Sound of the Tide Read Free

bother him much.
    “We’ve been painting the house, Mom. Thanks for the offer with the chicken, but as you can see we both urgently need a shower.”
    Horrified, Catherine shook her head, and I wished that just for once she would look at me with a little less disdain in her eyes.
    “I can see that, Daniel. Well, I can always heat it up for you later.”
    I clenched my teeth. Didn’t she see that we wanted some alone-time together? Couldn’t she just go back to her TV and stay out of our business?
    “Mom, you don’t need to do that! We’re fine!”
    With that, he pushed me up the next set of stairs, and Catherine snorted. Maybe she’d noticed his yellow handprint on the back of my jeans.
    “You sure you’ll be fine?” she scolded. “You’re going to have a child soon—you should really try to make an effort and not behave like teenagers playing paintball!”
    “Mom!” Daniel couldn’t stand his mother’s constant nagging either, not because it bothered him much, but only because he knew how horrible it always made me feel.
    Fortunately, his dad, Marcus, spoke up from their apartment. “Cat!” he called. “Leave the kids alone and come back inside! Your movie’s starting.”
    That finally worked. Vexed and without saying another word, she slammed the door shut behind her, and a moment later we found ourselves alone in the dark again.
    The only sound was my teeth grinding, and Daniel was smart enough not to talk to me as he held open the door to our apartment.
    I slipped out of my shoes, flung my purse into a corner, and went into the kitchen. But when I got there I felt stuck in a trap.
    Our narrow kitchen was a mess, the breakfast dishes were piled up in the sink, and a saucepan with the burned remains of some leftover sauce was sitting on the stove. What a contrast to the lovely smell of roast chicken!
    Since Daniel had followed me and was now leaning against the doorframe, I had to pretend I’d come into the kitchen for a reason. But I had only wanted a minute alone. And so I grabbed a glass, opened the refrigerator, and by the fridge’s dim light had to begrudgingly admit that my skills as a housewife were even worse than Catherine thought.
    The fridge was depressingly empty. The lonely yogurt cup on the top shelf was well past its best-by date, and a murky, indescribable liquid was collecting underneath a bell pepper and threatening to seep down onto the shelf below. I reached for the milk, but the carton was empty except for a tiny drop.
    I closed the refrigerator, my pregnancy-induced mood swings at their absolute lowest, and slumped into a chair, worn out and utterly depressed. I tried to act as if I didn’t notice Daniel watching me. The longer I pretended to stare with interest at the black-and-white floor tiles, the more they were closing in.
    “What’s going on, babe?” he asked. He put his hands on my shoulders and started massaging the back of my neck.
    I breathed out at his touch and tried to chase away the anger I felt about his mother. I did not want a fight. Especially since we were this close to moving into the beach house together. To hell with her. Soon we wouldn’t need to listen to her nagging anymore.
    I closed my eyes and leaned my head against Daniel’s arm.
    He leaned in over my shoulder and kissed me on the side of my neck. His breath on my skin was giving me goose bumps.
    “Come on, babe. I’ll run you a bath. With lots of bubbles, candles, and music. And when you’re done I’m going to whip up”—he walked over to the fridge, peeked inside, closed it again, and smirked—“I will whip you up a lovely bell pepper yogurt dip with herb butter.”
    I raised my eyebrows in surprise.
    “What? There’s herb butter left?”
    Daniel gave me a wink.
    “Either that, or the regular butter has gone bad.”
    We laughed, and he pulled me from my chair.
    “Don’t worry, babe. I’m your knight in shining armor, remember? Enjoy your bath—I’ll take care of dinner.”
    He