Read Online Burn Out by Cheryl Douglas - Free Book Online

know.”
    His lips pursed as
though he’d swallowed something sour. “I see. So what does that mean for us?”
    “I don’t know,”
she said, scraping her fingernails over her scalp. “I like you. I think you’re
a great guy, but…”
    “You’re thinking
about getting back together with him?”
    “No, that’s never
going to happen.”
    “Fine,” he said,
sighing. “Then why don’t we just pick up where we left off? We can continue
spending time together and see where it might lead.”
    She was surprised
he was willing to be so magnanimous. “Are you sure you can do that?”
    He looked her in
the eye. “I like you… a lot. I think you deserve better than a man who always
puts you last. It’s my job to prove to you that you deserve better. If you’ll
let me?”
    She reached across
her desk to offer her hand. “The only thing I can offer you is friendship right
now, Jeff. It wouldn’t be fair to either one of us to try for more when Evan is
still in my heart.”
    “That won’t always
be the case,” he said, bringing her hand to his lips. “One day you’re going to
wake up and realize the right guy has been here all along, just waiting for you
to come to your senses.”
    She smiled at his
heartfelt sentiment. “You’re too good a man to waste his time waiting around
for me. You deserve better.” They were compatible on so many levels, but when
he touched her, she felt nothing compared to the volcanic eruption that
ascended when Evan kissed her.
    “Sometimes the
love of your life is the person you least expect,” he said, holding her hand in
his. “You never know, that may be the case with us.”
    She feared she met
the love of her life a long time ago, and no one else would ever be able to
steal that title from him.
    Chloe was riding
shotgun in her harness when Erika pulled in to the drug store less than an hour
later. Fortunately it was cool outside, so she could open the windows enough to
allow the air to circulate. “You wait here,” she said, patting the dog’s curly
head. Fortunately, she was as tired as Erika after a full day of play at their
doggie daycare, so she had no problem resting her head on the seat and closing
her eyes.
    “Mommy will be
right back.” Erika felt a sharp pang of regret as soon as the word left her
lips. She always referred to herself that way when speaking to Chloe, but it
sounded hollow tonight, perhaps because she was taking action to eliminate the
chance she’d created a baby with Evan last night.
    Leaning her head
against the seat, she took a deep breath.
    When she sensed
her mistress needed comfort, Chloe rested her head on Erika’s lap. “It’s not
that I don’t want a baby,” she whispered. “I do, but not now. Not with Evan.”
The little voice inside her head began mocking her. Truthfully, Evan was the
only man she could imagine fathering her children, but since that would never
happen, it was time to give up on the fantasy.
    “Okay,” she said,
settling Chloe in the passenger’s seat. “I’m just going to do this. It’s no big
deal, right?”
    Sprinting into the
drug store, she hurried to the back, grateful to see a familiar face behind the
counter. “Hi, Lucy. Do you have a minute? I just have a quick question.”
    “Of course,” the
attractive middle-aged lady said, approaching the counter. “What can I do for
you, Erika? Are you here to pick up your prescription?” She began thumbing
through a small basket of paper bags when Erika held her hand up.
    “No, I just, uh,
wanted to ask you something about the pills I’m taking.”
    “Sure, what it
is?” She set her glasses down on the counter beside her. “Is there a problem?
Side effects?” She frowned. “You’ve been taking them a while and the doctor
hasn’t changed your prescription to my knowledge-”
    “No, it’s nothing
like that. I was just wondering the risk if I forgot to take one?”
    “That depends.”
    “On?”
    Lucy smiled. “The
timing, when you had your last