Page 53 of Free to Run
“Are you crazy?” I bellow. I hear footfalls and quickly surmise we’re about to be joined by at least one member of the Freeman family.
I couldn’t be that lucky.
Instead, it’s Caleb who pokes his head around the door. “Corinna, is everything okay? What the hell happened in here?” Opening the door into the kitchen, he carefully steps around the mess surrounding me. “Going for a new look instead of industrial clean?”
She merely shrugs and says, “The cleanup will be worth it. Hell, I was tempted to chuck a bowl full of red food coloring, but I was feeling gracious.”
“What?” I yell, incensed.
“Yes, indeed. Food coloring is made up of food dye that can damage your eyes, causing stinging and burning. By diluting it with the whipped cream, it was slower to fly at you and permitted time for you to close your eyes. I couldn’t give a shit if your face looks like a clown.” She turns back to the cake in front of her, dismissing me.
“What the hell did I do to you?” I stomp over to the paper towels attached to the wall. Ripping them out, I run them over my hair and clumps of the red whipped cream fall to the floor.
Caleb chokes back his laughter.
“Oh, it’s a buddy system—all for one, sister from another mister kind of thing. I’m sure you understand. It’s like…Oh, wait, you might not understand that. It involves things like thought and having a heart. Dear me, should I apologize?” Snickering, Corinna resumes her decorating.
Her hands are moving so fast to add depth to the layers with the flat of her knife while she slowly spins the cake, I’m dizzy. Turning away, I stomp over to the sink. Without moving, Corinna says, “Farthest sink to the right. The first two have a sanitizing solution in them for the dishes.”
“Thanks,” I mutter. Even though I’m a hot mess, at least she wasn’t trying to physically injure me. She only wants to humiliate me.
Caleb gives in to the laughter he’s been holding back. “As long as there’s no emergency.”
Corinna looks up and offers him a beatific smile. “No, but while you’re here, can you take out the trash?” She shoots me a meaningful look. “It stinks.”
“Damnit, Corinna. I just wanted to—”
“Talk to me about Ali? I’m never going to do that with you. I have never, and I do mean never”—she slams the decorating knife down on the table; I’m pleased to see a small splatter of blue icing land somewhere she probably didn’t intend for it to go—“have seen my sister in such a state. Over a man? Over you? What have you done to make it worth it?” Dismissing me, she picks up her knife. Turning the cake this way and that, she locates the splatter and immediately begins to work it into the frosting, as if it was an intended design and not an error. “Now get out of my kitchen. As a result of your crap, I’ll be here forever making up time.”
Caleb’s hand grabs the soggy elbow of my dress shirt before I can respond. “I’ll get him out of your hair, Corinna.”
“I’d appreciate that.” She returns her attention back to the cake.
I open my mouth to respond when Caleb mutters, “Don’t make it worse,” as he drags me out of the kitchen.
Walking me all the way out of the foyer and onto the porch, he holds his tongue before he lays into me. “What were you possibly thinking going to Corinna?”
I was thinking Corinna could give me some insight on how to fix things with Alison. Maybe tell me how Alison was feeling. Maybe she might be able to give me some hope.
“Obviously, I wasn’t, Caleb.” I rub a hand down my face. I touch something soft and pull away some more whipped cream. Touching it to my lips, I savor it. The taste is light, sweet, and if the price I paid for my stupidity was looking like an extra on a Halloween set, at least it had some fringe benefit.
“I hope she didn’t put ipecac in it or something,” Caleb mutters.
Even as I’m mentally berating myself for not thinking of that, I say, “Thanks for the advance warning, buddy.”
Caleb sighs. “You’ve actually got bigger issues, Keene.”
Shit. Melody. I mentally brace. “What did you find out?”
“Melody charmed her way past your doorman last night. He’ll need to be taken care of when this is over.” Caleb’s tight expression reflects what I’m feeling. “She sat outside your condo the entire night. When you never showed, she went downstairs and hit up your super. Fortunately, he does know how to do his job.” Caleb takes a deep breath. “We found out after talking with him that he tried to call the office to verify the cock-and-bull story she dreamed up. The minute his hand touched the phone, she cold-cocked him with her P938, grabbed his keys, and entered your place.” Caleb takes a deep breath. “As you know, we have eyes in there.”
I pace back and forth under the portico of the deck, trying to get some semblance of control over my emotions. “And?”
Caleb shakes his head back and forth, not in refusal, but in regret.
“Tell me!” I seethe.
Caleb looks away and swallows. Whatever he’s about to say, I know it’s bad. My hands tighten into fists at my sides.
