man, Haley, and a stunning blond woman. All three knelt in the sand with white-capped ocean waves behind them and their blond locks, different shades, from the man’s dark honey to the woman’s smartly-layered corn silk, tangled in the wind.
Haley had been a couple of inches shorter, her cheeks rounder, dating the picture to two or three years ago. The man and woman both had wedding bands on. The woman also wore a gigantic diamond on her elegant, French-manicured ring finger.
Everyone was smiling. The man looked so happy, it took her breath away. His warm expression made a stark contrast to the seriousness she’d grown accustomed to. She wanted to be the one to put that smile back on his face.
Sighing, she forced her gaze from the picture and took in the rest of the room. Besides the desk, there were some filing cabinets and a big futon piled high with stuffed unicorns and teddy bears. This would be where Haley slept. She probably loved looking at the picture of her mom and dad and her. Or maybe it made her sad.
None of my business.
Learning the man’s name probably shouldn’t be any of her business either, but that didn’t stop her from scanning the desk for mail. Eureka! A pile of haphazard envelopes and mailers cluttered the corner. She reached for the pile, only to find the paper hard and unmoving.
Argh! She couldn’t pick up the mail or even shift the letters to reveal an address label.
The generic one on top read Resident, along with an address in Redding, California. She waited for some spark of recognition, but none came. Her personal history remained blank as ever.
Well, at least she had a name, sort of. And she didn’t need to know the man’s name to know the sight of him heated her blood. The sight of a smile on his face when another woman had put it there made her want to grind her teeth.
Leaving the office, she headed down the hall into a spacious, sparsely-furnished living room strewn with plastic shopping bags and colorful fabric. A simple ceiling-fan chandelier lit the space, and a framed doorway offered a glimpse into a craftsman kitchen with butter-cream-yellow tile countertops and mismatched appliances. The maroon front door had a brass thumb latch instead of a doorknob. Beside the door, a three-paneled window dressed with blinds looked out onto a front porch lit up against the night. At the base of the radiator below the window lay a long pewter rod with decoratively-pitted glass bulbs on either end. The strips of fabric all over the place must be curtains. The thought of the man and Haley hanging curtains together warmed her heart.
As she headed to the kitchen to continue her exploration, the jingle of keys in the front door made her freeze. Her body tensed to flee back to the familiar shelter of the bedroom, but she held her ground. No more being timid. No more reason for regret. If her instincts could be trusted, it would be the man at the door, and he would be alone, likely having returned Haley to her mother’s house. And he probably wouldn’t see her, anyway, since she wasn’t on the bed.
He shouldered through the door, and a flutter of desire tightened her tummy. But something felt off. He lumbered forward and missed the peg with his keys. They crashed to the floor.
He cursed and wiped a hand down a face that looked even more serious than usual. His army green t-shirt was rumpled, his eyes were bloodshot and his hair stood up in all directions like he’d just finished vacuuming it. When he walked past her to the kitchen, Jim Beam fumes stung her nose.
Her joy at seeing him morphed into outrage. What was he thinking, getting drunk as a skunk? He was a father. He had responsibilities. Oh, no, he hadn’t just driven drunk, had he? She dashed to the window and peeked out to see an empty driveway.
Well, that was something. A cab must have dropped him at the curb. And Haley wasn’t around to witness him like this. Still, disappointment flattened her earlier enthusiasm. Who
Haley had been a couple of inches shorter, her cheeks rounder, dating the picture to two or three years ago. The man and woman both had wedding bands on. The woman also wore a gigantic diamond on her elegant, French-manicured ring finger.
Everyone was smiling. The man looked so happy, it took her breath away. His warm expression made a stark contrast to the seriousness she’d grown accustomed to. She wanted to be the one to put that smile back on his face.
Sighing, she forced her gaze from the picture and took in the rest of the room. Besides the desk, there were some filing cabinets and a big futon piled high with stuffed unicorns and teddy bears. This would be where Haley slept. She probably loved looking at the picture of her mom and dad and her. Or maybe it made her sad.
None of my business.
Learning the man’s name probably shouldn’t be any of her business either, but that didn’t stop her from scanning the desk for mail. Eureka! A pile of haphazard envelopes and mailers cluttered the corner. She reached for the pile, only to find the paper hard and unmoving.
Argh! She couldn’t pick up the mail or even shift the letters to reveal an address label.
The generic one on top read Resident, along with an address in Redding, California. She waited for some spark of recognition, but none came. Her personal history remained blank as ever.
Well, at least she had a name, sort of. And she didn’t need to know the man’s name to know the sight of him heated her blood. The sight of a smile on his face when another woman had put it there made her want to grind her teeth.
Leaving the office, she headed down the hall into a spacious, sparsely-furnished living room strewn with plastic shopping bags and colorful fabric. A simple ceiling-fan chandelier lit the space, and a framed doorway offered a glimpse into a craftsman kitchen with butter-cream-yellow tile countertops and mismatched appliances. The maroon front door had a brass thumb latch instead of a doorknob. Beside the door, a three-paneled window dressed with blinds looked out onto a front porch lit up against the night. At the base of the radiator below the window lay a long pewter rod with decoratively-pitted glass bulbs on either end. The strips of fabric all over the place must be curtains. The thought of the man and Haley hanging curtains together warmed her heart.
As she headed to the kitchen to continue her exploration, the jingle of keys in the front door made her freeze. Her body tensed to flee back to the familiar shelter of the bedroom, but she held her ground. No more being timid. No more reason for regret. If her instincts could be trusted, it would be the man at the door, and he would be alone, likely having returned Haley to her mother’s house. And he probably wouldn’t see her, anyway, since she wasn’t on the bed.
He shouldered through the door, and a flutter of desire tightened her tummy. But something felt off. He lumbered forward and missed the peg with his keys. They crashed to the floor.
He cursed and wiped a hand down a face that looked even more serious than usual. His army green t-shirt was rumpled, his eyes were bloodshot and his hair stood up in all directions like he’d just finished vacuuming it. When he walked past her to the kitchen, Jim Beam fumes stung her nose.
Her joy at seeing him morphed into outrage. What was he thinking, getting drunk as a skunk? He was a father. He had responsibilities. Oh, no, he hadn’t just driven drunk, had he? She dashed to the window and peeked out to see an empty driveway.
Well, that was something. A cab must have dropped him at the curb. And Haley wasn’t around to witness him like this. Still, disappointment flattened her earlier enthusiasm. Who
Similar Books
