“It wouldn’t be forward enough.”
“This long distance thing is for the birds. I want to see you.”
His words warmed her heart. Sinking to the floor, Cyn rested her back against the cupboard and stretched her legs out in front of herself. “I want to see you too.”
“It’s turning into a need. I’m not sure how I feel about that.”
He wasn’t the only one. “Let me know when you do.”
“I will. Take down my number again. This time I’m going to give you my house, my cell and my private line. And don’t put them on the same paper. I don’t want to take the chance you can’t reach me.”
“Needy much?”
“Where you’re concerned? Hell, yes.”
Grinning, she stood and pulled out a pen from the junk drawer. She wrote his numbers, making sure she copied each number on more than one paper. What had once seemed like merely a run of bad luck regarding the cell and business card, now seemed a bit more sinister.
“When is your next day off?” he asked, once she was finished jotting down his information.
Day off. What was that? “I have Thursday off, but I have a million errands to run.
I’m also in the process of hiring new people.” Or she would be once she finally convinced her father to let the demonic duo go. “So I’ll be swamped at the store until the training is over. But no matter what, I’ll make sure to get that Saturday off.”
“Swamped, huh?”
He sounded like a lost little boy. “Unfortunately. What about the week after next?”
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“Let me see what I can arrange on my end. I’m not willing to let this fade away.”
His words brought a smile to her lips. “Neither am I.”
“Good. I have to go. Call me tonight.”
“I will.”
“Bye, love.”
Love? “Bye.”
As soon as she hung up, her smile slid away.
She ripped the paper off the notepad and stuffed it into her pants pocket before storming into the living room, hell bent on vengeance. It was bad enough she was forced to share her home, her job and her father with Drew and Staci. She could even live with the fact they borrowed her clothes and never returned them, but she be damned if she was going to let them ruin the one ray of sunlight in her otherwise drab existence.
The evil duo was where she’d expected them to be, sitting on their asses watching her television. Irritated, Cyn walked over to the entertainment center and turned it off When Drew raised the remote to turn it back on, she bent over and pulled the plug from the wall.
“What the hell is your problem?” Drew bellowed.
“You and your sidekick.” Cyn crossed her arms over her breasts. “Which one of you bitches has been keeping my messages from me?”
The twin sisters shared a guilty look, letting Cyn know it wasn’t a one-man act.
Drew was the first to meet her eyes but instead of appearing the slightest bit guilty, she looked pleased. “All of this over a few missed messages?”
“Three is a few, Drew. I believe there were more than three.” Cyn turned her heated stare to Staci who had the grace to look ashamed. “Isn’t that right, Staci?”
“Maybe one or two more.”
“Right.” She didn’t buy that for a second. “After everything I’ve done for you, my father has done for you, you’ll still act like a bunch of—”
Drew rolled her eyes as if she was bored. “Get over yourself, Cyn. The world doesn’t revolve around you.”
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Head over Heels
“My world does and from now on, you’re not welcome in it.” She’d tried. Lord knows she had, but she wasn’t a saint nor was she a doormat. “The two of you have a month to find another place to live.” Cyn wanted to say a week, but she knew if she did they would be on her father’s doorstep by sundown.
Her words apparently caught their attention. “What?”
“You…you can’t do that,” Staci whined, rising to her feet. “Where will we go?”
“Not my problem.” And man did it feel good to say those words. Satisfied for the first time in a long time, Cyn moved from in front of the television and headed back to the kitchen.
She was headed off in her path though by Drew, who was no longer looking so pleased. “This isn’t over. Not by a long shot.”
“Oh, but it is.” Cyn brushed past the angry woman. She would no longer let her family obligations deprive her of those things she wanted in life. And Parker was number one on her priority list. Her father was just going to have to understand. As for Drew, Staci and their mother, she didn’t really care if they understood or not. It was her time now.
No matter how many times Parker saw Cyn, it was always as if he was looking at her for the first time. Standing outside The Glass Slipper, he peered through the window and watched her work. Not that she was working. With the exception of Cyn and an older African American man, the shop was empty. Not that it seemed to bother Cyn. She was sitting on top of the counter as she talked to the gentlemen, smiling and laughing with him as if he was an old friend.
Just watching her smile brought a smile to his lips. She looked as lovely as he remembered. She was dressed in a mauve, short sleeve shirt and a matching floral skirt that showcased her sexy legs in the hottest of ways. It seemed as if it had been years since he’d last seen her, not merely a couple of weeks. With his work schedule and hers, they www.samhainpublishing.com 81
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hadn’t been able to get together. They talked every day, several times a day on the phone, but it wasn’t the same.
Despite being horny as hell, he’d purposely made sure all of their phone calls were as non-erotic as possible. That was until last night. Thanks
