night." Donovan headed out of her room without another glance. The sound of the door shutting echoed throughout the room.
Isabelle rolled over onto her side and pulled the covers up to her face. "I guess that's that, then. Goodbye, Donovan." She wasn't sure what he had been trying to tell her. It was obviously hard for him to talk about, but whatever it was didn't seem to matter now.
*******
The door shut behind Donovan and he stood outside her door. He looked down at his hands; they were covered with smoke and dirt. He hadn't bothered to wash up before heading over to the hotel to see Isabelle.
He leaned up against the door for a minute. All he wanted to do was go back in her room and hold her. She was all he had thought about since the moment he had first laid eyes on her. But how could she love him? He wanted her to be his mate and hoped that she was fated to be with him. The sorceress had professed that one day his fated mate would appear and that there would be no doubt in his heart. He'd been with other women over the years. A firefighter in a tourist town pretty much had his pick of one-night stands. But he wasn't into that. A couple of his wilder brothers liked to find a new woman almost every weekend, but he wanted to find his mate. She'd come to him in dreams before and he knew it was her. Now that she was in front of him, Donovan realized that she was everything he'd always wanted. But for him, the intensity was just too much to bear.
"Hey, Brandon. It's me, Isabelle."
"Hi, Isabelle. What's going on?"
"We'll, I came up to Scarlett Mountain for the weekend and I was injured on a hike. My ankle is sprained and I can't drive back."
"What about Tim? Why can't he drive you back?"
"I'm not with Tim...anymore."
"What do you want me to do about this?"
"I'm just calling to let you know that I won't be in today. I'm not sure when I'll be able to come back."
"The Chapman v. Atkinson file is on your desk. It has been for two weeks now. When are you going to have that ready?"
"I'm not sure. Listen, I almost died on Saturday and went to the hospital."
"I didn't tell you to go to Scarlett Mountain and go on a hike. I have a law firm to run. If you can't get your shit together and get back here to do the job I'm paying you to do, then I will find someone who will."
"Are you threatening me?"
"No, I'm not. I don't threaten people. But you have no vacation time left. If my memory serves, you took off the week of New Years to go to Las Vegas with Tim. I'll give you a mulligan today, but if you're not here by eight a.m. tomorrow working your fingers to the quick on the Chapman case, then we're done here."
"So that's it?"
"Yes."
"Well, fuck you, then!" Silence on the other end of the line confirmed what Isabelle already knew. Not only was she homeless but she was now jobless as well. The credit card she had used to reserve this very hotel room had barely enough on it to cover a two-night stay. Now that she was on day four, her card would be declined if she checked out today. She slammed the phone down and looked down at her fingernails. Three had broken when she fell and still had dried blood on them.
Isabelle had to use the bathroom and decided to test her ankle. She was afraid to put her weight on it and injure it even more. In the hospital, they had given her a walking boot to help stabilize her ankle. She hadn't tried to walk in it yet but needed to get out of the room. She pushed herself up off the bed onto uneasy feet. It didn't hurt too bad to walk on her ankle and she made it to the bathroom.
She couldn't stop thinking about Donovan. He was so cute and wasn't like any man she had ever known. She had never believed in the Lifetime movie version of soul mates, but she couldn't help but wonder if they did exist. Could Donovan be my soul mate? Impossible. He couldn't get out of here fast enough last night. Probably fucks a new woman every weekend.
After she freshened up in the bathroom, Isabelle put on
Isabelle rolled over onto her side and pulled the covers up to her face. "I guess that's that, then. Goodbye, Donovan." She wasn't sure what he had been trying to tell her. It was obviously hard for him to talk about, but whatever it was didn't seem to matter now.
*******
The door shut behind Donovan and he stood outside her door. He looked down at his hands; they were covered with smoke and dirt. He hadn't bothered to wash up before heading over to the hotel to see Isabelle.
He leaned up against the door for a minute. All he wanted to do was go back in her room and hold her. She was all he had thought about since the moment he had first laid eyes on her. But how could she love him? He wanted her to be his mate and hoped that she was fated to be with him. The sorceress had professed that one day his fated mate would appear and that there would be no doubt in his heart. He'd been with other women over the years. A firefighter in a tourist town pretty much had his pick of one-night stands. But he wasn't into that. A couple of his wilder brothers liked to find a new woman almost every weekend, but he wanted to find his mate. She'd come to him in dreams before and he knew it was her. Now that she was in front of him, Donovan realized that she was everything he'd always wanted. But for him, the intensity was just too much to bear.
"Hey, Brandon. It's me, Isabelle."
"Hi, Isabelle. What's going on?"
"We'll, I came up to Scarlett Mountain for the weekend and I was injured on a hike. My ankle is sprained and I can't drive back."
"What about Tim? Why can't he drive you back?"
"I'm not with Tim...anymore."
"What do you want me to do about this?"
"I'm just calling to let you know that I won't be in today. I'm not sure when I'll be able to come back."
"The Chapman v. Atkinson file is on your desk. It has been for two weeks now. When are you going to have that ready?"
"I'm not sure. Listen, I almost died on Saturday and went to the hospital."
"I didn't tell you to go to Scarlett Mountain and go on a hike. I have a law firm to run. If you can't get your shit together and get back here to do the job I'm paying you to do, then I will find someone who will."
"Are you threatening me?"
"No, I'm not. I don't threaten people. But you have no vacation time left. If my memory serves, you took off the week of New Years to go to Las Vegas with Tim. I'll give you a mulligan today, but if you're not here by eight a.m. tomorrow working your fingers to the quick on the Chapman case, then we're done here."
"So that's it?"
"Yes."
"Well, fuck you, then!" Silence on the other end of the line confirmed what Isabelle already knew. Not only was she homeless but she was now jobless as well. The credit card she had used to reserve this very hotel room had barely enough on it to cover a two-night stay. Now that she was on day four, her card would be declined if she checked out today. She slammed the phone down and looked down at her fingernails. Three had broken when she fell and still had dried blood on them.
Isabelle had to use the bathroom and decided to test her ankle. She was afraid to put her weight on it and injure it even more. In the hospital, they had given her a walking boot to help stabilize her ankle. She hadn't tried to walk in it yet but needed to get out of the room. She pushed herself up off the bed onto uneasy feet. It didn't hurt too bad to walk on her ankle and she made it to the bathroom.
She couldn't stop thinking about Donovan. He was so cute and wasn't like any man she had ever known. She had never believed in the Lifetime movie version of soul mates, but she couldn't help but wonder if they did exist. Could Donovan be my soul mate? Impossible. He couldn't get out of here fast enough last night. Probably fucks a new woman every weekend.
After she freshened up in the bathroom, Isabelle put on
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