Free Raising Rain by Debbie Fuller Thomas Page B

to look nonchalant when she came back in with a new patch. She peeled off the spent patch, curled the edges back until they stuck together as Jude directed, and flushed it. Then she applied the new one onto Jude’s stomach and washed her hands. Her mother visibly relaxed as the medication began to kick in.
    â€œSo, what’s going on between you and Hayden?” she asked, leaning back into her pillows.
    â€œNothing.” Rain picked up the tray. “We grew apart. Normal stuff.”
    â€œFine, keep your secrets,” Jude said, closing her eyes. “I can always pump Bebe for information.”
    â€œDo you want anything else?”
    Jude draped her arm across her eyes. “Just close the mini-blinds, if you don’t mind. Really, you can go, if you have things to do. I’ll be fine.”
    Rain moved to the window to shut the blinds. “I’ll be here until William gets home.”
    â€œ
If
he comes home, you mean. He’s probably not in Chicago at all. He’s probably down the coast with that Valerie woman from Marketing.”
    â€œYou’re just babbling.”
    â€œYou don’t know.”
    Rain started to leave, but Jude said without opening her eyes, “You don’t need him, you know.”
    It took a moment for Rain to realize that she didn’t mean William—she meant Hayden. Rain paused at the door and studied her mom. She looked frail and drawn with her arm draped over her eyes and her hair splayed against the pillow. Smaller than Rain remembered. How could her mother possibly know what she needed? Jude didn’t even realize that she needed William.
    â€œCall if you need me,” Rain said, pulling the door almost shut.
    Once downstairs, she put on some soft classical music and picked up a magazine. She realized that the architectural magazine was chosen for its appearance, because it obviously hadn’t been read. The room was tastefully minimalistic and immaculate, but at the same time, inviting. William’s influence, of course. He couldn’t tolerate messes and clutter.Even his name was tidy. He was never a slovenly “Will” or “Billy.” With his borderline obsessive-compulsive disorder, it was a wonder he could even tolerate Jude—the biggest mess and clutter of all.
    When Jude entered a room, she claimed it with her belongings. Her room always looked as though she were in the midst of packing and could take off at any moment. Perhaps that’s the way she wanted it. Noncommitment. Her clutter also clearly stated that she was no domestic goddess, and it handily drove William crazy.
    Rain went into the office and sat down at her mom’s computer. She checked her e-mail and found a message from her friend Lisa, asking if she wanted a ticket to see John Mayer in concert, but she declined. She couldn’t afford it, even though she was tired of spending evenings at home alone. She answered back, suggesting a movie on the weekend.
    She almost checked the assisted reproduction site, but realized that her mother could easily check the history and the secret would be out. She wouldn’t risk that.
    Rain had a devilish idea. She listened for noise from upstairs, and, hearing none, checked the computer’s history and found something very interesting. An alumni site for San Angelo State University had multiple log-ins over the last few months. That was her mother’s alma mater. Was her mother looking for something—or someone? She navigated to the site, but could go no further without a password.
    She closed it out and ruminated as she went in search of food. With the exception of a coffee she’d grabbed when gassing up at Dixon, she hadn’t eaten since she left home at four a.m. Rain opened the fridge again and marveled at it. Maybe she could get William to stop by and clean hers. The bottles and containers were lined up and sorted by size, and all the caps were clean. The glass shelves gleamed.