Read Online Echoes of Titanic by Mindy Starns Clark - Free Book Online

extension. When the woman answered on the first ring, Kelsey asked if she could come up so they could talk.
    â€œAbsolutely not,” Gloria replied vehemently. “You need to get away from here as fast as you can. Don’t speak to anyone, and don’t stop anywhere along the way. Just go straight home.”
    â€œAnd do what once I get there? Paint my nails? Surf the web? Gloria, today was a disaster! I have to do something about it or I’ll explode.” Much to Kelsey’s chagrin, at that moment her voice broke. Pausing, she swallowed back a sob and tried to get control of herself. It was one thing to be strong in front of Walter and the others, but now that the only ones to hear her were Lou and Gloria, dear friends both, she was finding it a bit harder to maintain her composure. “I…I was hoping you could help me figure things out…both why this happened and what we’re going to do about it.”
    Gloria was quiet for a long moment. When she finally spoke, the sharpness was gone from her voice. Clearly, she could tell Kelsey was at her limit.
    â€œGo home, Tater Tot,” she said gently. “I know this is all very confusing and upsetting, but I promise you, it’ll all make sense soon. Do you hear what I’m telling you? Trust me on this.”
    Kelsey closed her eyes, willing herself not to cry. She had always been able to trust Gloria before. It seemed she had no choice but to trust her now.
    â€œFine,” she whispered. They said their goodbyes and she hung up the phone.
    Lou and Kelsey left the office the same way they had come in, only this time he didn’t wedge a thousand-dollar shoe in the door. Instead, he made her wait inside the stairwell while he went out to see if the coast was clearand to hail a cab. A minute later she heard a knock, so she opened the door and looked out.
    â€œAll right, kiddo, time to roll,” Lou said, gesturing toward a cab idling at the curb. As she climbed into the backseat, Lou handed a twenty to the driver. “Take her to the Hudson Arms building in Battery Park City. If you stick around until she’s safely all the way inside, you can keep the change.”
    Quickly, Kelsey rolled down her window. “Lou, don’t be silly. I can pay for—”
    He brushed off her objections. “I have a meeting in midtown in half an hour, but I’ll call you later tonight after I get home. Okay?”
    â€œOkay.” She gave him a smile and a soft thank-you. As the cab pulled away, she turned to see him watching her go, fatherly concern evident in his furrowed brow. Then he gave a final wave and headed for the main street to hail a cab of his own.

CHAPTER
FIVE
    S ettling back against the seat of the taxi, Kelsey closed her eyes, realizing that a big part of her really did want to go home. She was exhausted. Gloria had been right to send her away.
    â€œYour father, he is the overprotective type, eh?” the cabbie asked in a heavy accent. “Trust me, this is good thing. Too many young women in this city have no one watching out for them.”
    She didn’t correct his misconception. Lou may not have been her father, but he’d always been a father figure to her. Now, with her dad so incapacitated, it felt good to have someone step in and fill that role, even if it was just for today.
    A few minutes later, as they turned onto her street and the cab pulled to a stop in front of her building, Kelsey realized she’d left her purse back at the office. Worse, inside that purse were her phone and keys. She hesitated, trying to decide whether she should have this man drive her back to where he’d picked her up or if she could get into her apartment some other way. Weariness won out. Suddenly, the last place on earth she wanted to be was at Brennan & Tate. Now doubly grateful that Lou had paid her cab fare, she thanked the driver, climbed out, and was pleased to note that he remained at the curb,