Arachnia #Featured

Chapter Sixteen - Part 1

Chapter Sixteen    

Part 1

by sloanranger

                                                           

It was after two in the afternoon when Elaine got out of bed.

She went to the kitchen, made fresh coffee, then opened a can of Pillsbury refrigerated cinnamon rolls. She unrolled the dough and before separating them, pressed wheat germ into the spirals. After adding a few crushed walnuts Elaine sprinkled more cinnamon on, re-rolled the pieces and stuck them in the oven.

Feeling slightly less guilty, she poured orange juice. When Steve got out of the shower and came to the table, he gave her a smile for her efforts.

"Looks good, Hon."

"Nothing at all," Elaine said, and they finished most of the plate.           

By the time they arrived, at the Rettig's later Tom was at his wit's end.

"Cassie's gone from fear and anger, to what now appears to be nervous exhaustion," Tom said.

"I've tried to calm her, but Billy won't come out of his room his room and won't say where he's been."

Elaine said, "Is Cass in the kitchen?"

"Yes," Tom said.

"I'll go see if I can help," and she went down the hall into the kitchen.

Putting her arm around Cassie's waist she asked: "Got any coffee, Cass?"

She's got to know that I'm in worse shape than her or Billy, Elaine thought, to ask her for coffee.

Tom turned to Steve. "Bourbon or wine?"

"Any red?"

"Merlot. There may be a little Cabernet left." Tommy answered.

"Merlot's fine," Steve said, and as Tom poured their wine, Steve kept quiet, waiting for his friend to tell him what had happened.

"You know at one point, Steve, I almost got Billy to talk to me. I think he was about ready to tell me where he'd been, but then Cass got upset and he shut down again."

(To be continued).