Read Online A Man After Midnight by Beth D. Carter - Free Book Online Page B

Angeles to pursue his love of acting, she had supported his dream.  And after they had married, she had done any job she could find to pay the bills while he went on audition after audition.  And though it had been a constant struggle to stay afloat financially, she had been secure in the knowledge that she at least had love. 
    But over the course of their marriage, Greg had changed in a way that she didn’t quite recognize.  He made friends with people she couldn’t identify with, talked about things she had no knowledge of, and stayed out longer and longer.
    Through it all, Caroline hadn’t said one thing to him.  She had let him be who he had become.  She had taken the side road instead of walking beside him, bottling up the outrage and resentment that had been born from dead love.  Hating him, and then hating herself for not caring more.  And she had told herself when the divorce had been finalized that she would change, that she would become the woman who would make Greg grovel at her feet and beg for forgiveness. 
    But all she’d managed to do was retreat inside a shell to protect herself from being hurt again in the future. 
    New York City had become a game changer.  Wren Calder wasn’t someone she’d been prepared for, and his words echoed deep in her soul.  Numb .  Yes, it was an apt description. Caroline realized that instead of living, she had been merely surviving.  Being numb meant she wouldn’t be hurt.  She wouldn’t have to care.
    She wasn’t sure if she was ready to feel again.  
Caroline sighed and rubbed her temples.  Thoughts of Greg always brought a headache. She ignored the little voice in her head whispering that perhaps it was too late already to return to her comfortable cocoon.  The numbness was starting to fade.

Chapter Ten
     
    “I was so hoping to get the Mystery Machine,” Aldy said, a tiny whine escaping through her voice.
    Caroline looked behind her and down the Ferris wheel to see the car they had missed acquiring.  Each car was different, one being the Little Tykes car and another the alien spaceship from Toy Story .  While standing in line at the toy store ride, the conductors asked for two people, and so they had volunteered, jumping ahead in line.  Only their car ended up being the one they didn’t want.
    “Yeah, I was never much into Cabbage Patch Kids,” Caroline added, looking at their car. 
    Aldy was busy clicking away with her camera from atop the four-story wheel located inside the toy store, because where else would a Ferris wheel fit in the middle of Manhattan?
    “I’m so glad this weekend is almost over,” Aldy continued, heedless of Caroline’s more somber mood.  “Just gotta get through the mixer tonight, and then it’s home sailing tomorrow afternoon.  It’s so hard talking with all the financial people.  It’s like we’re trying to run a business or something!”
    Oblivious to her friend, Caroline’s mind wandered as she stared across the car’s door as the wheel went round and round. 
    “Caro,” Aldy said sternly.
    Caroline blinked and turned her gaze onto Aldy’s frowning face.
    “That was a totally funny joke and you didn’t laugh.”
    “I’m sorry, Aldy.  What did you say?”
    Aldy sighed.  “Never mind.  You’re a space case today, you know.”
    “I’ve been thinking of Wren,” Caroline admitted.
    “That is still a sort of ‘ew’ subject,” Aldy replied, squishing up her face.
    “Oh please,” Caroline bit back.  “You had sex in my bathroom once.  I had to scrub the toilet with bleach, Aldrin, and buy a new shower curtain.”
    “I had completely forgotten about that!”  Aldy exclaimed.  Her eyes took on a thoughtful look as she searched her memory.  “What was his name?  Corey?  Cody?”
    “His name was Stan,” Caroline reminded her dryly. 
    “Stan,” Aldy repeated, pursing her lips and looking pensive.  “Stan.  Nope, got nothing.”
    “You are such a slut.”
    “So says the