Read Online The Long Road Home by H. D. Thomson - Free Book Online Page A

back of her hand. She missed.
    “Who could forget that?” Vivian gave her a grudging smile. “You’ve been taking things pretty well.”
    Clarisse shrugged. “I can’t think of how else to behave. Granted, we’ve had a couple of problems. But without the bad times, you’d never know the good.”
    “That’s a strange way of looking at things.”
    “No, not really. At least not for me.” Clarisse threw her towel in the waste bin and met Vivian’s unhappy green eyes. “If you hate this trip so much, why don’t you have John drive you to the airport? You can fly to San Diego, and he can meet you there later.” Not that she wanted Vivian to leave. Emotionally, she couldn’t handle being alone in the car with him for hours on end. Granted, they’d had a couple of confrontations, but Clarisse knew without Vivian’s presence there would have been far more damaging and bitter clashes between John and herself.
    “Flying does sound tempting.” Vivian flicked her wet hands into the sink and grabbed a paper towel. She gave Clarisse a shrewd glance. “But I’ll stick it out and keep the two of you company. I think we’ve gotten through the worse.”
    They found John under the shade of a veranda, contemplating the vending machines encased in large black metal bars.
    “I have change, if anyone wants something,” he offered.
    Clarisse looked at the soda machine and back at John. Her lips curved into a wry grin. “Do you think it’s safe? I can’t afford to dirty another shirt so early in the morning.”
    John smiled back, pleasure lighting his eyes to a metallic gray, a rare dimple materializing along one cheek. “You can always borrow one of mine.”
    The memory of John lending a number of his t-shirts for her to sleep in washed over her. She had never returned the two she borrowed, wanting the scent of him against her skin those nights she slept alone. They were still tucked away in one of her drawers.
    “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”
    His eyes roamed over her face. “You’re probably right.”
    The attraction brightening his eyes warmed her cheeks with pleasure.
    “Diet?”
    “Sure.” Clarisse broke into another grin. She almost forgot how much she had enjoyed being in his company. Glancing at Vivian’s glacial expression, her smile faltered.
    “Am I missing something here?” Vivian asked impatiently. “Or is this an inside joke?”
    “Yesterday while you were shopping, Clarisse had a fight with a soda can and lost.”
    “How very amusing.” The redhead gave them a frigid smile.
    John’s lips thinned. “Did you want a drink, Vivian?”
    She nodded stiffly, fluffing the hair at the nape of her neck. “Please. Anything to cool down. It’s hot.”
    Clarisse wiped a bead of perspiration along her temple. “It’ll probably get worse when we cross New Mexico and Arizona.”
    “You might want to change into a pair of shorts while we’re here,” John suggested.
    “I don’t have any.” The way he was looking at her oddly made Clarisse say, “I-I mean I didn’t bring any.”
    “That wasn’t very smart.”
    Clarisse clamped her teeth shut. Vivian would not ruin her morning. “Those cupcakes look awfully good.”
    Vivian’s eyes rounded in horror as John tossed the snack to Clarisse. “How could you put that in your mouth? It’s like a fat pill.”
    Determined to ignore her barbs, Clarisse unwrapped the package and bit into a cake. Swallowing, Clarisse surveyed Vivian’s reed thin figure in a pair of crisply pleated chocolate shorts and cream blouse. Vivian’s breasts seemed unnaturally large in comparison to the rest of her body. Were they real? Not that she was trying to be catty. During her modeling career, she had been one of the few in her circle to reject the idea of breast implants. Luckily, she had not felt the need to go under the knife. Actually, she was just plain lucky to be out of the business.
    With her second bite, Vivian sneered. “Sugar and fat. What a