Read Online After Hours by Dara Girard - Free Book Online

of his nosebleed episodes and sending it to his father. That thought made her smile. He’d be completely humiliated, but she wasn’t sure that act would be bad enough.
    She turned on the TV and saw a holiday film, showing a family that reminded her of Susan. Here she was, a single woman thinking about revenge against her boss, while Susan was likely preparing for a holiday party filled with family. How different their lives were.
    “Wishing is for wimps,” she said to herself then opened up her handbag to toss out Susan’s card. Then she saw Maya’s pink bracelet. She pulled it out and stared at it for a long moment, in her mind seeing the little girl dancing with joy then giving Amera the gift so that she could make Curtis happy. A man she didn’t know.
    Amera felt the stinging of tears, the weight of loss--for the workers, for Peale House, for herself--engulfing her in misery. She closed her eyes, covered her face and cried.
     
     

Chapter Five
     
    Kyle knew that phones didn’t fly, but for a moment he thought they did when one flew into his lap while he was sitting on the couch watching TV. He stared down at the phone then up at his wife, Heidi, with a silent question.
    “It’s your mother,” she mouthed.
    Damn, he hadn’t even heard it ring. He waved his hands and mouthed “I’m not here,” and held the phone out to her.
    She took a step back and pointed at him, making it clear that she expected him to answer.
    He stood and flashed a grin, one that usually melted her heart. He rested his hands on her shoulder and whispered, “Just cover for me this once.”
    She folded her arms, her expanding middle making her look extra fierce. “No,” she said, then spun and walked away.
    Kyle silently swore and watched her leave, wishing he’d found her as attractive as he used to, then picked up the phone. “Hi Mom.”
    “What did he say?”
    He fell back onto the couch. “What does he always say? Mom, stop doing this to yourself. He hasn’t changed and he won’t. You have to face that. Give up--”
    “He’s my son and I'll never give up on him,” she said in a curt voice.
    “I'm your son too,” he said in a soft tone, wishing he could be enough. Why couldn’t he and his sister be enough for her? She had the two of them and grandchildren she adored. Sure, this year it would be hard, since his sister had decided to spend time with her husband’s family, but his mother would be fine with his. Curtis didn’t belong, and he never would. In the past, Kyle had been just as hopeful. He’d believed his mother’s warm memories of Curtis, he’d never had any of his own. He had always been a distant figure in his brother’s life, at times sending money, but never affection. He’d hope for a chance to really get to know him, but this year that hope had died.
    “Kyle,” his mother said in a soft tone. “If you knew what he used to be. He was such a loving child.”
    “He’s not a child anymore,” Kyle said in a flat tone. “And I’m not going to ask him again,” he said, inwardly knowing that for his mother’s sake, he probably would.
    ***
    Camille Carroll heard the pain in her son’s tone on the other end of the line. She didn’t mean to hurt Kyle. But she was getting older, and there were so many mistakes she wanted to fix. She regretted the choice she’d made and how easily she’d given up custody to her ex-husband. She had remarried well and created a new, loving family, but there was a hole in her heart that only her first born, Curtis, could fill.
    “Okay,” she said. “I won’t force you,” she said then sniffed.
    Kyle’s tone hardened. “Don’t let him make you cry. He’s not worth it. He doesn’t care.”
    “I know, that’s what hurts. I just wanted this year to be different. I’d do anything to get my son back.”
    “His father was too powerful to fight. He knows you tried. Don’t blame yourself for the man he's become. You have to realize that he’s just like his