Read Online Almost Always: A Love Unexpected Novel by Alissa Adams - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Alissa Adams
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the next morning and handed me her phone.
"Hey Jenn, why are you calling on Mom's phone?"
"Annalise, I have been trying to call you since about ten last night!" Jenn sounded frazzled and frustrated.
I went over to my purse where my forgotten phone, now dead, lay at the bottom. "Sorry Jenn, I was so tired I left my phone in my purse and it went dead. I don't even think I brought the charger. Damn."
"Annalise, Kason Royce showed up here last night. He said he had been phoning the number Tom gave him all through rehearsal. He seemed kinda frantic. He wanted to know how to find you and thought maybe I had another phone number."
"You could have given him Mom's number." Kason . . . frantic because he couldn't get in touch with me? Yessss!
"I didn't know if that would be okay, so I told him I would get in touch with you myself through your Mom's phone this morning. I told him I had talked to you earlier and that everything seemed fine."
"If you don't mind, go ahead and call him and give him Mom's phone."
"Sure thing, ‘Lise. How's your Dad?"
"Beat up, but fine. He's too tough to let a few thugs get him down."
"Keep me posted. I've gotta go to work now. I'll call Kason right after I get off the phone."
"Thanks, Jenn. Talk to you soon."
Not two minutes later, Mom's phone rang again. She handed it to me.
"Annalise," I heard Kason say in a very serious sounding voice. "Tell me what's going on. Tom only mentioned you had a family emergency. I wish you had thought to call me."
"I didn't think I should involve you. I didn't want to assume . . . expect anything."
"We'll talk about how wrong you are to throw that at me later. Please fill me in."
I walked out of earshot of Mom and told him everything. About Dad and the unions, about the threats, the bricks and my father's continued defiance of men far more powerful and ruthless than he would ever be. I told him because I wanted someone to lean on. I wanted to know that someone as powerful as Kason was on my side. He didn't disappoint me.
By ten in the morning, Kason was having coffee with Mom and I. He'd taken a helicopter from the Hills. Taishi came with him and was sitting outside on the stoop with a newspaper. He was doing his best to appear casual.
My mother was smitten by Kason's movie-star good looks as I knew she would be. The charm he turned on full blast for Marjorie Harding didn't hurt, either. The sharp-edged side of Kason that I had glimpsed more than once was utterly missing from the solicitous, gentle persona he showed to my mother. He drew a lot more information out of her than I had ever been able to. I was surprised at just how serious the situation had become in the four years I had been an occasional presence in my parent's house.
"Mrs. Harding, before I arrived, I had my research team get as much background as they could on the thugs who attacked your husband. They aren't just ordinary working men looking for a fair shake. These men are dangerous and your situation is serious."
"Kason, you're scaring Mom." I was alarmed at how pale my mother had become as she listened to hm.
"There's every reason for her to be scared. And you, too." He turned back to my mother. "I've taken the liberty of getting you and Annalise a couple of rooms at a hotel for at least for the night. I'm going to need some time to properly address your situation at the right levels."
"Is that really necessary?" Mom wasn't used to anyone simply stepping in and taking control. She and Dad had a pretty democratic relationship.
"I'm sorry if it sounds like I am an alarmist, but why take the chance? The fact that I had no trouble persuading the police chief to station a guard outside Mr. Harding's room leads me to believe I'm more right than wrong about the situation."
Mom looked like she was about to cry. I took her hand. "Mom, try not to worry. Dad's going to be just fine. Maybe with Kason's help we can stop this once and for all."
She sniffed her agreement. "I can't thank you
"Hey Jenn, why are you calling on Mom's phone?"
"Annalise, I have been trying to call you since about ten last night!" Jenn sounded frazzled and frustrated.
I went over to my purse where my forgotten phone, now dead, lay at the bottom. "Sorry Jenn, I was so tired I left my phone in my purse and it went dead. I don't even think I brought the charger. Damn."
"Annalise, Kason Royce showed up here last night. He said he had been phoning the number Tom gave him all through rehearsal. He seemed kinda frantic. He wanted to know how to find you and thought maybe I had another phone number."
"You could have given him Mom's number." Kason . . . frantic because he couldn't get in touch with me? Yessss!
"I didn't know if that would be okay, so I told him I would get in touch with you myself through your Mom's phone this morning. I told him I had talked to you earlier and that everything seemed fine."
"If you don't mind, go ahead and call him and give him Mom's phone."
"Sure thing, ‘Lise. How's your Dad?"
"Beat up, but fine. He's too tough to let a few thugs get him down."
"Keep me posted. I've gotta go to work now. I'll call Kason right after I get off the phone."
"Thanks, Jenn. Talk to you soon."
Not two minutes later, Mom's phone rang again. She handed it to me.
"Annalise," I heard Kason say in a very serious sounding voice. "Tell me what's going on. Tom only mentioned you had a family emergency. I wish you had thought to call me."
"I didn't think I should involve you. I didn't want to assume . . . expect anything."
"We'll talk about how wrong you are to throw that at me later. Please fill me in."
I walked out of earshot of Mom and told him everything. About Dad and the unions, about the threats, the bricks and my father's continued defiance of men far more powerful and ruthless than he would ever be. I told him because I wanted someone to lean on. I wanted to know that someone as powerful as Kason was on my side. He didn't disappoint me.
By ten in the morning, Kason was having coffee with Mom and I. He'd taken a helicopter from the Hills. Taishi came with him and was sitting outside on the stoop with a newspaper. He was doing his best to appear casual.
My mother was smitten by Kason's movie-star good looks as I knew she would be. The charm he turned on full blast for Marjorie Harding didn't hurt, either. The sharp-edged side of Kason that I had glimpsed more than once was utterly missing from the solicitous, gentle persona he showed to my mother. He drew a lot more information out of her than I had ever been able to. I was surprised at just how serious the situation had become in the four years I had been an occasional presence in my parent's house.
"Mrs. Harding, before I arrived, I had my research team get as much background as they could on the thugs who attacked your husband. They aren't just ordinary working men looking for a fair shake. These men are dangerous and your situation is serious."
"Kason, you're scaring Mom." I was alarmed at how pale my mother had become as she listened to hm.
"There's every reason for her to be scared. And you, too." He turned back to my mother. "I've taken the liberty of getting you and Annalise a couple of rooms at a hotel for at least for the night. I'm going to need some time to properly address your situation at the right levels."
"Is that really necessary?" Mom wasn't used to anyone simply stepping in and taking control. She and Dad had a pretty democratic relationship.
"I'm sorry if it sounds like I am an alarmist, but why take the chance? The fact that I had no trouble persuading the police chief to station a guard outside Mr. Harding's room leads me to believe I'm more right than wrong about the situation."
Mom looked like she was about to cry. I took her hand. "Mom, try not to worry. Dad's going to be just fine. Maybe with Kason's help we can stop this once and for all."
She sniffed her agreement. "I can't thank you
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