Read Online With Strings Attached by Kelly Jamieson - Free Book Online Page A

“My dad showed up.”
    “Whoa.”
    From the stunned expression on Matt’s face, Dylan gathered this was quite a surprise. Again he felt like an outsider listening in on something personal. “You want me to go?” he asked, pushing himself to his good foot and reaching for his crutches.
    “No, it’s okay.” Corey gave him a forced smile. “No big deal. Long story, though. My dad left my mom and me a long time ago. He couldn’t deal with my mom. She…” She hesitated. “My mom’s bipolar,” she finally said. “She’s been through a lot.”
    Matt’s deep frown told Dylan that Corey’s words were an understatement.
    “Mom and my dad got married when they were really young. Mom was pregnant. When I was about four, my dad walked out on us. He couldn’t deal with all the…drama, I suppose. I’ve never heard from him since.”
    “Holy crap. So he just showed up now?”
    “Apparently.” She rubbed her face. “Mom sounded upset.” She looked at Matt. “I should probably go see her.”
    He nodded, his mouth a grim line.
    “She lives in San Diego,” Corey told Dylan. “She and I were estranged for a long time, too, but a few years ago we kind of made up with each other. Anyway, I have no idea why my dad just showed up out of the blue like that. It’s bizarre.”
    “He wants to see you,” Matt said.
    “Yeah. She told him she’d call me and ask me before she gave him my address, thank God.” She rolled her eyes.
    “You sure you don’t want to see him?” Matt asked.
    She snorted. “Positive. Why would I want anything to do with him?”
    “Because he’s your father.”
    She looked at Matt, and their eyes met and held in a connection that once again gave Dylan that funny squeezing feeling. Corey shook her head. “No. Don’t even go there. He didn’t want me then, and I don’t want anything to do with him now.” She squared her small shoulders. “Sorry about all this, guys. Bad timing.” She flashed Dylan a brave grin that made his gut clench. “Let’s go. I’m looking forward to that steak.”
    There was obviously a whole helluva lot more to her story than she was letting on. He didn’t blame her. He wasn’t one to share all his shitty problems with people he hardly knew either, but he found himself wanting to know more, wanting her to feel comfortable enough to share those things with him, as she clearly did with Matt. He found himself wishing he knew how to make it better for her. And so, he did the only thing he knew he was really good at, besides surfing. “Hey, sunshine.” He hopped over to her and kissed her cheek. “Let’s go drink some beers and have some fun.”
    The answering curve of her lips rewarded him.
    “Sounds perfect,” she agreed.
    Dylan shared a concerned glance with Matt as they followed Corey out of her apartment.
     
     
    “You make chocolate bunnies for Easter?” Dylan asked her once they were inside Matt’s vehicle, and was again rewarded with her laugh.
    “No,” she said. “That’s not my thing.”
    “I guess not chocolate Santas either then.”
    “No. No chocolate Santas. I do quite well at Valentine’s Day, though.”
    “Ah. And do you triple your prices at Valentines’ Day, like the flower shops, so as to take advantage of poor guys who don’t have a clue what to get their girlfriends other than roses and chocolate?”
    Another peal of laughter that was like music to his senses. It made him feel good that he could make her laugh, cheer her up. “No, I don’t. My prices are pretty high to begin with.”
    “No shit! Thirty dollars for that little box. That’s robbery!” He kept his tone teasing, though.
    “But it’s worth it, don’t you think?”
    He grinned at her over his shoulder, him in the front passenger seat with his leg stretched out, her in the back. “Yeah, totally. I would’ve scarfed them all down if you hadn’t warned me to slow down and ‘savor’ them.” He dragged the word out to emphasize it.
    “You have a sweet