Into the Sunshine: Of Love and Loss Series Book Two

2

Monday morning announced itself bright and early with rumbling booms of thunder and a heavy deluge of rain. Both were a welcome reprieve from the unrelenting, oppressive sunshine throughout the weekend.

Arising with the first thunderous crack shaking the windows, Iris washed and readied herself for the day. Then she walked downstairs and stood at the kitchen window to watch the rain splatter against the leaded panes while Marcus cooked breakfast, filling the room with the smell of bacon, eggs, and toast.

"Smells delectable," Iris said, a timid smile bending her lips, yearning to lose herself in the long-missed activity of cooking. "Need any help?"

He glanced at her, and her hopes of assisting in the morning ritual vanished. "Everythin's under control," he replied, failing to say what his eyes revealed—if she joined him in that section of the kitchen, too many sharp objects would be at her disposal.

So Iris clenched her jaw and went back to studying the storm—she and the thunder had an awful lot in common lately.

"Looks to be a nasty one today," Marcus murmured behind her at the stove amidst the crackle and sizzle of bacon. "Glad I'm not a sailor."

She glanced at him over her shoulder and forced her lips into an imitation of a smile. "The seas would be rough indeed."

"You're gonna get drenched out there today, honey," Sally said, fastening her blouse at the back of her neck as she walked into the kitchen. "Be sure to wear your—"

"Oiled duster and not the raincoat," Marcus nodded. He carried the plates of food to the table, then grabbed the bottle of milk and orange juice out of the fridge and set them in the middle. "Don't worry, dear, I remember."

"You'd think a raincoat would be waterproof," Sally grumbled with a chuckle and roll of her eyes at Iris as she pulled out her chair. "That's its sole purpose in bein' created, ain't it—to protect its wearer from rain."

Iris joined her sister and sat across from her. "But it isn't?"

Marcus snorted a laugh. "May as well have been walkin' underwater for all the good that worthless bit of cloth did me. Came home soaked to the skin—"

"Caught a cold that had him laid up in bed for a week afterward," Sally said, shaking her head. She added several dainty portions of food onto her plate, then waited for Marcus and Iris to dish up.

They carried on frivolous conversation throughout the remainder of breakfast—a welcome reprieve from the mandatory and oppressive quiet Iris had grown used to during meals at Pine Ridge Mental Hospital.

Once they finished eating, Iris took her dishes and utensils to the sink and prepared to wash them.

However, Sally came up behind her and said, "Don't worry yourself about that. I'll do it."

Iris turned to argue, but her words died on her tongue when she saw the unspoken worry in her sister's eyes.

Would they ever trust her around anything sharp again? It certainly didn't seem that way, regardless of how many times she swore the whole situation that led to Sally and older sister Celia admitting her to Pine Ridge had been an accident and not—

Refusing to dwell on the unpleasant memory a moment longer, Iris forced a swallow down her too-tight throat and stalked past her sister and Marcus.

"Where ya goin'?" Sally asked.

"Am I a teenager that must account for my every move now?" Iris acerbically grumbled, walking into the hallway. She inwardly cringed at the blatant reminder of how Mother's passing twenty years ago had forever changed their lives. Sally called it her 'Idaho drawl'. But Iris knew better. It was a direct consequence of her schooling abruptly ending. All so she could assist Celia and Ellis in raising Iris while their father worked long hours to keep them from starving and being homeless.