Read Online Lightbringer by Frankie Robertson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Frankie Robertson
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back and put the pillow over her face. “Sleep?” Thoughts of her office reminded her. “Oh hell!” she snapped, flipping the pillow down to her waist.
“What?” Linda asked, alarm in her voice.
“I have appointments today.” Cassie sat up. “I’m already late.”
“Don’t scare me like that!”
“Damn, I’ll have to cancel them all. I can’t have clients come to my office until I get rid of those cameras.” Cassie reached for her purse and dug out her cell phone. Luckily her first appointment was a long-time client who would forgive Cassie for standing her up.
Linda sat down on the other bed and waited until Cassie finished canceling her appointments. “Are you going to call the police?”
“As soon as I get home. They may not be much help, but I have to do something. I’m not going to just lie down for this guy and let him run me out of my house.”
Linda’s cell phone rang with the oldie “You’re Still the One.” She picked up, saying, “Hey, babe, what’s up?”
Cassie knew Linda would be billing and cooing with her husband for several minutes, so she went to the bathroom to spend some quality time with a hot shower. When she came out Linda was still wrapped in her towel, staring at her closed cell.
“You okay?” she asked.
Linda’s gaze didn’t meet Cassie’s. “I’m fine.”
She didn’t look fine. She looked…hunted. Cassie sat on the foot of Linda’s bed. “What’s up, Linnie?”
“Nothing!”
Cassie raised an eyebrow and scooted closer to put her arm around her friend.
Linda put up her hands drew away from her touch. “Don’t.”
The rejection felt like a slap.
Linda’s face crumpled, and she reached out to take Cassie’s hands. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it! It’s just—”
Cassie felt the tight, dark, knot inside Linda. A secret wrapped in guilt and sorrow and shame. And fear .
“God! What is it Linnie? What’s the matter?”
“It’s Greg. He said he thought we ought to go to a fertility specialist.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
“I can’t.”
“Of course you can. You’ve been trying to get pregnant for over a year. A doctor can …” As Cassie spoke, the secret in Linda’s soul started to unravel. A secret she’d hidden even from Cassie. “You can’t have children.”
“No.” Linda covered her face.
“And Greg doesn’t know.” Cassie bit her lip. “He loves you, Linnie. He’ll be sad, but that won’t change.”
Linda dropped her hands revealing tear dampened cheeks. “He’ll hate me. I lied to him. Didn’t you see?” She grabbed Cassie’s wrist with icy fingers. Linda’s panic and guilt poured in along with her words. “I knew before we got married, and I didn’t tell him. He wants a big family, just like the one he grew up in, and I was afraid if I told him…But we can’t have that, and it’s my fault. My insides are all scarred up. The doctor said it was probably something I caught in college.”
“You’ve got to tell him. He’ll understand.”
“No. No, I can’t.” Linda took a deep breath and shook her head. “Look at me. Dumping my petty problems on you when your house is bugged.”
Cassie put an arm around Linda’s shoulders. “You’re my friend! Your problems aren’t petty to me.”
Linda’s face lit up. “Maybe you could read Greg, or me, just before I tell him. Then I’ll know how bad it’s going to be. Or what to tell him. I could pretend I just found out.”
Cassie pulled back a little. She didn’t like the idea of helping her friend lie to the one person she should trust most in the world.
Linda frowned. “Never mind. Don’t worry about me. I’ll figure something else out.”
Cassie opened her mouth, shut it again. Linda went into the bathroom to splash water on her face. Cassie wished she could tell Linda everything would be all right, but she hadn’t had a vision when Linda touched her. All she’d seen was Linda’s fear looming like a dark roiling
“What?” Linda asked, alarm in her voice.
“I have appointments today.” Cassie sat up. “I’m already late.”
“Don’t scare me like that!”
“Damn, I’ll have to cancel them all. I can’t have clients come to my office until I get rid of those cameras.” Cassie reached for her purse and dug out her cell phone. Luckily her first appointment was a long-time client who would forgive Cassie for standing her up.
Linda sat down on the other bed and waited until Cassie finished canceling her appointments. “Are you going to call the police?”
“As soon as I get home. They may not be much help, but I have to do something. I’m not going to just lie down for this guy and let him run me out of my house.”
Linda’s cell phone rang with the oldie “You’re Still the One.” She picked up, saying, “Hey, babe, what’s up?”
Cassie knew Linda would be billing and cooing with her husband for several minutes, so she went to the bathroom to spend some quality time with a hot shower. When she came out Linda was still wrapped in her towel, staring at her closed cell.
“You okay?” she asked.
Linda’s gaze didn’t meet Cassie’s. “I’m fine.”
She didn’t look fine. She looked…hunted. Cassie sat on the foot of Linda’s bed. “What’s up, Linnie?”
“Nothing!”
Cassie raised an eyebrow and scooted closer to put her arm around her friend.
Linda put up her hands drew away from her touch. “Don’t.”
The rejection felt like a slap.
Linda’s face crumpled, and she reached out to take Cassie’s hands. “I’m sorry! I’m sorry! I didn’t mean it! It’s just—”
Cassie felt the tight, dark, knot inside Linda. A secret wrapped in guilt and sorrow and shame. And fear .
“God! What is it Linnie? What’s the matter?”
“It’s Greg. He said he thought we ought to go to a fertility specialist.”
“That sounds like a good idea.”
“I can’t.”
“Of course you can. You’ve been trying to get pregnant for over a year. A doctor can …” As Cassie spoke, the secret in Linda’s soul started to unravel. A secret she’d hidden even from Cassie. “You can’t have children.”
“No.” Linda covered her face.
“And Greg doesn’t know.” Cassie bit her lip. “He loves you, Linnie. He’ll be sad, but that won’t change.”
Linda dropped her hands revealing tear dampened cheeks. “He’ll hate me. I lied to him. Didn’t you see?” She grabbed Cassie’s wrist with icy fingers. Linda’s panic and guilt poured in along with her words. “I knew before we got married, and I didn’t tell him. He wants a big family, just like the one he grew up in, and I was afraid if I told him…But we can’t have that, and it’s my fault. My insides are all scarred up. The doctor said it was probably something I caught in college.”
“You’ve got to tell him. He’ll understand.”
“No. No, I can’t.” Linda took a deep breath and shook her head. “Look at me. Dumping my petty problems on you when your house is bugged.”
Cassie put an arm around Linda’s shoulders. “You’re my friend! Your problems aren’t petty to me.”
Linda’s face lit up. “Maybe you could read Greg, or me, just before I tell him. Then I’ll know how bad it’s going to be. Or what to tell him. I could pretend I just found out.”
Cassie pulled back a little. She didn’t like the idea of helping her friend lie to the one person she should trust most in the world.
Linda frowned. “Never mind. Don’t worry about me. I’ll figure something else out.”
Cassie opened her mouth, shut it again. Linda went into the bathroom to splash water on her face. Cassie wished she could tell Linda everything would be all right, but she hadn’t had a vision when Linda touched her. All she’d seen was Linda’s fear looming like a dark roiling
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