Page 25 of Falling Again
Natalie had heard the expression seeing red countless times before, but this was the first time she understood what it meant. Sweat beaded on her forehead, and she had to swallow past the rage building in her throat.
“You woke up our kids on a school night to kick them out of their own beds?” Natalie was incredulous, and Alice appeared to be oblivious. She blinked at Natalie for a moment, but didn’t try to defend her actions further. Her expression was bland, as if this discussion was boring her. This was in stark contrast to her brother, who turned a worrisome shade of purple, the vein in his temple pulsing. At this rate, he’d resemble Violet Beauregarde within seconds.
“You’re done,” Anthony said, his gaze staring straight at his sister. “Pack up your things and go to Mom and Dad’s. I can’t––we can’t––have you coming in here like this and making a damn mess.” Turning to his daughter, Anthony ground out, “Yes, I’ll pay for that one too.” Madeline jingled the jar in her hands, a smile tugging at her lips.
Alice rolled her eyes, which Natalie yearned to pluck out with her manicured fingers. In over a decade of knowing Alice, she’d never seen her act with such disregard and attitude. If the kitchen wasn’t filled with smoke and her house in disarray, Natalie would have asked what was happening with her sister-in-law. But she didn’t have the energy to play emotional detective right now. First, coffee.
“Geez, relax. You sound like Dad.”
That was a low blow, and Alice knew it. Natalie watched her husband swallow and collect himself. Steven Snyder was a sensitive topic in their house, a nerve you never prodded.
“I want you out of here by the time I’m out of the shower.” He turned and started walking away, only to spin back and point to his sister. “And if those are Nat’s pajamas, leave those behind as well. I can’t believe you, Alice.” His last statement came out more sad than angry, and Alice slumped when the words hit her.
Natalie stood and watched helplessly while Anthony went upstairs. She was madder than hell, but she also didn’t want to make the situation worse. Otis started sobbing, understanding that something bad was happening. Madeline finally put the swear jar on the counter and walked into the living room to get her quilt. Scooping up her son, Natalie went to the fridge in search of a juice box. Juice boxes were usually an afternoon treat, but today exceptions were clearly being made.
Alice crossed her arms and stared at Natalie. “Are you really kicking me out?”
Natalie got Otis set up in his chair with juice and a pile of dry cereal to snack on. Once she confirmed that Madeline was going upstairs to get dressed, she sighed. “Yes. I’m siding with Anthony on this one. Alice, you’re family and we love you, but you can’t just come in here like a bomb and mess up our routine. The kids need structure.”
“Please. The kids need to have fun. This house is wound up so tight I’m surprised you’re all still sane.” Alice looked down at her pajamas. “Can I at least keep these? I don’t have any, and I won’t sleep naked at my parent’s house.”
Natalie frowned, but she acquiesced. “Fine. You can have them.” Leave it to Alice to find her nicest pair of pajamas. Perhaps her next degree should be in snooping with a minor in snark?
Alice’s words had, yet again, hit their mark. Natalie knew that she and Anthony were strict, but she never dreamed it would affect her children or their happiness. She looked at Otis, happily munching on his cereal and squeezing his juice box until it spurted into the air. He giggled and mixed the spilled juice into his cereal, making his own version of oatmeal. He seemed content and well adjusted. He would be fine; there weren’t any future criminals in this kitchen.
When Madeline joined them, already dressed with her hair brushed, Natalie was proud that they’d raised a daughter who could handle the basics of life. Did that mean she was unhappy? Natalie didn’t even know how to ask her five-year-old if she was unhappy. The notion seemed outlandish at best, since Madeline would probably complain she didn’t have enough toys. Although her swear jar balance was growing by the minute—she could build her own toy factory soon.
Alice excused herself to go shower, and Natalie was left with the rest of the breakfast mess. Looking at the time again, she shuddered to think how late she’d be to work. But the idea of leaving the house in this state wasn’t appealing either. Frankly, she didn’t trust Alice to clean up properly. She also made a mental note to check her wardrobe later and see if anything valuable was missing. Natalie knew where she kept her pajamas, and Alice had to have searched through the closet to find them.
Just as she finished wiping Otis’s mouth, there was a frantic knock on the front door. It still wasn’t even eight o’clock, so Natalie knew it couldn’t be good news. Walking over to the door, she met Anthony in the hallway.
“Was that the door?” he asked, a reluctant expression similar to Natalie’s plastered on his face.
“Apparently today is going to be insane,” she sighed, looking through the peep hole to find Trudy.
“Trudy,” Natalie said with surprise as she opened the door. “What’s going on?”
From Natalie’s side, Anthony scoffed, “Is the town on fire?”
Trudy sniffed the air and frowned. “No. But it smells like your house is.” She pushed her way inside, and Natalie panicked at the sight of Trudy in her suit. Trudy never looked shabby, but she saved her suit for big meetings and important events.
“What’s going on?” Natalie asked, ushering Trudy to the living room, only to remember it was in no state for company.
“I have bad news,” she said, looking around for a place to sit.
Anthony raked a hand through his still damp hair and gestured toward the kitchen. “Let’s have some coffee with our bad news. I can’t wait to hear about it.”
Trudy sat on a stool and took a cup of coffee from Anthony. Otis raised his now-empty juice box in welcome, and Trudy ruffled his hair. She sipped from her coffee and sighed. “I got a call early this morning from the assistant to the Elm River mayor.”
“Okay,” Anthony replied with caution. “Don’t we meet with them next week?”
“You were supposed to. But the mayor and his wife got called out of town for a family matter. They’d like to push up the meeting.”
Natalie groaned. “I’m guessing from your ensemble that it’s today?”
Trudy grimaced. “It’s in an hour. We’re meeting at the diner. I’ve already called Max to tell him we need a VIP experience.”
Anthony let loose a string of profanities that would pay for Madeline’s freshman year at the college of her choice. “We need to be there.” He looked helplessly to Natalie.
