Soul Inheritance Read Free Page A

confrontation, she was anything but weak. Veiled threats like last night on the balcony were quickly bringing her to the conclusion Nigel and this farce of a life was an anchor to be shed.
    Katherine surveyed herself in the mirror as she hooked silver droplets into each ear lobe. Besides the noticeable bruise and circles around her eyes she was fairly pleased. In the last month she must have lost fifteen pounds and that was never a bad thing. Her long, dark hair framed a fair, oval face and spilled halfway down her back in loose curls. The circles served to darken her green eyes.
    Jeans and a blue shirt finished off the look as she turned from the mirror and slid on white leather sandals with silver decorations of moons and stars. Taking a deep breath she went to the table by the door and gathered her keys and purse.
    Nigel strode from the kitchen, raised his eyebrows, looking her up and down. “You’re going like that?”
    Jaw clinched Katherine swallowed hard. “And just what does that mean? It’s going to be hot and sticky and I’m going to be comfortable. If you don’t like how I look you can just stay here, or better yet, go find one of your friends to hang out with. I’d love some time alone with Dad.”
    Nerves tingling, half expecting him to reach out and grab her by the throat, she turned and stormed out, slamming the door.
    Once she reached the end of the hall Katherine hesitated. There was something about riding in an elevator lined with mirrors that was unsettling. After thinking about it she pushed open the door to the stairwell and started the descent, humming as she made her way down fourteen flights of twisting, rubber coated steps. It was time to pull her head out of the sand and tell Nigel to take a hike. The finality of it felt right, gave her a sort of peace in the chaos. When she emerged at the bottom she was disappointed to find him waiting by the hunter green Jeep.
    The fifteen minute trip to her father’s townhouse dragged by in awkward silence. Mitch was waiting on the steps when they pulled up. He rose and walked toward the car with a smile on his long, lean face. The strong, independent, kind man Katherine had always known lifted the cloud that had settled on the way over. Thoughts of the dreams, of the long nights over the last month dissipated with his spunky demeanor. His hair had been silver-white ever since she could remember, but his brown eyes held an eternal youth that had never wavered.
    “ Hey there, how’s my girl?” He kissed her on the cheek through the open car window, then stood back and studied her face. Without asking he got in the back seat.
    “ How are ya, Mitch?” Nigel glanced over the seat to look at him as he was settling in, fiddling for the seatbelt buckle.
    “ Fine.”
    Katherine glanced in the rear view mirror in time to catch the hostile look her father directed at Nigel, who had already turned away. They rode in silence to the fair grounds at the edge of town, inched through slow moving traffic, and finally turned into the rough field that served as overflow parking.
    Mitch got out and opened the door for Katherine while she was gathering her things.
    “ Are you alright?” he asked, taking her hand as she slid out of the vehicle, his voice low and concerned.
    “ Yeah, Dad. I’m fine. We’ll talk about it later, over dinner,” she spoke hurriedly, “Nigel’s going out with the boys tonight.”
    “ Well, you two gonna stand there all day?” Nigel said, picking his way over the ruts in the field.
    Mitch gave him a hard look. A gentle squeeze of his arm signaled him not to jump to conclusions. At first he had liked Nigel, but he hadn’t failed to see how his attitude toward his only daughter had changed.
    “ Come on Dad, what should we do first?” They walked arm in arm over the uneven ground. When Nigel reached for the other hand she was able to avoid him by leaning toward her father. With a huff he ended his efforts.
    The three of them stood in