’t need a car,” Sara said. “The Dodge runs just fine.”
“Don’t I get a say in this?”
“Sure you do.” Sara sat next to me on the bed then leaned in and kissed me. “But we need to spend it on important things, like a house or a savings account. We can’t go out and blow it on a car when we’ve got a perfectly good one already.”
Sara moved and her towel slid farther up her leg, revealing a soft dark patch of hair beneath. I put my hand on her knee then kissed her arm and said, “You’re probably right.”
I let my hand slide along her leg.
“This money can be a blessing to us, Nate, but we have to be smart about it.”
I agreed, kissed her neck.
Sara closed her eyes and leaned back on the bed. When she did, the towel slid away, exposing her breasts, warm and golden in the candlelight.
“Nate, stop.”
I didn’t, and Sara moved against me.
“You’re beautiful,” I said.
“I’m fat.” She put her hand on her flat stomach. “I can already tell.”
I kissed past her neck to her chest. Sara’s breath felt warm and strong against my skin, and I slid my hand along the inside of her thigh, moving slow.
Sara moaned then reached down and grabbed my wrist, stopping me. “No, Nate.” She moved out from under me then pushed herself up and off the bed, dragging the towel behind her. “Not now, okay?”
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” she said. “Just not yet.”
I watched her rewrap the towel around her chest, and I didn’t say anything.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “It just seems weird with everything that happened tonight. Someone died in our car and we’re talking about what we’re going to do with his money. It doesn’t seem right. Can you understand?”
I told her I could, and the part of me that wasn’t disappointed actually did.
Sara took her suitcase and opened it on the floor. “Let me get dressed and dry my hair. Maybe I’ll feel different in a little while.”
I lay back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling and tried to settle my mind. It was a fight I was losing.
A minute passed, then another, then Sara said, “Nate?”
“Yeah?”
“Is that his?”
I lifted my head. Sara was pointing to Syl’s black and plaid suitcase.
“Must be,” I said. “I grabbed everything I saw.”
Sara was quiet.
I let my head drop back to the pillow and tried to think of anything other than how her skin had felt against mine. It wasn’t easy to do.
“Did you look inside?”
I didn’t say anything right away.
“Maybe we shouldn’t,” she said. “Right?”
I sat up slow then crossed the room to the suitcase. I picked it up and dropped it on the bed.
There was weight to it.
“Seriously, Nate, maybe we should just leave it be.”
The bag was black canvas trimmed with faded red plaid around the edges. A thick metal
Similar Books
