Chapter Ten ★ Secrets Cont’

｡☆✼★━ Daniel ━★✼☆｡

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His eyes grew cold and distant. A scowl replaced the wide grin that he once sported since he got home. He slammed his hand on the table and got up. Aunt LeAnne went to grab for him but he said in a dark voice, “Don’t.”

She looked at him with pleading eyes and whispered, “Stephen you–”

“No. Not right now.” He growled and stomped over to the doorway leading off to the hall to our bedrooms. He paused for a moment and said, “Maybe, later.”

With that he was gone as the door to the master bedroom slammed shut. I looked over at Aunt LeAnne. Her eyes were brimming with tears but she still tried to put on a smile for me when she looked my way.

Aunt LeAnne really wasn’t my aunt but more like a family acquaintance. Apparently she and dad went way back before I was even born. I always thought it was weird that dad didn’t take her as his wife instead of Jamie. But that’s probably even more secrets that he’s hiding from me.

“Well,” she said and got up from the table, “this calls for a pick-me-up.”

My stomach grumbled in agreement. I laughed and said, “Brownies?”

She was already at the stove slicing into the thick pan of ooey-gooey goodness that came in the form of chocolate heaven. “Ohh, you read my mind.” She giggled. 

Aunt LeAnne placed two big slabs of brownie onto a plate and then held up one finger as she rushed over to the fridge.

“Can’t forget the chocolate syrup.” She said and smiled. While in the fridge she grabbed the milk and carried it with the syrup back to the counter. Taking two glasses out of the cupboards she poured us both a cup of milk then added chocolate syrup to each.

Oh man talk about chocolate overload. Aunt LeAnne stirred each glass and drizzled more chocolate syrup over each brownie piece probably into a fancy design. She should have been a pastry chef due to her talent with desserts.

“Ah, here we go,” She remarked and balanced the two plates on her arm then grabbed the glasses of milk before she walked back to the table. I got up and swiped the plates from her arms before they fell and made a huge mess.

“Thank you.” Aunt LeAnne said and smiled then placed the glasses on the table. I placed the brownies down too. We both sat and admired her chocolate masterpieces before she said, “That’s good enough. Dig in!”

The first bite was the best as the flavor wrapped its soft velvety texture around your tongue and gave it a warm hug. Chocolate continued to kiss each and every tastebud and fill my nostrils with its bittersweet scent. It was rich.

I grabbed for my milk and took one gulp. The coolness of the delightful chocolate liquid added its essence to the overall dessert. I let out a groan, “Mmmmm.”

Between mouthfuls Aunt LeAnne asked, “Delightful, isn’t it?”

“Mmmmm,” Was all I could answer with as I took another sip of the chocolate milk. She laughed. One thing about Aunt LeAnne she knew how to distract you. Hmmm, distract.

I placed the glass back down and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. It never occurred to me to ask her questions. Well not until now. She noticed that I was no longer eating my dessert and asked, “Is everything all right?”

How can I ask her? She’s the sweetest person that I know of… besides Jamie of course. I fiddled with my fingers in my lap and stared down at them. In a low voice I asked, “Aunt LeAnne, who are you really? And do you know what happened to Aunt Tabby?”

‧͙⁺˚*·༓☾ – TO BE CONTINUED… –☽༓･*˚⁺‧͙