Playing House by Willsin Rowe

Author:Willsin Rowe [Rowe, Willsin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Amazon: B01N79IZJR
Publisher: Willsin Rowe
Published: 2016-11-30T00:00:00+00:00

14

It was a short walk but I made it last as long as I could. Not so much because I was feeling weak—though I still was, a little—but because having Mark’s arm around my shoulders was a delightful sensation. All too quickly we arrived at my door.

“Thank you, Mark. I should be fine now.”

“You’re not staying, surely?”

“Of course. This is my baby. I can’t just—”

At that moment, I saw Patrick come out from Andrew’s bakery across the street. It was just his route, and he was delivering the mail. But he looked across at me, a skull-deep furrow across his brow, and out of nowhere, the world went black again.

Thankfully, Mark was on it in a flash, grabbing me before I could hit the sidewalk. “Lucy? What’s wrong?”

I was still conscious, the faint having passed almost as quickly as it began. With my feet still attached to the ground it was easy enough to stand, though staying up was a little more of a struggle.

“No, that’s it, young lady. I’m pulling rank here.”

“Wh–what?”

“I’m taking you home. No arguments.” Mark put his arm around me and helped me walk to his car. He was everything from an old-fashioned gentleman to a caring father at that moment, as he eased me in to the passenger seat of his Mustang and lowered it so I could rest.

He slipped into the driver’s seat and started the engine with a roar. From the outside, which was the only way I’d heard it until now, the car growled like a hungry predator. From within, though, it was a warm blanket of sound, the purr of a tigress doting on her cub. As we drove, the noise became a vibration, and it eased my mind into a calm, drifting state. Not so much toward sleep, just away from reality.

Looking to the side, I saw a bundle of dresses and accessories lying across the back seat.

“Nice,” I mumbled to him. “I bet those really show off your legs.”

He glanced back over his shoulder, his expression darkening for a second. “Oh, those are… well, they’re not mine.”

“Thanks, Captain Obvious.” No need to ask whose they were. They were fashionable and tiny, just like she was. “I thought you two were kaput.”

“We are.”

“Then why was she calling you?”

Mark shook his head for a second. “I know your eyes literally are green, Luce, but that doesn’t mean you need to live up to the metaphor.”

“Huh?” I couldn’t follow him in my current dream-like state.

“There’s no need to be jealous. Not least since, y’know… I’m not your boyfriend.”

“Don’t be all smart and logical.”

“Your wish is my command.” He switched on the indicator and came to a halt. With a quick glance down at me, he continued. “Honestly, she’s just struggling to believe anyone could possibly have broken up with her. She’s used to sucking the life out of a man and moving on, leaving just a dry shell behind.”

“Well, I just wondered. After last night, and then her calling you again today. It felt off.

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