Bumpy Roads - A Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery (Book 11) (The Mary O'Reilly Paranormal Mystery Series) Read Free Page A

me to go because I was afraid the bad man
would get me.”
    “Why are you s’posed to pretend?”
Maggie asked.
    “The lady on the bus from Chicago told me that people don’t
want a little girl who’s always sad, so if I wanted to make my new family
happy, I needed to pretend that everything was just fine. She told me to just
forget about my mom.”
    “It would be hard to forget about your mom,” Maggie said.
    Clarissa shook her head. “You can let your inside cry, but
your outside has to be happy.”
    “But didn’t your Grandma O’Reilly tell you it was okay to
cry?” Maggie asked.
    “But she’s a grandma, so that’s different,” Clarissa
decided. “I’m not her obligation. I just have to be happy for Mary.”
    Maggie considered that for a moment. “I don’t think so,” she
said, matter-of-factly. “I think she just wants you to be you. I really think
she loves you.”
    “Maybe she does or maybe she doesn’t have a choice,”
Clarissa said. “Maybe they’ll just get tired of me and send me away.”
    “I don’t believe that,” Maggie said. “Mary loves you. Mary
loves everybody. Besides, I heard my mom tell my dad that Mary can’t have
babies. So, she’s pretty lucky she has you.”
    Clarissa looked at Maggie. “Really? She can’t?” she asked, a hesitant smile on her face.
    “That’s what my mom said. She said it was ’cause of the time
she got shot when she was worked for the police.”
    “Did it hurt?” Clarissa asked.
    Nodding her head urgently, Maggie replied. “She even died.
But she got sent back to earth.”
    “Why?”
    “So she could help people.”
    “That’s nice,” Clarissa said and pausing for a moment, she
crossed her fingers and prayed the lie she was going to say wouldn’t really
count. “I’m sorry she can’t have babies.”
    Maybe they’ll want me, she thought, maybe because they can’t
have babies they’ll need me.
    The knot in her stomach loosened and she was finally excited
about going home to see her new mom and dad. Her new family.   Just the three of them, for
now and always.

Chapter Three

 
    Bradley and Mary were waiting in the doorway when the bus
pulled up in front of their house.   As
Clarissa alighted and saw them waiting for her, she paused for a moment and
then ran to them, her arms outstretched. “You’re home,” she cried. “You’re
finally home.”
    Bradley picked her up and he and Mary hugged her. “I think
you’ve grown three inches since we saw you,” he said.
    Giggling, Clarissa shook her head. “No, I haven’t,” she
replied, “But I did lose a tooth.”
    “A tooth?” Mary exclaimed. “Let me
see.”
    Clarissa obligingly opened her mouth as wide as she could
and pointed to the empty spot where her tooth used to be. “ Ight air,” she said, keeping her mouth open.
    “Right there?” Bradley questioned.
    She nodded, her eyes shining brightly.
    “Well, that’s just amazing,” Mary said. “Did the tooth fairy
come yet?”
    “No, I was waiting for you to get home,” she explained,
shaking her head for emphasis. “Mrs. Brennan said that would be okay.”
    “It’s more than okay,” Mary said, rubbing the little girl’s
head gently. “It’s perfect. I’ve always wanted to meet the tooth fairy.”
    Bradley looked up suddenly and stared at Mary, concern
written on his face.   She grinned and
shook her head, mouthing the words, “I’m kidding,” over Clarissa’s head.   He was visibly relieved.  
    “Well, I’ve always wanted to meet her too,” he said, a note
of teasing now in his voice. “So, what do we do first?   Set a trap?”
    Mary and Clarissa glanced at each other and rolled their
eyes. “No, you don’t trap the tooth fairy,” Clarissa explained.
    “Unless you want cavities in all of your teeth,” Mary added.
    “Oh, so what do you do?” he asked, carrying Clarissa into
the house and depositing her on a chair at the kitchen table.
    He pulled up a chair next to her and gave her all of