“We’re here,” the taxi driver announced over the roar of the rain. I stared at him in disbelief.“But my house is still a long way from here. I’ll be drenched,” I protested, handing him a couple of bills.“Don’t worry, miss. You’ll run fast,” he said with a shrug. Before I could even shut the door, the car sped off.The rain was coming down in sheets—a relentless wall of water—and running would have been pointless anyway. I was already soaked through, so I trudged home at a steady pace. Honestly, any enthusiasm I’d had about guests had completely evaporated, which gave me the perfect idea for how to avoid an unwanted meeting.The moment I stepped inside, Mom peeked out from the living room and gasped when she saw me.I had to summon every ounce of my acting ability to sell it. A loud, impressively convincing sneeze echoed through the spacious hallway, and I wrapped my arms around myself, dragging my feet as if every step took effort.“Oh, sweetheart, what happened? You could have call
Last Updated : 2026-01-04 Read more