Read Online Exposed by S Anders - Free Book Online

picked it up, reading it aloud: "'Dear Nia, I apologize for being drunk last night. That is the first time I have been in more than a couple years. I got a ride to my truck and on to work. The house is yours, just treat it like your own. Call if you need anything. Glad you are here. Jack.'"
    Weighty worries lifted off her shoulders, and she sighed. It was a happy sound. "So he's not a drinker."
    Of course, she could understand with the tragedy going on how one could drink. To drown out the pain. Or in the hopes of getting sex. A pesky thought, but she couldn't get what Jack said about "getting laid" out of her mind. As much as she had trouble going to sleep early that morning thinking about him drinking, she had to admit the thoughts of him looking as if he wanted to kiss her in the bar kept her mind whirling more.
    Going to sit down at the kitchen table, she contemplated her thoughts. She couldn't be getting attracted to Jack, could she? It would be easy too ... sure. But she was just confused because of her husband's cheating? She'd thought it once before, but the cheating was a rejection; maybe she wasn't pretty enough, or fun enough in bed, or any number of things.
    "That can blow your self-esteem," she muttered. But having Jack look at her like she'd caught him looking a few times? "That can make a girl feel good about herself,” she whispered.
    She still hadn't apologized to him the right way, either. So she was going to go pick up her last check from the Fabric Barn, maybe see if there was any hope to save her job, and then she was going shopping.
    "I'm going to fix Jack dinner."
    Nia also went to see a lawyer after her manager at Fabric Barn told her there would be no hiring her back. The lawyer was a good thing, because he was going straight to the county judge to force Dan to put all the money back into their accounts. Dan couldn't "hide" money. There were bad penalties for that. The lawyer promised it shouldn't be more than a week before she had access to some money.
    Later, she went to the store and bought the makings for lasagna. It was one of her better dishes and not too expensive to make. Once she got back to Jack's she started making it right away; however, by the time she got it into the oven, she wondered what time Jack might come home.
    Nia leaned her hip against the counter, surveying the nice table she'd set with a candle, napkins, and ... "Too much," she muttered. She hadn't thought it out at all, and she rubbed her temple with worry. "He might not come home tonight at all, or he could be really late."
    It was typical of her, jumping and not thinking it through. She fiddled with a strand of her hair while looking at her cell phone. Maybe she could call him. It was strange just calling him. She really didn't know him well, and she was nervous. Finally, she just did it.
    He picked up before the first ring ended. "Nia?"
    Of course he could see it was her. "Ah ... hi, Jack." Could she sound any lamer?
    "Hi there. Glad you called. I've been thinking about you."
    Wow, that made her feel very good. "I was thinking about you too. About when you might be home tonight."
    "I usually leave at five, if nothing comes up." He hesitated, cleared his throat, and then said, "I was thinking I could take you to dinner, since there’s no food in my house—"
    "Jack, I cooked," she blurted over him. Cool and collected she was not.
    "You did? Amazing. I, ah, can't remember the last time I had a home-cooked ... well, never mind. Sure, I'm looking forward to that. What say I’ll definitely be there by five thirty?"
    Nia bit down on her fingernail. "It's an 'I'm sorry' dinner," she added bravely.
    "We can talk about that," he said in a low and more intimate voice. "I might have something I’m sorry for too."
    She smiled. "Maybe we will get lucky and they will cancel each other out."
    He chuckled. "See you soon, hon."
    Her eyes widened as the cells disconnected. Was there anything better than Jack's warm voice calling her