"Kristine Kathryn Rusch - Remodeling" - читать интересную книгу автора (Rusch Kristine Kathryn)

“Now I can.” He smiled.

“Are we moving?” she repeated, not willing to let this go.

“No.” His neck was f lushed. She had embarrassed him, but she wasn't sure how. “The news last night said prime w
going down again. I was recalculating to see if new rates would benefit us.”

“Just because prime goes down doesn't mean mortgage rates will.” She couldn't believe she was lecturing him on mo
He had always been the financial brains in the family.

“I know, honey, but it usually follows. So I figured, why not?” He f licked a couple of keys and the file closed. Then
screen went dark. “You said dinner's ready?”

“I said the pizza was done.” She knew she sounded bitchy, but she didn't care. He was lying to her. He was plannin
another move. He'd had enough of the revving car, the school bus, the neighbors next-door.

Ada studied him, actually seeing him for the first time in years. The dark good looks were gone. Crow's-feet and a m
downturned from constant disappointment had given his face a pinched look. His eyes, once his best feature, now seem
small.

“Ada?” Rick said, with an emphasis that let her know he was repeating himself. “Everything okay?”
 She didn't want to answer that.

“Let's eat,” she said, and headed downstairs to the hideous orange kitchen. Then she leaned on the countertop,
wondering how she had gotten to this place. Was her face as pinched as Rick's? She was afraid to go to the mirror and
out.

***

The next day, Ada had a client lunch at the city's newest upscale restaurant. She parked in the nearby lot, pulled up
hood against the seemingly endless rain, and stepped gingerly across puddles covering the pavement.

Suddenly a hand grabbed her arm. She turned, startled, and saw Muff ler Man.

“You didn't tell him, did you?” His grip was so tight that it hurt.

“Let me go.” She tried not to sound panicked, but her heart was racing.

“I told you to give him my message. Maybe he didn't need it. Maybe you're the problem.”

“Let me go,” she said, trying to back away.

“I'm not kidding, lady,” he said. “I am really tired of all of this, and I'm giving him one more chance to quit.”

“I'm giving you one more chance to let me go before I scream for help,” she said as forcefully as she could.

He looked at his hand as if it had operated without his permission. Then he released her.

She ran for the restaurant, dodging traffic as she hurried across the street. Once, she glanced over her shoulder, but
wasn't following her. He was just watching.