Read Online Fall From Love by Heather London - Free Book Online Page A

arms. Before that night, I
had never met Carter and, even though he told me the worst news I had ever
received, in that moment he gave me the most comfort. He was there for me. He
held me tight. He let me cry. He let me punch him until my fists ached. He was
warm. He was safe. I didn’t want to let him go.
    A hand grabs my
shoulder and gives me a soft shake. My hearts jumps, but when I open my eyes
and see it’s just Jenna, my heart begins to return to a regular rhythm.
    “Sorry, I didn’t
mean to scare you,” she says, her big, blue eyes are staring right at me. “You
didn’t answer when I called your name the first few times.” Her eyebrows draw
downward and I can see the pity in her face. “Have you been in here the whole
time?” Her tangled expression makes me realize that tears are rolling down my
cheeks. “You want to talk about it?”
    I shake my head and
wipe the tears from my face. “No, I’m good.”
    She mashes her lips
together, causing her mouth to form into a straight line. I know she’s trying
to hold back asking me any more questions and it’s killing her to do so.
    “Where’s the
bathroom?” I ask, wanting to clean myself up and gather my thoughts.
    “C’mon,” she wraps
her arm around my shoulder, “I’ll show you.”
     
    ❧
     
    Jenna and I decide
to take Josh up on his offer and stay at the house since we both had a few
beers. I’ve been staring at the T.V. for the last few hours, but I don’t even
know what has been on and I can feel Jenna’s stare burning holes into the side
of my head.
    “What?” I turn and
finally ask her, unable to take it anymore. She tries to turn her head away
from me, but she doesn’t do it fast enough and I catch her. “C’mon, I’m not
stupid.” I keep my eyes focused on her. “Go ahead; I know you’re dying to ask
me.”
    She swallows hard
and faces me. “I’m just wondering if you’re doing okay. You didn’t even ask why
Josh and Carter had to leave so suddenly… but you know, though, don’t you?”
    I nod my head.
    She pauses for a
moment, looking down at her hands. “And how do you know?”
    I sigh, knowing
she’ll never lay off me now, so I may as well tell her everything. “I was
talking to Carter in the garage when Josh came in and told him about... the
rescue.”
    She nods her head
and her mouth forms a perfect ‘O.’ “So the two of you were talking?”
    I nod again.
    “And was it him or
the talking that upset you?”
    I shake my head.
“No, it wasn’t him. I’ve just got a lot of stuff to sort out still. Maybe you
should lay off him a bit; he doesn’t seem like a bad guy.”
    “I have been a
little harsh on him the past few months.” She sighs. “So what did you guys talk
about?”
    I should’ve known
that she wasn’t going to give up that easy. I shrug and take a deep breath in.
“Nothing really.”
    She leans forward,
clearly wanting more information than I’m giving her. “That’s all you’re gonna
give me?” she asks. “Details, Holly. I need details.”
    I can’t help
laughing. “Really, we didn’t talk very long before Josh came in.” I shrug
again, trying to think of something I can give her so she’ll be satisfied. “He
thinks you hate him, though.”
    She rolls her eyes
and falls back on the couch. “I don’t hate him. He just got on my nerves the
past few months when he wouldn’t quit asking about you. I told him to just
leave you alone, that you needed some time, but he wouldn’t let up. It took me
threatening his life before he got it through his thick skull.”
    I laugh again.
“Yeah, he told me about that.”
    “Listen, I know he means
well and he’s just trying to be a nice guy, but the boy just can’t take a
hint.”
    There’s a long
silence between us until she asks, “So you’re okay then… I mean, being around
him wasn’t too much for you?”
    Truthfully, I have
no idea if I’m okay or not. The one thing I know for sure is that Carter brings
up old memories and