The Cider House Rules Novels & Stories

"Melinda can deal with it. Grace asks about you. She wants to see you." "Really?" "Really. She likes you. Says you're cool." I smile. "Well, I am pretty cool." We clean up together, moving around the kitchen like we've done this a thousand times. It's domestic and normal and perfect. Later, as we're getting ready for bed, Richard's phone rings. Benjamin. "What's wrong?" Richard asks, putting it on speaker. "Christopher just bought another two percent. He's at fourteen percent now. One more percent and he can force the vote."

No one here believed anything was permanent except the company of the hungry. Carolina drank a shot of vinegar and passed the jar down the line. “New rule,” she declared. “When the sun goes down, we don’t talk about the city. We talk about the garden, and what fucked-up miracles we want to grow next. Or we don’t talk at all.” The kids cheered; the rule had already been in effect forever, but it felt better to say it out loud.

“Ass-kicking ladies who have been stabbed in the line of duty get to drink wine and watch the man cook. That’s a rule, you know.” “It is?” She clambered on to a stool. “Says who?” “Says me.” “Ah, yes. The famous Rhodes Rules. I have heard of them, actually.” “Smart ass,” he growled as he brought her some wine. “Now, not too much of this, OK? It doesn’t mix well with your medicine.” She took a tiny sip and then sighed. “Thanks, Luke.” “No problem.” He went back to chopping vegetables. "I like taking care of you.”

I hovered in the doorway. “House rules poker,” Jace said, grinning. “Eva, you in?” I cinched the robe and stepped onto the rug. “What’s house rules?” “Loser drinks. Double loser loses a layer.” Jace’s grin widened. “We can adapt for married company.” Mason didn’t grin. He just looked at my bare knees and said, “You don’t have many layers to lose.” Theo shuffled with clean, precise hands. “She’ll win.”

From how poised he was, no one could guess that his heart was distressed. “There are a few rules from today onwards,” Caddaric said in his deep velvety tone, gaining everyone’s attention. They thought that he was going to make things difficult for them but when they heard the rules, they felt rather grateful. “Because of what happened last night, auctioning women is banned in this club.” There was complete silence and only confusion on the faces of the about twenty people there. He continued,

His quarryman’s shoulders shifted like he was measuring where the ceiling would land if it fell. “Guest,” Lucian corrected, and the oak beam above us glowed along its carved line like it agreed with him personally. That got me a seat. Bríd jerked her chin at a chair like it had been convinced to behave. I sat; the chair didn’t bite. Progress. “Rules,” Bríd said. “No bleeding on the floor unless I say so. Don’t invite anything in I can’t boil. If the house speaks, don’t answer unless it uses your name.”

"What are we gonna do today? Milk run?" "Nope," I responded. "Father and I took care of it yesterday. But we can head over to Old Fez's house. Maybe he has some new board games we could check out." "Ooo and free apple cider," he chimed. Riley was obessed with apple cider. He could drink gallons of it and never get tired of the taste. I, on the other hand, couldn't drink more than five cups without feeling nauseous. "Yeah, that," I laughed. "Let's go."

Look away, cupcake. Do not say Ryder Dane’s name. Do not— I stopped reading. There were thirty rules, where about twenty of them were about Ryder and how he belonged to Chrissy. “What other supposed rule did I break?” Chrissy lifted a hand and stabbed a finger over rules 9 and 10. No talking or touching Ryder Dane. “Well, come to think of it. You broke three.” “You are literally the most unhinged person I’ve met.” And that was saying a lot, as I’ve dealt with my fair share of crazy. “And you really expect everyone to follow these dumb rules?”