Grace sat at the kitchen table, peeling potatoes and Miss Aldridge smeared butter under the skin of a small turkey. Ryan downed a glass of water.
"Do you need help, Mom?" he asked.
"No," she said. "Dinner will be ready at six."
---
Mr. Ross blew the car horn and Ryan ran out of the house, locking the door behind him.
He drove to 31 Token Road and parked at the sidewalk, taking a bouquet of orange tulips wrapped in green, tissue paper from the back seat.
"Where did you get those, Dad?"
"I picked these myself."
"Where?"
"Your grandma's greenhouse."
"She let you?"
"No, I sneaked in this morning."
"You don't think she'd notice all those flowers gone?"
"She can grow more. Besides, I cut her lawn for free last week."
Ms. Wentworth opened the door and smiled.
"For you and your daughters," said Mr. Ross, handing her the bouquet.
"You mean granddaughters," she said, taking it with a wink.
"Oops, I messed that up," he said with a grin.
"Well, I do feel like their mother. Thank you. Orange tulips are perfect. Lunch is almost ready. Shantel will be down in a minute."
She brought the flowers into the kitchen.
The smell of pumpkin, cinnamon and sugar filled the hallway and Shantel greeted Ryan dressed in a white, satin blouse and a tan skirt.
"Thanks for coming," she said.
"I got you a card," said Ryan and Shantel took it.
"Thanks. I'll be right back." She went upstairs.
Six, large, white plates topped with cloth napkins rolled inside gold, napkin rings waited on the dining room, table before each chair.
A white basket filled with white and yellow roses adorned the center and two white candles stood inside it. Sigourney lit each one with a burning match.
Skyler placed several silver untensils beside each plate. Shantel sat in the chair closest to the kitchen and Ms. Wentworth sat near her at the head of the table.
"Jack, you can sit at the other end," she said.
"Oh, lots of room," said Mr. Ross, sitting down. Ryan sat beside Shantel and Skyler sat across from her. Sigourney sat across from Ryan.
Ms. Wentworth folded her hands. "I'm saying a silent prayer of thanks for our wonderful meal." The sisters folded their hands along with Mr. Ross and Ryan.
Ms. Wentworth closed her eyes for a little while, whispering to herself. She finished with "Amen".
Skyler grabbed a huge, white bowl filled with mashed potatoes and passed it around. Then she passed the sliced turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce, carrots and rolls. The gravy boat followed and the butter plate.
Mr. Ross ate some turkey. "Delicious, Sylvia."
"You can thank Sigourney and Skyler," she said. "They did most of the cooking."
"Fantastic, ladies," he said.
Ryan ate some stuffing and finished it.
"Do you want some more?" asked Shantel.
YOU ARE READING
Sing Today Die Tomorrow
Mystery / ThrillerSomething wants him to die. Something else wants him to misbehave and another something wants him to hear lies. And he just turned thirteen. Ryan Ross doesn't understand what on earth is haunting him until a mysterious stranger leads him to a secret...
Chapter Fourteen
Start from the beginning
