Read Online Seduced by Mr. Right by Pamela Yaye - Free Book Online Page A

hadn’t slept in weeks, and she was nervously shuffling her feet.
    â€œJocelyn, how are you?” Sharleen knew it was a dumb question, regretted it the moment the words left her mouth, but she didn’t know what else to say. “Are you okay?”
    â€œI’m fine. What are you doing here?”
    â€œNow, is that any way to greet your partner in crime?” Sharleen asked, giving her best friend a hug. “I haven’t heard from you in a few days, and I got worried. It’s not like you to ignore my calls, so I decided to stop by for a visit.”
    â€œI have a lot on my mind,” she mumbled. “I’m busy. You should go.”
    Ignoring her, Sharleen walked inside the house and kicked off her sandals. Glancing around the kitchen, she was shocked to see dishes piled high in the sink, the hardwood floors streaked with dirt and the overflowing garbage can.
    Sharleen opened the fridge, grabbed everything she needed to make breakfast and placed the ingredients on the granite countertop. “Sit,” she said, pointing at the table. “I’m making you a Sante Fe omelet, and you’re going to love it.”
    â€œDon’t bother.” Jocelyn dropped into a chair. “I’m not hungry.”
    â€œWhen was the last time you ate?”
    â€œCan’t remember.”
    Sharleen washed the vegetables, chopped them up and tossed them in a glass bowl. “How’s your mom doing? Has she been discharged from the hospital?”
    â€œNo, they’re running additional tests and prepping her for surgery.”
    â€œTry not to worry. Your mom’s a fighter. She’ll pull through.”
    To reassure her, Sharleen squeezed her hand. Jocelyn had taken Sharleen under her wing when she started working at Pathways, and over the years they’d become closer than sisters. They had weekly girls’ nights, traveled together and spent holidays with Jocelyn’s fun-loving Bahamian family. After numerous visits to the ER, Mrs. Calhoun had been diagnosed with heart failure, but her cardiologist was confident her upcoming surgery would be a success.
    â€œWhen are you going to the hospital?” Sharleen turned on the stove, sprayed the frying pan with cooking oil and poured in the egg batter. “If it’s okay, I’d like to come with you.”
    Her face brightened. “My mom would love that. She asks about you all the time.”
    â€œThink I can get away with sneaking food into the hospital for her?”
    â€œIf you do, she’ll love you even more!”
    â€œThen it’s worth the risk.” Sharleen pointed the spatula at Jocelyn. “But if I get arrested you
better
bail me out ASAP, or else.”
    The joke lightened the mood, caused the tension in the air to recede.
    â€œAren’t you supposed to be at the Mind, Body & Soul Conference?” Jocelyn asked.
    â€œI wanted to check in on you, so I switched time slots with Christelle.”
    Jocelyn’s cell phone buzzed, and she glanced down at the screen. “Men are jerks,” she fumed. “They’re dogs who can’t be trusted, and we’re better off without them.”
    Not all of them,
Sharleen thought. Emilio had a gentle nature, and she felt close to him, connected to him in a way she’d never experienced before. What was it he’d said?
You’re the
prettiest woman in the room... I had a great time with you tonight... Don’t make any plans for dinner. I’m taking you to Dolce Vita Atlanta for the culinary experience of a lifetime.
    â€œI wish I could get away for a while.” Jocelyn picked up a pack of cigarettes off the table and opened it. “If my mom wasn’t sick, that’s exactly what I’d do.”
    â€œYou quit smoking, remember?”
    â€œI’m stressed. I need something to help calm my nerves.”
    â€œThen I’ll fix you a cup of coffee.” Sharleen snatched the lighter out of