Until Next Time (The Shooting Stars Series) Read Free Page B

this is Adam Ellington. Adam, my daddy, Walter Mayfield,” Katherine introduced them.
    “Nice to meet you, Mr. Mayfield,” Adam greeted as he politely shook the man’s hand.
    “Likewise, are you new to the area?” Walter queried as they started passing bowls.
    “Yes, sir; we just moved here from Pittsburg,” Adam admitted.
    “What do your parents do for a living?”
              “It’s just me and mom; she works as a medical transcriptionist.”
    “How do you like Jackson so far?” Julia asked.
    Adam smiled, “We arrived quite late last night and until I went to the store with Kaitlyn this afternoon all I had seen was the road between home and school.”
    Katherine watched her father frown at the nick name; then smile.
    “I hope ya’ll get settled soon and like it here. Pittsburg the only place you lived?” Walter asked.
    “No, we’ve lived in the north, east, and west; this is our first time in the south. Thank you for agreeing to have me to dinner, Mrs. Mayfield; this is some of the best lasagna I’ve had,” Adam offered.
    “Why, thank you, Adam and you’re welcome any time. I like having Kattie’s friends over, it keeps me young,” Julia assured him.
    As soon as they had finished eating, Katherine set their plates in the sink and they returned to the basement to finish their work.
    “Uh oh,” Adam said when she abandoned her shoes and sat down in the floor at the coffee table.
    “What?” Katherine frowned at him.
    “Purple nail polish? I think you may have a rebellious streak hidden in you,” he teased.
    “What?” she frowned at her toes and wiggled them. “My aunt gave it to me for Christmas; it isn’t exactly a color I prefer for my fingers.”
    “I sometimes paint mine black,” he admitted.
    “So you have an identity crisis,” she noted.
    “In what way?”
    “You want to mix rap and rock and you dress like you’re into grunge stuff. You don’t know what you want to be.”
    “True enough,” he conceded. “I like to think of it as having eclectic taste.”
    “Clearly.”
    “What kind of music do you like?” he asked her.
    “I’m a big fan of the Cranberries, the Smashing Pumpkins, the Lemonheads, and I have to admit, thanks to my aunt; I am big fan of eighties music,” she shared. “What about you?”
    “I am into Nirvana, Cypress Hill, House of Pain, Alice in Chains; stuff like that. Oh yeah and the Violent Femmes.”
    “I’ve never heard of the last one,” she admitted.
    “They aren’t real main stream but I love their music,” he shared.
    “You’ll have to let me hear it sometime,” she suggested.
    “I will,” he agreed. “Your parents are nice.”
    “I like them,” she smiled.
    Adam studied her. She was an interesting mix. She was open and kind, a hint sweet but she had a little sass too; it was an appealing combination. Her genuine friendliness was refreshing. He didn’t know how to explain so he didn’t but she rather reminded him of his “Grandma Kaitlyn” in Boston, right down to nearly identical green eyes. The woman had actually been no relation to him but she was the closest thing to a grandmother he’d ever had. Kaitlyn didn’t remind him of a grandparent though, not by a long shot, but she did share the older woman’s kindness and beautiful eyes. By the end of the summer she had baby sat him he had believe in kindness and goodness in the world again. Then they had moved and he had begun to doubt that again; Kaitlyn made him think otherwise.
    “I guess we should get back to work,” Katherine suggested as she pulled her books back close.
    They worked for a while before Adam glanced at the clock and realized he should call his mom before she left work; their home phone wasn’t on yet.
    “Hey, Mom; I just wanted to let you know I’m at friend’s. I’ve eaten and we’re going over homework right now,” he shared.
    “I’m glad you made a friend; don’t stay too late.”
    “I won’t,” he promised.
    Adam turned