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“Alright. Can you tell her I’ll be down in a few minutes please?”
“I will.” Desi started moving towards the door. “And after you eat, get some rest. It’s been a long day.”
Brit chuckled. “You got that right.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Desi said as she headed out the door.
Brit got off the bed and followed her. “Wait, are you walking home in this weather?”
“No. Lane’s waiting for me downstairs. We are heading over to Mack’s for tonight’s special.” Desi made a face. “Liver and onions.”
“Oh yum.” Brit made a gagging sound as she headed across the hall to the bathroom. “Have a good night!”
“You too,” Desi waved as she headed down the stairs.
Brit closed the bathroom door behind her and went straight to the mirror above the sink and looked at her reflection. “Geezus,” she whispered. Her mascara was smudged down her cheeks almost to her chin. Vetoing a good face scrubbing, she turned the taps on in the shower. Knowing it would take a good amount of time before the hot water reached the shower head, she went back to her room for some fresh clothes.
She looked regretfully at the bag sitting on the bed. As beautiful as it was, she should never have tried it on. Doing so was allowing herself to feel something she had no business feeling... hope. Hope that Luke will give her a second glance. But why would he when she had to push him away?
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AFTER HER SHOWER, BRITmade her way down the stairs of the old servants’ quarters, then down the main staircase. She really didn’t feel like facing Kim and especially Jasmine after what happened earlier, but she had little choice. Jasmine and she shared a room and eventually the teenager would be making her way up to bed. It was better to get it over with now rather than later.
Following the smell coming from the kitchen, she slowly made her way there. Quietly she entered the room to see Kim and Jasmine looking into a pot on the stove.
“That should just about do it,” Kim said, stirring the contents with a wooden spoon. “Can you slice up the bread there on the counter Jasmine?”
“Sure.” Jasmine took a bread knife from the magnetic strip on the wall and asked, “How thick do you want the slices?”
Kim turned around and spied Brit. “There you are! Are you ready to eat some cream of broccoli soup, with grilled ham and Swiss sandwiches?”
Brit nodded. It had been a while since they’d eaten at the mall. “Sounds like heaven,” she nodded with a small smile on her face. “But only one sandwich for me.”
“Good.” She turned and looked back at Jasmine. “Just cut the slices normal size.”
Brit went to the counter and started taking bowls and plates down to set the table. “Dean won’t be eating with us; he went out to help with that truck accident.”
“Oh...” Brit took the dishes and sat them on the table. “I can make the sandwiches,” she offered.
Kim looked at her. “That’s okay—” She stopped as the house phone started ringing. “Okay go ahead, that’ll be Dean.” She rushed out of the room to answer it.
Finishing the bread, Jasmine glanced at Brit shyly and said, “Kim told me not to say anything, but... I’m sorry for upsetting you earlier.”
Brit took the teenager by the arms and turned her towards her. “Oh hunny, you didn’t upset me. It was just a bad memory that did.”
“From when you were at my old house?”
Brit wrinkled her nose. “Something like that,” she said, pulling the girl into her arms for a hug. She would never tell Jasmine what had happened there. She looked at the bread sitting on the counter. Setting her at arm’s length, Brit smiled. “Come on, let’s get these sandwiches made before Kim gets back.”
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AFTER DINNER, JASMINEwent upstairs to have a bath while Kim and Brit cleaned up after their meal. Afterwards, they were sitting in the living room, each one in a wingback chair by the front window with a drink in their hands, waiting for Dean to come home, when out of the blue, Brit said, “I’m sorry Kim... about earlier. Making you almost go off the road...”
Kim sat her drink down on the end table and looked at her. “Well, it’s not everyday occurrence a person has a meltdown in the middle of the road in a snowstorm.”
Brit shook her head. “What the hell was I thinking?”
“Funny thing with PTSD is sometimes you don’t think, you can only react. I don’t know what happened to you back at that farm Brit, and unless you want to tell me, it’s none of my business. But you should talk to someone about it... a counselor or Doc Stevens.”
