Free The Weight of Small Things by Sherri Wood Emmons Page B

his smile as he rummaged through the refrigerator. “She’s just upset over leaving Paul. But it’s the best thing she could do for herself right now. We talked about it last night, and I told her she’s nuts to stay with him.”
    “I never did like that guy.” Daniel grimaced. “Always spouting his supply-side crap and hitting on all the girls. What a prick.”
    “Yeah,” Bob agreed, pulling leftovers from the previous night’s dinner from the fridge. “But Bryn’s invested years in the relationship, and I don’t think she knows what she wants to do, or can do, without him.”
    “So does she think she’s going to stay here with you?”
    “I guess so.” Bob smiled again. “It’s okay with me.”
    “Are you sure, man? What about Wendy? What’ll she say?”
    Bob put a casserole dish in the microwave. He didn’t answer Daniel as he set the timer and hit the start button. Finally, he turned and smiled ruefully. “I wish I could say I thought she would care. But she won’t. She won’t even give a damn. And honestly, I hate being alone. So, if Bryn wants to stay for a while, until she gets her life sorted out, it’s fine by me.”
    He opened the door to the living room and looked at her small form, huddled on the sofa. She looked twelve years old.
    “Hey, Bryn. Dinner’s on in about ten minutes.”
    She looked up and shook her head slightly, but he just smiled in return.
    “No arguments. You need to eat.”
    Bob walked over and sat on the sofa beside her. “You’re not just taking care of you now,” he said softly. “You’ve got another life in your care.”
    “I can’t eat anything,” she mumbled. “I’ll just throw it back up.”
    “Just some bread or crackers then,” he urged. “You’ll feel better if your stomach’s not completely empty. After dinner I’ll go to the drugstore and get you some vitamin B—is it six or twelve? I’ll ask the pharmacist. Wendy took that while she was pregnant, and it helped with the nausea.”
    Bryn looked up, suddenly alarmed. “You didn’t tell him, did you?”
    “No,” Bob reassured her, “of course not. Don’t worry. You don’t have to tell anyone until you’re ready. I’ll just tell him I’m picking up some cough syrup for Cody, which I need to do anyway, since the kids will be here this weekend. Will that be okay for you?”
    “Sure.” Bryn dropped her head back onto the couch. “I like kids.” She smiled weakly again. “But where am I gonna sleep?”
    “We’ll put you in the guest room.” Bob rose. “Daniel’s been in there, but I’ll move him into Micah’s room for tonight. The guest room is kind of apart from the rest of the bedrooms, so it’ll be the quietest.”
    “Thanks, Bob. You’re so good.”
    “That’s me.” He grinned. “Old Saint Bob.” He laughed as he walked to the kitchen. “Old Saint Bob’s gonna have a drink.”
    Bryn smiled as she let her eyelids drop . What a love. What an absolute love. And she wondered again what was wrong with Wendy.
     
    Fifteen minutes later, the three of them were seated at the kitchen table. Bob and Daniel were making good headway with the leftover lasagna, but Bryn could only push hers around on the plate with her fork. Her stomach churned. She nibbled at some crackers Bob had found in the cupboard and sipped water.
    “So how come you’re not staying with Corrie?” Daniel asked abruptly.
    Damn him, Bryn thought. When will he ever learn social niceties, like telling little white lies and refraining from embarrassing questions?
    She took another sip of water, her mind scrambling for an answer. Then she set the glass down slowly, deliberately, and smiled.
    “Oh, you know, it’s Bryn and Mark’s anniversary next week. And she’s got all kinds of romantic things planned. We went shopping last week so she could get some new lingerie . . . stuff I never figured she’d wear. Wow! I don’t think they need me hanging out, in their way. Those two have a hard time keeping