Scandalous by H. M. Ward

Author:H. M. Ward [Ward, H. M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Americas (North; Central; South; West Indies), History
ISBN: 9781481999847
Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: 2011-12-31T13:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY

The next few days passed in silence. I went back to Kate’s to get away from Jack, but it did me no good. Everything made me think of him. The way his eyes looked at me the other night. The way he spoke of me as though I was an angel and his love would condemn me made me cry.

Kate noticed I was missing Sunday night, and grilled me on it the next day. Her dirty mind asked, “Did you sleep with him? Why’d you stay over?”

Swallowing hard, I picked at my bagel. I wanted to talk about it with someone. Jack held me so high that it felt like I was horrible for wanting him so much. I glanced up at her, “He painted me.”

She choked on her bagel. “What? Like one of his naked girls?”

“Exactly like one of his naked girls,” picking at the bread, I formed a pattern on my plate. I pushed the crumbs around with my finger. Glancing up, I could see Kate’s eyes widen.

“Abby,” she stared, not blinking, paused like a cartoon character in total shock. “Why? Why would you do that?”

“He’s giving me the painting. I can do what I want with it. No one can see it, and it can stay at the top of my closet forever or I can auction it off and get rid of my loans. It would let me start preaching somewhere else.”

“Who in their right mind will take a nude preacher? Abby, what were you thinking?”

I glared at her, wishing she asked different questions. “You won’t be able to tell it’s me, and no one else was there, so they won’t know who it was either. Kate, it’s already done. I didn’t have a problem with it, so neither should you.”

“Then what’s wrong?” she sipped her coffee, her tone softer.

“He said he loves me.” My eyes stung and I could feel my lashes growing wet as I tried to stop the tears. I was such a mess. Before I left Texas I knew exactly what I wanted, and now, the only thing I wanted was Jack and he wouldn’t have me.

“Abby,” she gasped, “what happened? What’d you say?”

“I tried to kiss him, but he wouldn’t. He said he would be the reason I “fell.” Kate, he talks about me like I’m an angel, and being with him will ruin me. After all this time, I found out why he didn’t kiss me, that he loved me since the beginning. And now it’s too late.” Kate shifted her chair so she was sitting next to me, and handed me a napkin to dab my eyes. I took a deep breath to steady myself.

“There’s only one thing to do, Abby.” I glanced at Kate. Her dark hair was swooped up into a sloppy ponytail on top of her head, and an oversized sweater swallowed her body. “You need to show him that you’ve already fallen.”

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