Same Time Next Week (Ch 63)
The only way they get the money is to muzzle Melina. They get the money, she gets her portion and never bothers me again. And she doesn’t hunt down the men I date and tell them I killed her father.
Shelby sat up, rubbed her eyes and looked around the darkened room, confused for a moment as to why she was at her parent's house. And then it all came rushing back. She was still in her suit from earlier, now wrinkled and frumpy, twisted around her body.
She got up from the bed, pulling at the buttons on her jacket. Her face felt dry and caked. A glance in the mirror revealed black streaks down her cheeks and around her eyes. She winced, looking back at the pillow. She'd cried in her sleep– her tears had stained the pillow.
A soft knock at the door sounded. "Shelby? We’re holding dinner. Did you want to eat?" Evelyn's voice was muffled on the other side.
"Yeah, mom," she called through the door, her voice ragged. "I'll be right down."
"Okay. See you in a few minutes."
Shelby listened to the sounds of her mom walking away and back down the stairs, then went to the adjoining bathroom where she washed her face and brushed her teeth and restored order to her hair. She changed into a plain t-shirt and jeans and headed down the steps.
She hadn’t thought she was very hungry but the smells coming from the kitchen changed her mind. Roast beef, potatoes and green beans were being served up in healthy portions. Shelby took a full plate, grabbed a roll and sat at the dining room table. Roberto sat at one end, Evelyn across from her.
“Hot one, today.” Roberto sliced his roast beef into bite sized pieces and then, coupled with a dollop of potatoes, popped a forkful of food into his mouth. “Humid, too. Probably hit near a hundred degrees in some places.”
Evelyn only nodded, chewing slowly, watching Shelby stir food around her plate. The sound of forks and knives tinkling against porcelain plates was almost deafening when it was the only sound in the room.
“Uhm…” Shelby started speaking and then stopped to clear her throat and set down her fork. “So I met with Robin.”
