AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Apparently unaware of the mess, he glanced at his boots, then, grunting, unlaced them.
I stifled a sigh.
He trudged to the table in stockinged feet, plopped down, and rested his head on his hand.
I bit my lip, teetering between sympathy and aggravation.
His shoulders started shaking.
Is he crying? Moving closer to comfort him, I noticed his shirt was drenched. “No wonder you’re shaking. You’re soaked through.”
“Huh?” He turned dazed eyes toward me.
“You’re dripping wet. Why don’t you change into dry clothes?”
“Why?” He shrugged. “I’ll just get wet again.”
“Luke…” You’re scaring me, I wanted to say. Instead, I ladled a bowl of homemade chicken-noodle soup and set it before him. “Eat this. It’ll warm you from the inside.”
He dipped his spoon into the broth and began eating mechanically.
I dished a bowl for myself and sat across from him, trying to make eye contact.
But his glazed eyes stared without seeing.
Resigned, I gazed out the window, watching rivulets of rain flow down the pane. His mood is as dark as the weather. I changed the subject, trying to lighten the atmosphere. “Have you started building the wedding arch?”
“Don’t you think I have better things to do?” He scowled.
Wincing, I tiptoed around the issue. “Well, maybe we can rent one.” Then exasperated with his negativity—and myself for tolerating it—I confronted him. “Have you sent out the invitations yet?”
“Don’t you get it? If we lose the crop, we lose the vineyard.” His chair scraped as he stood. “I have too much at stake to waste time.”
“In case you forgot, we’re getting married in nine days.” So tense that my muscles quivered, I jumped to my feet. “Of course, if you think the wedding is ‘wasting time,’ maybe we should postpone it.”
His eyes flashed. “Maybe we should cancel it.”
“Fine!”
“Fine!”
Not bothering to slip on his boots, he grabbed them and slammed out the door.
The wind knocked out of me, I sagged back into my chair.
The dog sidled alongside me, rubbing against my calves.
“Teddy, what’ve I done?”
The lights flickered.
“Great, now we’re going to lose electricity?”
The lights flickered again, went off, came on, then dimmed.
“A brownout?” As I stepped toward the kitchen, the lights went out, and the refrigerator stopped humming.
A musty odor filled the air as I searched for the matches. Mold? Mildew?
