Tea and Tomahawks Read Free Page A

her since childhood. Her parents had never been satisfied with her grades or her looks, or her equestrian skills.
    Painfully shy, she hated to participate in the rich kid activities they’d lined up for her. No sleepovers, no makeup parties, nothing like that for her. She chose to spend the time alone with a good book. For her upwardly mobile parents, being social was the best way to network and to have such a truculent daughter hurt their efforts to properly integrate.
    Annie had disappointed them at every turn, except when she married Richard. They had been so pleased she’d married into a good family, one of the oldest in the Northeast. It also didn’t hurt that for a huge infusion of cash into Richard’s failing company, her family received a majority share and Richard retained his position as CEO. If she hadn’t loved him so much in the beginning, Annie would have thought she was being sold to the highest bidder.
    A small part of her was glad her parents died on her wedding night, so they couldn’t see how much she had failed them once again. She was stupid to have been fooled so easily, and now, she deserved what she got. Taking an extra-large swallow of the lemonade, she welcomed the soothing warmth of the vodka.
    “Don’t sit there brooding, missy.” The creak of Grandmother’s chair rocking back and forth hit the crickets’ rhythm. “What are you going to do about that husband of yours?”
    Swirling the pale yellow liquid in the glass, she answered, “I don’t know.” What could she do? He was relentless in his possession of her. No matter what she tried, he would never let her go.
    “He’s no good, Annie.” Grandmother said. “You know that.”
    The fragrance of her Grandmother’s cigar blended with the smell of the rain and the fainter smell of the ocean.
    “It’s my mistake. I have to live with it.” Annie rocked her chair, wishing Grandmother would drop the whole thing.
    “Behind those pretty blue eyes and that blond hair lies the soul of the devil’s son.” Lise made the sign of the evil eye. “I know he beats on you. Whips you.” She drew on her cigar and the end glowed in the near dusk. “I don’t need to see the marks to know.”
    Embarrassed by her Grandmother’s spot-on knowledge of her most intimate secrets, Annie shivered. Richard liked to use his belt even more than his hands, but both were equally humiliating. “He hasn’t done that in a while.” She spoke in a soft voice. Shame sent blood to her face and she ducked her head.
    “Shouldn’t be doing it at all.” Grandmother stubbed out her cigar in a fancy china cup sitting on the wicker table next to her. “He’s nobody’s master and you ain’t a slave.” Her tone softened. “AnnaLise, don’t you want to be happy?”
    Annie took a large swallow of her lemonade and didn’t answer. Her grandmother was wrong. She was a slave to her mistakes. There must be a way she could get it right, remake herself into the wife he wanted. Then, he would stop hitting her, and she would have succeeded. “I can make it right, Grandmother. I have to try.”
    “My dearest Annie, you can’t fix nature. A snake will always bite.”
    The expression on her Grandmother’s face nearly made her cry.
    Richard appeared at the screen door. “Sorry to break up this hen party, but I’m getting ready to turn in.” The false smile, the one he seemed to be wearing every time he interacted with Grandmother, was firmly in place.
    In her mind, she ran over the conversation wondering how much he had heard. She hadn’t said anything against him, in fact, she had defended him to her Grandmother. Forcing a smile to match his, she stood, a little wobbly from the vodka. “I’m going in, Grandmother.” She stooped and kissed the weathered brown cheek. “See you in the morning.”
    “God willing, I’m still here. Good night, child.” Lise fingered Annie’s silky curls. “Best wash these out quick, girl.” She patted her neat twists,