Austin I loved him without knowing for sure I could let him

love me.

'I have to go,' I said, but didn't hang up. I even loved his breathing, the familiar in-and-out of it. I wanted to hold on

to it for a minute longer.

'Paige,' Austin said in a low voice. 'Remember what I said.'

Whatever it takes.

I remembered.

'I have to go, Austin. I'l cal you. Later.'

I hung up that time. I wanted to cry. And then I did.

'Paige. How nice to see you again. What can I do for you

today? Something pretty for a friend? Something nice for

yourself?' Miriam's warm, crimson-painted smile didn't

urge an answering grin from me.

It wasn't her fault. I felt as white and thin as paper held to

a too-bright light. I felt ready to tear.

'Something for me.' I already knew what I needed, but

before I could head for the back room where she kept her

files of writing papers, Miriam came around the counter.

'My dear, you look awful,' she said without any pretense

of diplomacy. 'You sit down and have some tea right now.

Or better yet, come here.'

She gestured and I folowed. She took me into a back

room marked Private and sat me down in a spindly but

comfortable chair in front of a polished wood table. I sat

gratefuly; my knees were a little shaky. She didn't pour me

tea from a pot, but she heated water in a smal microwave

and gave me my choice of tea bags from a smal container.

She didn't ask me to reveal my secrets. Not that I would

have. I didn't know Miriam al that wel, and though she

was old enough to be my grandmother she'd never acted

like one. I was glad for the tea, though. She passed me a

cookie from a tin, too.

'Sugar helps,' she said.

I nibbled. 'With what?'

'With everything!' Miriam laughed an entirely sexy laugh

and I could easily imagine her as the 1940's pinup girl she

must've been. 'There, now. Your color's coming back.'

Apparently I hadn't just felt like paper, I'd looked like it,

too. 'Thanks, Miriam. But I have to get going. I have an…

appointment.'

'Ah.' She nodded and smiled. 'And you need something

special for it, yes? Something special to write on?'

I swalowed sweetness but tasted bitterness. 'Yes.'

I swalowed sweetness but tasted bitterness. 'Yes.'

'I have just the thing.' Miriam held up a finger and got up from the table to pul down a large album from one of the

shelves.

Covered in what looked like leather, the album opened to

reveal sheets of paper, al types, each bound inside the

Вы читаете Switch
Добавить отзыв
ВСЕ ОТЗЫВЫ О КНИГЕ В ИЗБРАННОЕ

0

Вы можете отметить интересные вам фрагменты текста, которые будут доступны по уникальной ссылке в адресной строке браузера.

Отметить Добавить цитату