Ring of Fire by Susan Fox

Author:Susan Fox [Fox, Susan]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Kensington
Published: 2016-04-04T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

Tuesday night around nine-thirty, Lark’s cell phone rang. Jayden was in bed and Lark and her mom were in the family room, drinking tea and reading, with Schubert’s “Trout Quintet” playing softly in the background.

Lark answered, saying “Hi, Eric” to let Mary know who it was. Partly for privacy, and partly so as not to disturb her mom, she rose and walked toward her bedroom as she listened to his voice saying that he’d wondered if she’d be at home.

“The town’s quiet tonight,” she said, glancing out her bedroom window before pulling the curtains. “Cross your fingers it stays that way. Not that I mind the callouts, but they pretty much always mean that something bad’s happened to someone.”

Her bedroom was the smallest in the house, with barely room for a double bed, a bedside table, and a small dresser. Jayden needed a large room so he could maneuver his wheelchair and walker. Mary needed a big room too, for her art, so she had the corner bedroom with the best light.

“Which you’ll try to put as right as you can,” Eric said. “Because that’s what you do, isn’t it?” There was an odd edge to his voice.

She’d been going to relax down on the bed, but that edge kept her on her feet. “I do what I can.” Whatever was going on with him, she’d tackle it head-on. “Do you have a problem with that?”

A snort. Then he said stiffly, “I can hardly have a problem with it when you’ve done so much for me. Can I?”

“From the tone of your voice, I’d say you can.”

There was a long pause, and then he said, “I don’t want to be another mess that you try to fix. I appreciate your concern, but I don’t need your pity.”

Oh, man. She huffed out air. “Good, because you don’t have it. And could we please stop doing this?” She sat on the edge of the bed. “Listen to me. I said I found you strong, attractive, and sexy. I consider you a friend, and of course I care that you’re going through a rough time. That does not equate to pity. If you can’t accept that, then we’ll end this relationship now.” She felt a pang, a rather large one, but she carried on, “If we do keep seeing each other, I refuse to engage in this stupid dance again. Got it?”

He didn’t answer for a long moment. Then he said slowly, “I hear you. I believe you. But, Lark, from what you’ve told me, when you get together with a guy, you’re doing it for casual fun. I’m not exactly the most fun in the world.”

His words gave her pause. No, their relationship wasn’t as carefree as her usual hookups, but it was so much more rewarding. “You’re a friend. Not just a one- or two-night fling. Friends don’t always have to be fun. They ought to be able to share problems. Share the lows as well as the highs.” As Lark and Karen did.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.