Read Online Words Left Unsaid by Missy Johnson - Free Book Online Page A

this is awkward,” Max winces as we reach my car. His hands in his pockets, he stares into my eyes as if trying to figure out what I’m thinking.
    “You mean those two?” I jerk my hand back toward the house. “It’s all good. That’s my sister for you. But seriously, I had fun. I’m glad I stayed.”
    “I’m glad you did too,” he murmurs, his voice husky. He’s going to kiss me. Panic sets in, and I sift my gaze down to opening the car. The moment passes, and as the cool wind hits the back of my neck, I shiver.
    “I’ll see you again sometime?” I squeak as I all but tumble into the car. He grins, amused, and nods.
    “I hope so.”

Chapter Nine
    Max
    Lance greets me at the door in his usual manner when I arrive home from work. I give him a pat and then wander over to the bathroom to let out Mr. Scruffy. He glares at me and then runs out into the living room, passing a very concerned Lance.
    When I finally got onto Todd’s mother about picking up their cat, she informed me they didn’t own one. Todd admitted to finding him behind the library, meowing for food. We thought he’d been trying to smuggle it into school when his plan was actually to try and smuggle him home.
    To make a long story short, after taking her to the vet to check for a microchip and putting up a few fliers that went unanswered, I had two options: take her to a shelter or open my home to another animal. Right now, the last option seems the easiest.
    Lance walks suspiciously around Mr. Scruffy, sniffing at him. I stand back and watch, amused by their interaction. Judging by the looks he keeps throwing me, I’m not sure he’s thrilled about our new house guest.
    “It’ll be good for you not to be alone all day once you guys get used to each other,” I assure him. The cat walks over to him, sniffs his face, and then swipes him across the nose. Lance jumps back in shock, his brown eyes wide as he bounces around the cat.
     
    I pull the scrunched up bit of paper from my pocket that’s been sitting there since morning and stare at the number. My heart pounds as I think about what I’m doing. Never mind the fact that how I got her number was wrong on so many levels, maybe she really doesn’t want anything to do with me? Fuck it. I pick up the phone and dial her number.
    “Hey. It’s Max.”
    “Oh, hey,” Kiara replies.
    I can’t tell whether she sounds happy to hear from me or just shocked.
    “How did you get my number? Did Grant give it to you?” she asks, her voice hardening.
    “Relax, it wasn’t Grant or Ellie.” I chuckle. “Though the truth might be a little creepier. I might have gone through Tilly’s record, looking for your number . . .”
    “Oh really?” She laughs. “Isn’t there some kind of law against that?”
    “Probably,” I agree. “But I guess it depends on what I’m calling to talk to you about. If it were related to Tilly and her schoolwork then that would be totally acceptable. If I were calling to ask you your thoughts on midget-fisting porn, well, that might be a different story.”
    She snorts and dissolves into giggles. “You just made me snort coffee out of my nose,” she gasps. “Is that why you’re calling?”
    “Depends. Would you answer me if it was?” I crack, stretching out on the bed.
    “If I was into midget-fisting porn, it’s probably something I’d want to keep on the down-low.”
    “Fair enough—that’s a valid point. I could imagine that kind of thing getting out would be hard to explain,” I agree, laughing.
    She laughs again. “This is totally not where I was expecting this conversation to go. So, why are you calling me? Why aren’t you out, relaxing on a Friday night?”
    “Because you mentioned your love of art, and I happen to have a good friend who has an exhibition opening next Thursday night at the Red Rock Gallery.”
    The line falls silent and for a second I think she’s hung up. “Sounds like fun,” she finally responds.
    “And I don’t want you to