Read Genesis: A Harte's Peak Prequel for Free Online

something that jerked him back to reality. “I think I forgot to turn off the oven. Be right back.”
    “Hurry up, Mom. You’re going to burn the house down one day,” Lexi quipped.
    He followed Maggie out the door.
    Once outside, she turned to him and smiled. “I’ll just be right back. This will give you a few minutes to talk to her. Is that OK?”
    “Of course, but what do you want me to tell her, exactly?” He should have thought of this sooner. Why not go to the source?
    “Maybe something encouraging. Uplifting. I trust you can think of something.” She practically skipped next door, no doubt thinking about unicorns and rainbows.
    “Sure.” No pressure. He’d think of something. Right. He walked back to the living room, and although he was no scientist, he would swear that there was suddenly far less oxygen in the room.
    The panic started as it always did, rising up from somewhere beneath his chest and spreading until every cell in his body sat on edge. Maybe if he just stood and watched her, he could keep her out of harm’s way. He leaned against the wall.
    Lexi glared. “I’m not a baby. You can go do whatever you have to do. You don’t need to watch me.”
    Yeah, a likely story. Turn your back on a teen, and you may as well turn your back on the ocean. He took a breath. “Your mother wants me to talk to you.”
    Lexi gave a deep sigh accompanied by a well-practiced eye roll. “What a surprise. Let me help you out. There’s nothing wrong with me other than I have an uber-controlling mother.”
    Jack didn’t think her controlling enough, but he kept quiet. In his silence, she kept going.
    “Once you get to know my mom you’ll see she overreacts to everything. I guess because she grew up like some kind of angel in a Hallmark card. But I’m different. I’m like my dad.” She raised her chin, a hint of pride in her dark eyes.
    “But—”
    “So you can spare me your speech on how important it is to stay in school, stay away from drugs, don’t accept rides from strangers, listen to your mother, and go to church.” She held one finger in the air with every item she recited.
    “That’s pretty good.” She’d covered almost everything he thought about for close to two hours, other than church. In some ways, this kid was impressive.
    “It’s not like I haven’t heard it all a gazillion times before.” She shrugged.
    Although, apparently, all the advice wasn’t getting through to her. He’d done his job and could now try to relax a little. He picked up the plate of lasagna he’d placed on the desk.
    “And since you’re being nice enough to let me borrow your computer, I’ll clue you in on a few things, too. First of all, my mom is not as great as you think she is.”
    “What makes you think…?” he protested. Great, the kid had noticed the interest he thought he’d disguised.
    Lexi held up a hand. “Save it. For one thing, she’s controlling. I don’t think guys like that. Second, she’s a Jesus freak. And lastly, and most important to you, my mother can’t cook. At all .” She glanced at the plate of food in his hands.
    He’d been looking forward to the lasagna and wondered if the kid was messing with him. Anyone could see she wasn’t her mother’s greatest advocate, not to mention kids were picky eaters, last he’d heard. And there was also the fact that he was starving.
    “But you’re welcome to try.” She said with a smirk.
    One thing for sure, he was hungry enough to take his chances. The lasagna was still warm as he carried it into the kitchen, grabbed a clean fork from the dishwasher and took a large bite. It was then that he discovered that Lexi Bradshaw might be a lot of things—precocious, smart, hostile—but she was certainly no liar.
     
     
     
     

4
     
    Maggie hummed as she dipped carafes in the sudsy water.
    “You’ve been perky all morning. Want to tell me why?” Vera asked.
    “I’ve got some good news. That’s all.”
    “So go ahead and spill