To Have and to Hold by Peggy J Herring

Author:Peggy J Herring [Herring, Peggy J]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Gay & Lesbian
ISBN: 9781594930058
Publisher: Bella Books
Published: 2012-07-13T18:27:17+00:00

Chapter Nine

Dorian woke up Monday morning to booming thunder. The electricity was off, so she checked her watch and saw that it was time to get up anyway. At least she wouldn’t have to deal with Rusty today.

She had spent most of Sunday with Luke watching movies. He knew she was upset, but he didn’t ask any probing questions. That’s what makes him such a good friend, she thought. He usually knows when to shut up.

Dorian kept a battery-powered radio on while she was in the shower. The weatherman promised that thunderstorms would be in the area for the next twenty-four hours, which meant she’d be at the office all day except for a security check that evening on her way home.

She dressed in a long, black skirt and a white cotton blouse. She had enough work at the office to keep her busy through a week’s worth of rain, and being there for a day would be a nice change. The electricity came back on before she had to leave. Dorian glanced at her answering machine and saw that there were still no messages. Lorraine hadn’t called. And why should she be the one to call first? Dorian thought suddenly. I’m the one who screwed this one up. I left her stranded at a party, for crissakes.

On the way to work she kept her mind off Lorraine and Abby by concentrating on how she would design drainage projects for certain parts of the city if they had the funds to let her do what she wanted. It was a little game she liked to play during bad weather. The traffic was terrible, but she’d left her apartment early. Mia was already at the office when Dorian got there.

“Hey,” Mia said. “No Rusty for you today.” She handed over a small stack of papers and a few phone messages. “We missed you at Ruffino’s on Saturday.”

“Oh,” Dorian said. She’d completely forgotten about it.

“Coffee’s ready,” Mia announced. “I’ll bring you some.”

There were fresh, pink carnations on her window sill, a welcomed sight on such a gloomy day. Dorian set her briefcase on the corner of her desk and scanned her mail. It was nice being in the office, but she knew that by the time the rain ended she’d be ready to get back to the site again.

Mia came in with two cups of coffee and set Dorian’s on the desk. She leaned against the door to sip hers and listen for the phone.

“What dirt did I miss on Saturday?” Dorian asked.

Mia laughed. “You know the deal. Whatever we say stays at Ruffino’s, but you and Rusty are always a lively topic.” She looked at Dorian and smiled. “I was disappointed that you weren’t there.”

“My weekend would’ve turned out a lot better had I been.”

The telephone at Mia’s desk rang, sending her on her way. “You want your door open or closed?”

“Closed,” Dorian said. “I hate having you hear me grovel to the fine citizens of San Antonio.”

“I’m used to groveling engineers.

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.