Rules of the Game by Sandy James

Author:Sandy James
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2012-03-26T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

After picking up Cleo from the kennel, it was well past midnight when we got back to my condo. Cleo seemed happy to be home as she repeatedly pawed at the door while I tried to get my stubborn lock open. Scott pulled her back and patted her head. She licked his hand in reply while Eli stared at her like he’d never seen a St. Bernard before. I almost warned him that the drool takes some getting used to. The door finally opened, and Cleo dragged Scott inside before he had a chance to hold her back.

At least I’d cleaned the place up before I left. Now that Eli was here, I didn’t want him to think it was a pigsty. At times, my condo looked like it might be featured in an episode of Hoarders because I had a hard time throwing things away, always wondering if I might need it sometime in the future. Since Scott was every bit as much a slob, I never tried to hide it from him. I just needed to put on a show for Eli.

The birds started chirping when we got inside and I flipped on lights. My neighbor had fed them, cleaned their cage and covered them at night while I was away. I peeked under the sheet covering them to check on their wellbeing. They were fat and sassy as ever and still more in love with each other than with me. After chirpingly scolding me for interrupting their rest, they settled back down when I let the sheet drop back into place.

Scott took off Cleo’s leash, and she bounded up on the couch where she knew she didn’t belong. I didn’t even scold her because Eli dropped his bag on the floor, sat next to her and started ruffling her fur and telling her she was a “pretty girl.” My dog fell in love with him as quickly as she had Scott. Shameless hussy.

“The couch lets out into a bed,” I said as I threw my own bag into my bedroom. “Sorry I don’t have two bedrooms. New York real estate prices suck.” I hadn’t really needed any more room when I bought the place. I had a good-sized bedroom, a great room sufficient for my big sofa, my bookshelves and my desk. Plus the kitchen had a place where I could pull up a couple of barstools and pretend it was a table. How could I ever have anticipated meeting the son I’d lost so long ago, let alone planned on him coming home with me?

Eli shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I can sleep anywhere. Literally.”

Scott strode over to window and pulled back the drape, probably getting a good view of Restaurant Row. “What do you think of the city?” he asked, turning back to my son.

I think that was the first time I’d seen Eli smile. “It’s so cool.”

Everything inside me brightened to the excitement in his voice, and it amazed me how important it was for me to know he was happy.

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.