Read Online Wheels of Steel, Book 2 by Pepper Pace - Free Book Online Page B

with their loud voices and joking. That didn’t bother her anymore. And she looked forward to seeing Patty and Link. It was Amberly that brought the mood crashing down. It wasn’t even her snide remarks, it was just the sight of her sitting her bony little butt in Jason’s lap. She swore to herself that she wouldn’t say anything about it. She remembered what Jason had said about touch. People didn’t want to touch people like him and Amberly, and maybe that was true. Jason fulfilled Amberly’s need to touch. Robin supposed that was the problem in a nutshell. She didn’t want Jason to fulfill anyone’s need for touch but hers!
     
     
    Patty gave her a sly smile. “Oh hey,” she said to Robin. “How did Top enjoy his present?”
     
     
    Robin hid a grin and tried to play along and keep a straight face. “He enjoyed it very much. Thank you.” Jason was listening but he kept his eyes glued to his burger. However, it was evident that two bright red spots were developing on his cheeks.
     
     
    “Jason, are we still on for this afternoon?” Amberly called across the table.
     
     
    “Yep.” He took a bite of his sandwich. Robin had heard her mention their club meeting yesterday and that she would be bringing him home. She gave him a curious look and when he finished chewing he explained.
     
     
    “They have meetings once a week for about an hour. We eat and talk and sometimes go out. They only last an hour. I can just hang around here and then Amberly will drop me off at my place. I’ll be home well before seven.” Robin nodded.
     
     
    “Seven?” Amberly asked with a frown. “What happens at seven?”
     
     
    “That’s when Robin comes back.” Amberly tilted her head in confusion.
     
     
    “Robin’s my nighttime aid.”
     
     
    Amberly gave him a surprised look. “Oh…Well what if we don’t get back by seven?”
     
     
    He gave her a confused look. “We always get back before seven.”
     
     
    Patty popped her knuckles and they sounded like twigs breaking. Robin actually jumped. “Actually that works out great. Then Robin and I can go shopping before the party Friday. I want to buy something…special.” Link, who was busy talking to two very sexy girls stopped in mid-sentence to look at Patty. Robin saw that his lip twitched.
     
     
    Patty ignored him completely and turned her attention to Robin. “You game?”
     
     
    “Yeah, sure.”
     
     
    Patty poked Jason who was still talking to Amberly. “So if I get your girl home a little after seven that won’t be a problem?”
     
     
    His eyes flitted to Robin’s. “I mean…if she wants to come over later that will be fine. I’ll just eat with Amberly.”
     
     
    Robin felt her mouth pull into a grimace but she stopped it before it became obvious…or at least she hoped she did. “That’s cool,” she lied. Patty pulled out a cell phone and the two exchanged phone numbers.
     
     
    Amberly hid her own smile of pleasure. She was a teeny bit jealous that Robin was going shopping with Patty but she would prefer the time with Jason. She intended to explain things to him tonight and she knew that she had to do it now, before his feelings for his Aid began to develop too strongly. Amberly was counting on the fact that their friendship meant more to him than this new assistant that hadn’t even been in his life a month yet.
     
     
    She scooped back her fine, dark hair behind her ears and leaned in to tell him about this stupid movie that she’d seen. She knew he’d get a kick out of it. She knew Jason and Jason knew her…it was a link that the new girl just didn’t have with him yet; and if it was at all up to Amberly, she never would.
     
     
    “Oh my god, Top, I saw one of the craziest freaking things that I’ve ever seen in my life.”
     
     
    “What?”
     
     
    “There was a video on bedbugs on the Sundance channel and it stared…get this, Isabella Rossellini.”
     
     
    “What?”
     
     
    Amberly was giggling.