Read Midnight Surrender (A Paranormal Romance Anthology) Page 7

  ~***~

  Channie ran her hands over the front of her new dress as she examined herself in the mirror. She still wished Aunt Wisdom would have cast a growth spell on her, but the new padded bra helped. She wasn’t nearly as curvy as Lovie Schmidt, but it was a definite improvement.

  “Channie, get down here. We’re all waitin’ on you.”

  “Yes sir. Be right there.” Channie wrapped a shawl around her shoulders and tied the ends then hiked her skirt up to climb down the ladder out of the loft.

  Abby curled her lip and narrowed her eyes at Channie. “I ain’t never got a new dress and new shoes on the same day.”

  Daddy turned away from his shaving mirror and glared at Abby. “She works for Wisdom. What she chooses to give Channie ain’t none of your business.”

  Abby snorted and folded her arms across her chest. “But, it ain’t fair.” The whiney sound of her voice was worse than fingernails on a chalkboard.

  Daddy’s face bloomed scarlet. “Abundance, that’s enough.”

  Everyone froze, even the trips. When Daddy used your power-name, you knew you were in trouble. Channie started counting silently in her head and prayed she’d get to ten without Daddy taking off his belt …eight …nine …ten.

  Daddy exhaled through pursed lips then rubbed the side of his face with his palm. “I’ll be in the bus.”

  Everyone else heaved a sigh of relief and went back to whatever they were doing.

  Momma grabbed Zeal with one hand then licked her thumb and rubbed at the corner of his mouth. “What in tarnation have you been eating?”

  “Nuffin.” He squirmed out of her grasp and made a dash for the door with Coco hot on his heels.

  Savvy tugged on Momma’s dress and batted his feather-duster eyelashes at her. “It’s booberry jam. Coco shared wif Zeal but not me.”

  Momma held Savvy’s chubby cheeks between her palms and kissed his forehead. She narrowed her eyes at Abby. “That jam was on the top shelf. You’ve got to do a better job of watching these babies. Especially Courage and Zeal.”

  Abby rolled her eyes. “You’re the one that gave ‘em their power-names, don’t blame me.”

  Channie ducked outside before she got caught in the middle of Momma and Abby’s argument. She rarely agreed with anything Abby said, but she was right about the trips’ power-names.

  Daddy laid on the horn then stuck his head out the window of their old VW bus. “I’m leaving! Y’all better git your bee-hinds in this here vehicle right now or plan on walking.”