Read Online Driving Her Crazy by Kira Archer - Free Book Online Page B

family is at the top of their field. Every one of them. Except me.”
    “Ah, come on. Don’t sell yourself short. I bet you are a world-class shopper.”
    She rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest. “And you wonder why I don’t want to talk to you.”
    Oz grinned, having a lot more fun than he probably should be, considering the topic of conversation.
    “Yeah, okay, I get that it sucks to not live up to your family’s expectations, but come on. It’s not like you’re slinging newspapers in the middle of the night.”
    Cherice snorted. “No. I haven’t sunk that low yet. But I might as well have in my family’s eyes.”
    Oz’s grip tightened on the steering wheel. He wasn’t sure what had made him use newspapers as an example. It’s not like he didn’t already know how she’d feel about that. And he wasn’t ashamed of what he did. He made good money with his route. Enough to pay several bills. And it was honest work that he could do at night that didn’t mess with his other jobs. Still, it stung to hear her dismiss it so harshly.
    “So why do you care what they think? It sounds like you only aimed for med school to please your family. Did you even want to go?”
    “Of course. Being a physician is an honorable profession,” she said, her voice completely monotone like she was repeating something she’d memorized from birth.
    Oz snorted. “Yeah. Say that a few more times and I might actually believe you.”
    Cher’s full lips twisted into a petulant pout. “I’m not trying to convince you of anything. It’s my life. I don’t know why you care so much, anyway.”
    Oz’s hands tightened on the steering wheel with the effort to hold on to his temper. “Because you’ve got everything and you’re sitting there all depressed, acting like you’ve got no options. I mean, come on! You’ve probably got more money than most people will see in a lifetime. You don’t have to worry about bills or keeping a roof over your head or food on your table. You could go anywhere, do anything you want. So why don’t you?”
    “That is so typical!” Her mouth snapped shut and she dragged a deep breath in through her nose. When she spoke again, her voice was a bit calmer, but her face was still flushed. “Just because my family has money, people always think my life is so easy. You would never understand the kind of pressure I’m under all the time. You have no idea what it’s like to be the only one in your family who has failed at becoming their ideal offspring. To be the only one who hasn’t done anything to build up the family name. I’d give up every dime they’ve ever given me to have the freedom you have, to do what I really want to do.”
    His jaw clenched. Only people who had never been without money talked so causally about throwing it all away. She might think she really meant it, but she didn’t know what it felt like to worry about whether or not you could pay the rent that month. She’d never had to function on three hours of sleep because she’d spent every waking second working whatever jobs she could find to keep food on the table. Despite what she obviously believed, someone like her would never understand what it felt like to want something with all your heart and not be able to go for it.
    He kept his gaze glued to the road. “That’s just the thing, Cher. You do have the freedom to do what you really want to do. Yeah, your family might be disappointed in you. They might even be pissed as hell. But they won’t really be hurt by it. They won’t lose anything that really matters.”
    She looked back out the window at the overcast skies. “You don’t get it.”
    “No. I don’t. And neither do you. I don’t have any freedom. I do what I have to do to take care of my family. I gave up my dreams a long time ago so I could do something more important. There was a good reason for me to do what I did. But it wasn’t really a choice. If I didn’t do what I do, my family