The Silent Boy (Emma McPherson Book 1) by A.J. Flynn (early reader books .txt) 📗

“That’s too bad, honey,” he said. “Try not to work too hard.”

“I’ll try. Will you be able to find something for supper?”

“Sure, don’t worry. I’ll grab something a little later, then I think I’ll turn in. I’ve had a rough day.”

“All right, I’ll try to keep quiet when I get home, so as not to disturb your sleeping. And Harry—” she began, then stopped.

“Yeah.”

“How are you feeling today?”

He felt a quick flash of anger. What she really wanted to ask was whether or not he was still scared stiff, but he did his best to control himself.

“I’m fine. Just a bit tired is all, like I said.”

“Alright, babe. I’ll see you later.”

“Later.” He hung up with a smile.

His plans appeared foolproof. Hayley kept the car most days, because he could usually use the service truck if he had any errands. However, last night they had left the truck at the shop because they’d stayed downtown for dinner. Usually, whenever they did that, she took him to work before heading off to her job, but he had come up with a logical reason to give her for keeping the car in the morning.

He would tell her he had just received a new account, and that he wanted to make a good impression. It would look better for him if he had the car, instead of arriving in a service truck. As close as he could tell, he had thought of everything.

It was tough to kill time. There was the news, websites, social media, and television, but none of them could hold his interest for long. Finally, it was nine o’clock and he decided to go to bed. Once he started on his way, he wanted to put as many miles as possible between himself and their home, so there was little telling when he might get the chance to sleep again.

He was getting ready for bed and brushing his teeth when he happened to notice Hayley’s sleeping tablets. The label said, “Take one pill before bed.” He poured three out into his palm and filled a glass of cold water. Usually he avoided medicine like the plague, but tonight he needed to sleep and he was going to make sure he got it.

He crawled into bed and forced himself to relax. The pills acted quickly, and within ten minutes he was fast asleep.

When consciousness finally came back to him he was in a limbo state of half wakefulness. His head was pounding and his tongue felt like a skunk’s pelt. For a while he wasn’t able to make out where he was or why he felt so terrible.

When he finally managed to pry open his eyes, he suddenly remembered.

Hayley was lying by his side, breathing softly, with her face hidden in the crook of her elbow. He eased his way out of the bed and tip-toed to the bathroom. The face reflected back at him in the mirror was embarrassing.

Both of his eyes were swollen and bloodshot, and his entire countenance seemed to sag as if he’d somehow added twenty years during the night.

He popped a couple aspirins and walked to the kitchen. Aspirin and coffee, he thought, as he rinsed the coffeepot and started a fresh batch. Aspirin and lots of coffee, or I won’t even be able to make it to the front door, let alone through the mountains.

Back in their bathroom he wet a towel in cold water and pressed it to his face. The icy chill swept over him like a shock, but he kept at it. After a few more applications his head felt much clearer, and there was hardly any color in his face.

I feel even worse than if I’d stayed up all night, he thought to himself, as he quietly dressed. Then he made his way back to the kitchen.

The coffee was still dripping, so he removed two glasses from the rack and poured orange juice for both himself and Hayley.

He was on his third cup of coffee when a sleepy-eyed Hayley joined him. She still wasn’t fully awake, but nonetheless looked lovely in her light yellow nightgown. There was no denying that the girl had a sense of style and he wondered in passing if she’d chosen yellow because it complemented the green of the kitchen.

“I smelled coffee. It woke me up before my alarm. Couldn’t you sleep?”

“I got more than enough sleep. It was just a little after nine when I turned in. Did you finish up the inventory for that ogre?”

“Yes. Actually, tallying up inventory isn’t too bad, it’s having to wait around while she examines every item for rips or stains, then having to listen to her complain when she finds one that’s the hard part.”

“You should look for a different job. She’s a nightmare to work for. Coffee?”

“Mmm,” she answered. “I can’t seem to wake up all the way this morning. Maybe I should take a cold shower; Madame won’t be pleased if I’m not on my toes. She’s called up everyone she knows to let them know there’s a new shipment in.”

“All right, but make it fast.” Harry said carefully, “I’d like to get an early start. Harding is thinking about air-conditioning his storage area. I’d like to catch him before he gets too caught up with other stuff. I should have a better chance of selling him that way.”

“I’ll be quick. You want the car?”

“Might be best—good impression and all that.”

“Well, you can pick me up later then.”

“Yeah.”

He’d managed to hold his voice steady, but his knuckles grew white as his hands clenched his cup. He didn’t like lying to her like that, even though it was necessary. She was a good woman and he loved her. At least he loved her far more than any other woman he’d ever known.

She had worked hard while he had been locked up in prison, saving every dime she’d earned so that he could dine on steak when he got out. He was