Rosalyn's Hero (Special Forces: Operation Alpha) (Heroes of Sleepy Hollow Book 3) by Gia Cobie & Operation Alpha

Author:Gia Cobie & Operation Alpha [Cobie, Gia & Alpha, Operation]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Aces Press, LLC
Published: 2024-07-16T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

ROSE

Nothing is going to ruin my day this time.

Ian took the afternoon off specifically so we could do something fun together, and I’m not letting anything spoil it.

Not the flashback as I rinsed my hair in the shower, or the reminder of violence displayed on my breast in an array of vivid purples and blues.

Not the blast of fear that came with the thump at the front door—not an intruder, but just a package being delivered.

And especially not news about Diem. Or awful-Diem, as Ian refers to her, scowling each time her name comes up. “Even if she’s not behind this,” he told me the other day, “she’s still a bad person. Texting you just to rub it in about the show? I don’t like it. And I don’t like her.”

I can’t disagree with him. No matter how much I’ve tried to give her the benefit of the doubt over the years, she’s not a pleasant person. Which makes the news about her sting even more.

It shouldn’t matter. Just because she’s getting the fellowship I desperately wanted, the one I was a front-runner for, it doesn’t mean I was guaranteed to get it. The stipend and solo studio space on the NYU campus could have gone to any of the other finalists just as easily.

Except I know that’s not true, because when I called to withdraw my application—I couldn’t in good conscience stay in the running knowing how uncertain my future is—the head of the committee practically told me I would have won.

I think if the fellowship had gone to anyone else, it wouldn’t sting so much. But Diem? With her smug texts and her pretentious paintings and the last message she sent me, which was a link to an art teacher position at a private school in Manhattan, saying, Thought of you when I saw this…

It’s not that I think she’s really behind my attacks. The very idea of Diem approaching a seedy man in a bar, paying him to attack me—I can’t see it. But is she happy about my injury? Most likely.

If this had happened before I moved to Sleepy Hollow, it would have been a devastating blow. Art was my life, occasionally interrupted by obligatory events or the rare evening out when I couldn't come up with an excuse not to go.

But now it’s much different. I have Ian. And Ari and Thea. My new trivia team. All of Ian’s friends—Cash, Ben, Grant, Chris—who’ve all been nothing but kind to me. Even Mrs. Plimpton, who brought a stack of casseroles over yesterday, saying with a wry smile, “I’ve heard stories about how your Ian cooks. This will be much safer.”

Ian. The man I’m falling for.

Or if I’m honest with myself, I might already be there.

He’s everything I could ever want. Considerate. Sweet. Protective. Sensitive, though he keeps that part well-hidden. And the way he takes care of me… I never thought I needed that—I was happy being independent—but when Ian does things for me, I feel treasured.

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.