lock of hair hanging in his eye. "I think maybe it's just for looks. I thought it was a vase, or a really fancy candy dish."
"Where is it?" She stood on her tiptoes and tried to peek into his room. She thought he'd answer the door with the item, but he was empty handed.
"Oh, right, sorry." A sheepish grin warmed his face and he disappeared into the disaster area he considered living space.
Seconds later, he appeared with a stunning yellow glass sculpture in his arms. Bulbous in shape, spirals of formed glass adorned the top. Carefully morphed leaves sprouted from the tendrils, giving a vine like appearance on the top. Caylie accepted the heavy object and looked it over. The weight seemed far more than the glass should be. She held it up to the light streaming in through his window across the room and saw a dark shadow within.
"Where did you get this?"
"I... found it."
Her stomach dropped and her teeth clenched. Oh, this was so not good! "Where?"
He shrugged, his arms crossed over his chest. "Downtown, in front of some old shop."
"It was for sale?" she asked, her gaze narrowed on his face as he shuffled his foot across the carpet.
"Not really for sale, exactly."
Every curse word she could remember fled through her mind. Caylie wanted to say each one, shout them and stomp her feet. Instead she took a deep breath and headed back down the stairs. "Do you know who you stole this from?"
"Caylie, come on! I didn't steal it!"
She stopped on the stairs, clutching the sculpture tightly to keep it from falling. "Then someone gave it to you?"
"No."
"Then you asked permission to take it?"
"No."
"Then you stole it, Kyle!" she screamed and rushed the remaining stairs.
"Someone just left it sitting there. Who just leaves that sort of thing lying around? They obviously didn't want it anymore."
Skeptical, Caylie gently set the sculpture on the counter and then braced a hand on her hip and faced him. "You found this on the sidewalk, just sitting there like trash?"
"Well... no."
"Out with it."
He raked a hand through his hair, his cheeks bright red. "He left it sitting on the front seat of the car."
"And you decided to just take it?"
"I mentioned to Jonah that it was something you'd likeâ"
"I thought you didn't hang out with Jonah."
"I did today."
"Great," she said, throwing her arms in the air. "On the day you commit your first felony, you're with a car thief. Why am I surprised?"
"He said the guy probably didn't want it anymore, was on his way to dropping it off at a donation center or something. I figured I'd be doing him a favor taking it."
Caylie pressed a fisted hand to her mouth and once again had to keep her calm. "Do you have any idea what you stole?"
"Some kind of sculpture?"
Taking a deep breath, she angled the glass globe and caressed her fingers along the cool outside. "I can assure you, if the person was dropping this off, it was at a cemetery, and you most certainly did not do them a favor."
"A cemetery?"
"Yes, Kyle. You stole an urn."
Â
Astraea Press
Â
Pure. Fiction.
Â
www.astraeapress.com
"Where is it?" She stood on her tiptoes and tried to peek into his room. She thought he'd answer the door with the item, but he was empty handed.
"Oh, right, sorry." A sheepish grin warmed his face and he disappeared into the disaster area he considered living space.
Seconds later, he appeared with a stunning yellow glass sculpture in his arms. Bulbous in shape, spirals of formed glass adorned the top. Carefully morphed leaves sprouted from the tendrils, giving a vine like appearance on the top. Caylie accepted the heavy object and looked it over. The weight seemed far more than the glass should be. She held it up to the light streaming in through his window across the room and saw a dark shadow within.
"Where did you get this?"
"I... found it."
Her stomach dropped and her teeth clenched. Oh, this was so not good! "Where?"
He shrugged, his arms crossed over his chest. "Downtown, in front of some old shop."
"It was for sale?" she asked, her gaze narrowed on his face as he shuffled his foot across the carpet.
"Not really for sale, exactly."
Every curse word she could remember fled through her mind. Caylie wanted to say each one, shout them and stomp her feet. Instead she took a deep breath and headed back down the stairs. "Do you know who you stole this from?"
"Caylie, come on! I didn't steal it!"
She stopped on the stairs, clutching the sculpture tightly to keep it from falling. "Then someone gave it to you?"
"No."
"Then you asked permission to take it?"
"No."
"Then you stole it, Kyle!" she screamed and rushed the remaining stairs.
"Someone just left it sitting there. Who just leaves that sort of thing lying around? They obviously didn't want it anymore."
Skeptical, Caylie gently set the sculpture on the counter and then braced a hand on her hip and faced him. "You found this on the sidewalk, just sitting there like trash?"
"Well... no."
"Out with it."
He raked a hand through his hair, his cheeks bright red. "He left it sitting on the front seat of the car."
"And you decided to just take it?"
"I mentioned to Jonah that it was something you'd likeâ"
"I thought you didn't hang out with Jonah."
"I did today."
"Great," she said, throwing her arms in the air. "On the day you commit your first felony, you're with a car thief. Why am I surprised?"
"He said the guy probably didn't want it anymore, was on his way to dropping it off at a donation center or something. I figured I'd be doing him a favor taking it."
Caylie pressed a fisted hand to her mouth and once again had to keep her calm. "Do you have any idea what you stole?"
"Some kind of sculpture?"
Taking a deep breath, she angled the glass globe and caressed her fingers along the cool outside. "I can assure you, if the person was dropping this off, it was at a cemetery, and you most certainly did not do them a favor."
"A cemetery?"
"Yes, Kyle. You stole an urn."
Â
Astraea Press
Â
Pure. Fiction.
Â
www.astraeapress.com
Similar Books
