Read Online Here in My Heart: A Novella (Echoes of the Heart) by Anna DeStefano - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Anna DeStefano
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any of it or putting each other through any more of this, until it’s time to settle things once she’s . . .”
“Dead?” He watched Dru shudder. He hadn’t come to terms with it, either. “She’s dying. And it’s troubling her, what she thinks she’s leaving unfinished, what will happen to you, to everything, to—”
“Us?”
“Horace said by the time you got to the house last night, she’d already heard about us meeting up at the Y.”
“And she thinks it’s her job to fix us ? After all these years of her staying out of it? She hasn’t said one word to me about the night we . . .”
“Kissed?”
Dru’s cheeks flushed at the memory that could still harden his body in an instant.
Her arms reaching for him, circling his neck, her sweet breath washing over him as she whispered, “Please, Brad, let me,” and kissed him like he’d never been kissed before or since. Like she’d been made for him, her body fitting perfectly against his. Like she’d saved her taste and softness and hunger for him alone. Like he’d never let her go . . .
“Vivian knows what happened,” Brad said, shutting out the rest. “Vivian wanted to know everything about why Oliver and I fought that night. Once I told her how much I was still drinking, how selfishly I’d let you and my best friend down, she said she was through enabling me. It was time I figured out what I wanted from my life—somewhere else. She never mentioned you to me again, except when I asked her how you were doing, or she shared something about the business or radKIDS.”
“But now it’s suddenly imperative that we play nice, like nothing’s happened?”
“Maybe she’s already off her rocker. But if this will bring her a little comfort, isn’t that enough?”
“Enough . . .” She swallowed. “For what?”
“For us to stop being strangers.”
She laughed. “She wants us to live together. Work here together.”
“She wants us to make peace. All she’s asking for is a fresh start, out in the open, even though I’m sure we’ll hear about it from half the town. This isn’t what I expected, either. But Vivian wants us to be able to coexist in Chandlerville once she’s gone. Or she really does intend to sell it all, so we can walk away clean.”
Dru’s chin came up. “I thought that’s what you already did.”
Yeah. He’d thought so, too. But how successful could he have been, if he could want this second chance with Dru so badly?
“I became more than the mistakes I’ve made. I have a good life to go back to. That doesn’t mean I stopped caring about things here. Vivian knew what she was doing, cutting me off years ago. She did the right thing getting behind you staying in Chandlerville. Maybe she’s not so far off the mark now.”
God, Brad hoped so.
He hoped he wasn’t pushing himself and Dru into something that would create even more damage in her life. She looked around at the kitchen’s worn industrial surfaces and appliances, as if they were old friends she couldn’t imagine not seeing every day. It was the same searching way she’d once looked at him, the night she’d asked him for the truth about Selena.
He stepped closer, grateful when she let him. He wanted to help her, hold her, somehow make this easier for her. He settled for brushing her cheek with the backs of his fingers.
“I know you thought you had me out of your life,” he said. “I know it’s what you still think you need. But you trusted me to help with Lisa and the other kids last night, and we did a good thing together. We’ll figure something out with this mess Vi’s started, as long as you’re willing to try. This isn’t like you, Dru, running from a challenge. We can work together. I won’t let you down again.”
Before she could answer, the back door to the employee parking lot jingled open. They sprang apart as Sally rushed inside, Lisa tagging along behind her the way Travis had said the girl often did.
Travis had
“Dead?” He watched Dru shudder. He hadn’t come to terms with it, either. “She’s dying. And it’s troubling her, what she thinks she’s leaving unfinished, what will happen to you, to everything, to—”
“Us?”
“Horace said by the time you got to the house last night, she’d already heard about us meeting up at the Y.”
“And she thinks it’s her job to fix us ? After all these years of her staying out of it? She hasn’t said one word to me about the night we . . .”
“Kissed?”
Dru’s cheeks flushed at the memory that could still harden his body in an instant.
Her arms reaching for him, circling his neck, her sweet breath washing over him as she whispered, “Please, Brad, let me,” and kissed him like he’d never been kissed before or since. Like she’d been made for him, her body fitting perfectly against his. Like she’d saved her taste and softness and hunger for him alone. Like he’d never let her go . . .
“Vivian knows what happened,” Brad said, shutting out the rest. “Vivian wanted to know everything about why Oliver and I fought that night. Once I told her how much I was still drinking, how selfishly I’d let you and my best friend down, she said she was through enabling me. It was time I figured out what I wanted from my life—somewhere else. She never mentioned you to me again, except when I asked her how you were doing, or she shared something about the business or radKIDS.”
“But now it’s suddenly imperative that we play nice, like nothing’s happened?”
“Maybe she’s already off her rocker. But if this will bring her a little comfort, isn’t that enough?”
“Enough . . .” She swallowed. “For what?”
“For us to stop being strangers.”
She laughed. “She wants us to live together. Work here together.”
“She wants us to make peace. All she’s asking for is a fresh start, out in the open, even though I’m sure we’ll hear about it from half the town. This isn’t what I expected, either. But Vivian wants us to be able to coexist in Chandlerville once she’s gone. Or she really does intend to sell it all, so we can walk away clean.”
Dru’s chin came up. “I thought that’s what you already did.”
Yeah. He’d thought so, too. But how successful could he have been, if he could want this second chance with Dru so badly?
“I became more than the mistakes I’ve made. I have a good life to go back to. That doesn’t mean I stopped caring about things here. Vivian knew what she was doing, cutting me off years ago. She did the right thing getting behind you staying in Chandlerville. Maybe she’s not so far off the mark now.”
God, Brad hoped so.
He hoped he wasn’t pushing himself and Dru into something that would create even more damage in her life. She looked around at the kitchen’s worn industrial surfaces and appliances, as if they were old friends she couldn’t imagine not seeing every day. It was the same searching way she’d once looked at him, the night she’d asked him for the truth about Selena.
He stepped closer, grateful when she let him. He wanted to help her, hold her, somehow make this easier for her. He settled for brushing her cheek with the backs of his fingers.
“I know you thought you had me out of your life,” he said. “I know it’s what you still think you need. But you trusted me to help with Lisa and the other kids last night, and we did a good thing together. We’ll figure something out with this mess Vi’s started, as long as you’re willing to try. This isn’t like you, Dru, running from a challenge. We can work together. I won’t let you down again.”
Before she could answer, the back door to the employee parking lot jingled open. They sprang apart as Sally rushed inside, Lisa tagging along behind her the way Travis had said the girl often did.
Travis had
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