The Good Day
The Fight
Kelsey and her mother sat watching Jeopardy when Eli came in through the garage door. "Good evening, family!" He chirped, planting a kiss on Carri's forehead.
Carri glared up from her rocking chair. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, making her slightly darker, arched eyebrows visible. "Kelsey, could you go up stairs please?"
Kelsey got up without a word and went to her bedroom.
Eli sat in Kelsey's place, facing his fiance. "Is everything alright?"
"Where were you?" She asked tersely.
"I went out with some guys." He replied questioningly. "Is something wrong?"
"Which guys?"
"Tom and Jake, we went golfing. Honey, you're worrying me." He grabbed at her hands, but she retracted immediately.
"That's funny, because you were home when Kelsey left this afternoon. I know that you and the guys like to play earlier, so you certainly wouldn't have had any reason to be home before two. Especially if you went out to lunch. Like you always do when you play golf."
"Well, today wasn't a usual day."
"Clearly, since you told me you had work last night."
"Well, they didn't need me." He snapped.
"Where were you when I got home, then?"
"I don't need this, Carri. Your daughter was already disrespectful to me today. I don't need two Baker women on my case."
"Don't try to turn this on Kelsey."
Eli held up his hands in surrender and walked out the same way he came in. He drove away, going God knows where.
Carri wrote a note and taped it on the garage door for him when he got home. Tonight y ou get the couch
__
Carri spent the rest of the night reading in her bed. Kelsey knocked on the door and popped her head in. "Hey mom." Her mother pat the spot on the bed beside her, placing a bookmark in her book. "How did you know that Eli was here earlier?" She slipped under the covers.
"Your father told me." She sighed, squeezing her daughter for comfort.
Kelsey raised a brow in interest. "You two have been spending a lot of time together, huh?"
Carri chuckled. more at herself than her daughter's statement. "It's not like that, Honey. Kyle and I ran into each other at... at Brian's grave." It was difficult for her to choke out. Saying it was like accepting that he was really never coming home.
Kelsey dropped he subject, her hope just a bit squelched. The two slowly dozed off, the desk lamp still turned on and shining. Eli didn't come home for a couple hours. He thought about asking Kelsey to move back to her own room, but thought better of it. Still, not wanting to hurt his back by sleeping on the couch, he decided to occupy his near-step-daughter's bed.
Carri glared up from her rocking chair. Her hair was pulled up in a ponytail, making her slightly darker, arched eyebrows visible. "Kelsey, could you go up stairs please?"
Kelsey got up without a word and went to her bedroom.
Eli sat in Kelsey's place, facing his fiance. "Is everything alright?"
"Where were you?" She asked tersely.
"I went out with some guys." He replied questioningly. "Is something wrong?"
"Which guys?"
"Tom and Jake, we went golfing. Honey, you're worrying me." He grabbed at her hands, but she retracted immediately.
"That's funny, because you were home when Kelsey left this afternoon. I know that you and the guys like to play earlier, so you certainly wouldn't have had any reason to be home before two. Especially if you went out to lunch. Like you always do when you play golf."
"Well, today wasn't a usual day."
"Clearly, since you told me you had work last night."
"Well, they didn't need me." He snapped.
"Where were you when I got home, then?"
"I don't need this, Carri. Your daughter was already disrespectful to me today. I don't need two Baker women on my case."
"Don't try to turn this on Kelsey."
Eli held up his hands in surrender and walked out the same way he came in. He drove away, going God knows where.
Carri wrote a note and taped it on the garage door for him when he got home. Tonight y ou get the couch
__
Carri spent the rest of the night reading in her bed. Kelsey knocked on the door and popped her head in. "Hey mom." Her mother pat the spot on the bed beside her, placing a bookmark in her book. "How did you know that Eli was here earlier?" She slipped under the covers.
"Your father told me." She sighed, squeezing her daughter for comfort.
Kelsey raised a brow in interest. "You two have been spending a lot of time together, huh?"
Carri chuckled. more at herself than her daughter's statement. "It's not like that, Honey. Kyle and I ran into each other at... at Brian's grave." It was difficult for her to choke out. Saying it was like accepting that he was really never coming home.
Kelsey dropped he subject, her hope just a bit squelched. The two slowly dozed off, the desk lamp still turned on and shining. Eli didn't come home for a couple hours. He thought about asking Kelsey to move back to her own room, but thought better of it. Still, not wanting to hurt his back by sleeping on the couch, he decided to occupy his near-step-daughter's bed.
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