Read Online For All of Her Life by Heather Graham - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Heather Graham
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something precious.
They are grown now, she thought. And still, they are their father’s little girls.
Alex, Kathy’s own height but absolutely her father’s image. She had Jordan’s sandy hair, his lime green eyes, his way of cocking his head. Her personality, as well, was more her father’s. She was determined, and she was an artist. She meant to storm the world as a photographer, but more than that, she loved photography as an art, loved the play of light on a subject, the contrast of colors, the beauty of a sunset, the poignancy in the face of a lonely child.
People had liked to tease Kathy by saying there had been a dead-even splitting of genes when she and Jordan had decided to procreate. Bren, with her whiskey eyes and deep red-brown hair, was even taller than her sister and mother, nearly five-nine, and slim as a reed. Like Kathy, she loved books. Alex had to be coaxed into studying; she had made it through high school with mediocre grades, then scored miraculously high on the SATs. Bren, who would stay up all night with her books, had scored only moderately on the college boards, but her grades were among the highest in her class.
Kathy was incredibly proud of both of them.
Even if they were fawning over Jordan with such enthusiasm it was almost nauseating.
“Mom!” Alex said, at last seeming to realize that Kathy had emerged from the limo as well. She looked just a little bit uneasy, as well she should, since she was aware that her mother now had some idea of what she had been doing.
“Mom!” Bren echoed, still arm in arm with her father, but smiling broadly at Kathy. “You guys had dinner together? How great.”
“Just dinner—” Kathy began.
“What a perfectly civil thing to do!” Bren exclaimed, grinning.
“Wonderfully civil,” Kathy said dryly.
“We didn’t throw a single piece of food at one another,” Jordan said somberly.
“Dad!” Alex groaned, and elbowed him in the ribs.
“See, she did let you in,” Bren murmured.
“Barely. She belted me on the head and slammed the door in my face.”
“Oh, Dad!” Bren giggled.
“Then the police came.”
Both girls giggled. “Oh, you two!” Alex sighed, not believing a word of what he had said.
Jordan shrugged, looking at Kathy.
Enough. He was going to fly back home tomorrow morning to Miss April. And Kathy—Kathy was going to remain civil. The events of this night had played havoc with her soul, and she was going to have to learn to be both very careful and very hard.
“I know you three will want to visit,” she said lightly, “but I do have to go to work tomorrow. I’m going up.”
“We’ll all go up!” Alex said cheerfully.
They all followed her into the building’s lobby, where they greeted James who, Kathy was glad to see, now had the good grace to appear very sheepish. Except that he was quick to grin when Bren tried to introduce him to her father, and he assured her he’d already had the “honor.”
The light in the elevator seemed blinding. Kathy wondered if she might not look a hundred years old beneath it, and she could feel the three of them staring at her the whole way up. “Mom, have you agreed to come to Florida—?” Bren began.
“Mom, you’ve got to, please? Twenty-one is a major event in a person’s life. Please, you’ve got to come for me,” Alex insisted, breaking in on her sister.
“Mother—” Bren began anew, ready with her own pitch.
“She’s agreed,” Jordan said.
“What?” the girls cried.
The elevator opened on Kathy’s floor. She walked out, heading for her door, pulling out her key.
“Mother!” Alex insisted.
“Well?” Bren demanded.
With the door unlocked, Kathy spun around. “Will you all please hush up out here in the hall? Other people might be sleeping?”
The girls quieted quickly, and Kathy stepped on into her apartment, followed by them and then Jordan. She looked at him, reminding herself that she was going to be perfectly civil. And dignified.
They are grown now, she thought. And still, they are their father’s little girls.
Alex, Kathy’s own height but absolutely her father’s image. She had Jordan’s sandy hair, his lime green eyes, his way of cocking his head. Her personality, as well, was more her father’s. She was determined, and she was an artist. She meant to storm the world as a photographer, but more than that, she loved photography as an art, loved the play of light on a subject, the contrast of colors, the beauty of a sunset, the poignancy in the face of a lonely child.
People had liked to tease Kathy by saying there had been a dead-even splitting of genes when she and Jordan had decided to procreate. Bren, with her whiskey eyes and deep red-brown hair, was even taller than her sister and mother, nearly five-nine, and slim as a reed. Like Kathy, she loved books. Alex had to be coaxed into studying; she had made it through high school with mediocre grades, then scored miraculously high on the SATs. Bren, who would stay up all night with her books, had scored only moderately on the college boards, but her grades were among the highest in her class.
Kathy was incredibly proud of both of them.
Even if they were fawning over Jordan with such enthusiasm it was almost nauseating.
“Mom!” Alex said, at last seeming to realize that Kathy had emerged from the limo as well. She looked just a little bit uneasy, as well she should, since she was aware that her mother now had some idea of what she had been doing.
“Mom!” Bren echoed, still arm in arm with her father, but smiling broadly at Kathy. “You guys had dinner together? How great.”
“Just dinner—” Kathy began.
“What a perfectly civil thing to do!” Bren exclaimed, grinning.
“Wonderfully civil,” Kathy said dryly.
“We didn’t throw a single piece of food at one another,” Jordan said somberly.
“Dad!” Alex groaned, and elbowed him in the ribs.
“See, she did let you in,” Bren murmured.
“Barely. She belted me on the head and slammed the door in my face.”
“Oh, Dad!” Bren giggled.
“Then the police came.”
Both girls giggled. “Oh, you two!” Alex sighed, not believing a word of what he had said.
Jordan shrugged, looking at Kathy.
Enough. He was going to fly back home tomorrow morning to Miss April. And Kathy—Kathy was going to remain civil. The events of this night had played havoc with her soul, and she was going to have to learn to be both very careful and very hard.
“I know you three will want to visit,” she said lightly, “but I do have to go to work tomorrow. I’m going up.”
“We’ll all go up!” Alex said cheerfully.
They all followed her into the building’s lobby, where they greeted James who, Kathy was glad to see, now had the good grace to appear very sheepish. Except that he was quick to grin when Bren tried to introduce him to her father, and he assured her he’d already had the “honor.”
The light in the elevator seemed blinding. Kathy wondered if she might not look a hundred years old beneath it, and she could feel the three of them staring at her the whole way up. “Mom, have you agreed to come to Florida—?” Bren began.
“Mom, you’ve got to, please? Twenty-one is a major event in a person’s life. Please, you’ve got to come for me,” Alex insisted, breaking in on her sister.
“Mother—” Bren began anew, ready with her own pitch.
“She’s agreed,” Jordan said.
“What?” the girls cried.
The elevator opened on Kathy’s floor. She walked out, heading for her door, pulling out her key.
“Mother!” Alex insisted.
“Well?” Bren demanded.
With the door unlocked, Kathy spun around. “Will you all please hush up out here in the hall? Other people might be sleeping?”
The girls quieted quickly, and Kathy stepped on into her apartment, followed by them and then Jordan. She looked at him, reminding herself that she was going to be perfectly civil. And dignified.
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