Read Online Playing Pretend by Tamsyn Bester - Free Book Online Page A

he’d found me in my car.
    Caleb didn’t answer, and as much as I didn’t like it, I was too tired to fight for it. I saw the tick in his jaw, and waited him out.
    “You can stay here until the end of next week,” he said roughly. “You should be able to find a new place by then.”
    I nodded, and swallowed the urge to cry. I’d been feeling that urge a lot lately, and wasn’t about to give into it in front of Caleb.
    “Thank you.”
    With a brisk dip of his head, Caleb walked out of the living room and showed me to the guestroom I could stay in. The bathroom alone was bigger than the apartment I’d lived in, and the bedroom was stunning. A giant four-post bed sat in the center of the room against the back wall, matching the dressing table and dresser on the opposite side. The walls were painted a light blue, with beige and cream accents and a whitewashed dresser. Very beachy for a place in the city.
    Through the lacy curtains I could see the lights of the skyline, and two double doors that I guessed opened onto a rooftop terrace.
    “You must be tired.” Caleb made no move to step into the bedroom. “I need to be in the office at six tomorrow morning, but I’ll make sure there’s another car here for when you’re ready to leave.”
    He turned, and I knew I wouldn’t be able to sleep if he didn’t know how truly grateful I was.
    “Caleb.”
    Rather than face me, he gave me his profile.
    “Thank you,” I said again. “Really.”
    His shoulders moved with every weighted breath he took, like he was trying to ground himself, and then he squeezed his eyes closed. Without another word, he shut the door, and left me alone.
    The click of the door echoed through the room, and it was the first time in the last thirty minutes that I was able to fill my lungs with a decent amount of air. Physically I was drained, but mentally I was alert, and very much awake. My feet padded across the plush carpet, and I was reminded that I was still barefoot. I hadn’t yet showered, and when I stepped into the capacious bathroom, the first thing my eyes latched into was the claw foot tub in the center of the marble floor. A large white cabinet with a single basin stood to my right, and two glass doors closed off the shower at the opposite end, taking up the entire length of the wall.
    It was late, and it would have been smart to go to bed, but I needed a chance to decompress, and process everything that had happened in such a short space of time. I removed my clothes, and wrapped a fluffy white towel around my body before returning to the bedroom with the intention of putting my phone on charge before I took a bath.
    Murmuring from the hallway outside made me pause, and with careful steps, I opened the door. I peered out, and saw Caleb talking to a dark-haired woman. She looked young, and quite beautiful, and I tried to quash my curiosity. Caleb’s personal life had nothing to do with me. In fact, every facet of his life was none of my business.
    The young woman said something in a hushed voice, too quiet for me to make out what she was saying, and Caleb replied, his voice just as quiet. He escorted her back towards the living room, and I heard the telltale sound of the elevator doors opening and closing. I slunk back like a creeper, ignoring the way my mind started asking questions about the girl, and used a hot bath to switch it all off until there was nothing but silence.
     
     
     
    I ROLLED OVER, and checked the time on my phone.
    Two a.m.
    I covered my face with my arm, and exhaled loudly. I’d only gotten to bed two hours ago, and I thought I’d manage to fall asleep after my bath, but as soon as I crawled between the sheets and laid my head down, every thought came rushing back in unwelcomed, and unbidden. I squeezed my eyes closed, willing my mind to remain quiet for just a few more hours when the strangest sound pierced the noiselessness.
    My body stilled, and my breathing slowed as I listened intently for the sound to