Summer Rain (Lightning Strikes Book 3) (42 page)
“I’ll take a look later tonight,” she said.
“Good. I have to run,” Samantha said, sliding to her feet. “Tonight is my second date with Jeff.”
“You brought him back for a repeat performance -- I’m impressed,” Kayla said with a smile. Samantha was notoriously picky when it came to men, and unlike Kayla, she wasn’t in any hurry to get to the marriage, kids, white-picket-fence kind of life.
“He made a good first impression,” Samantha said. She paused, an uncomfortable note entering her voice as she asked, “Did you talk to your stepsister about filing for divorce?”
“No,” Kayla said with annoyance. “It’s only been two weeks. The police are still investigating.”
Samantha shot her a skeptical look. “Sure they are. I’m sorry if I’m pressuring you, but you should be filing for divorce. Get the ball rolling, so you can put this whole disaster behind you.”
“He could still come back.”
“What if he does?” Samantha asked in amazement. “What could he possibly say, aside from that he’d been kidnapped or was suffering from extended amnesia, that would explain why he ran out on you without a word?”
“It’s possible he was kidnapped. And amnesia is a real clinical diagnosis.”
Samantha let out a long, disgusted sigh. “That’s your imagination talking, Kay. You know it is.”
She did know it. But the alternative left her feeling like even more of an idiot. “You’re right, but it’s easier to think something happened to him than to believe he ran out on me.”
“Well, better he did it now than in a year or two, or after you had a kid. He probably just realized you’d both made an impulsive mistake and took off. You know how men are. They like to take the easy way out.”
“I don’t think I know men at all,” Kayla said wearily.
“Well, I do. So next time you listen to me,” Samantha said, shaking a finger at Kayla. “Call me next week, and we’ll go to lunch. But don’t call too early,” she added, as she headed to the door. “I’m planning on some very late nights,” she said with a wicked smile.
After Samantha left, Kayla got up, switched off the light, and headed down the well-worn path between her studio and the house. She checked her bare cupboards and refrigerator and decided it was time to find some food. Throwing a short jean jacket over her skimpy bright orange T-shirt, she pulled the rubber band out of her ponytail and shook her hair out, running her fingers through the tangled strands. She should probably run a brush through it, but what the heck -- it wasn’t as if she needed to dress up to pick up a pizza.
When she got into her car, she told herself to drive straight to her destination, no stops, but the urge to take a little side trip past Nick’s house grew stronger with each block. To be honest, it wasn’t a side trip; it was a hike across town, and she really needed to stop torturing herself this way. Maybe this would be her final trip, one last good-bye, she told herself. Closure. That was what she needed to put an end to this chapter of her life.
Driven by rationalizations that didn’t sound true even in her own head, Kayla kept going until she reached the Marina Green, a large expanse of grass that edged San Francisco Bay and provided a spectacular view of ships sailing under the Golden Gate Bridge. She couldn’t imagine getting much work done if she lived down here. She’d be too tempted to take long, windy walks or simply stare out the window at the setting sun that even now was lighting up the clear, dusky sky with a wild splash of purples, oranges, and pinks.
As she paused at a stoplight, she drew in a breath at the awesome color palette provided by Mother Nature and immediately envisioned a new stained-glass window with exactly those colors. She doubted she would ever be able to match the perfection that was before her now. Even as she tried to commit the colors to memory, they began to fade into the night. Nothing ever stayed the same.
When the light changed to green, she turned left, her heart beating more rapidly as Nick’s home came into view. She’d driven down this street a hundred times since her wedding day, hoping against hope to see some sign of life. Every time she’d been disappointed.
Until now...
The light in the window shocked her so much she blinked twice to make sure it was real. With shaky hands, she steered into a nearby parking spot and shut off the engine, her heart beating double-time. Nick was back. He was home. She was going to see him tonight, get the answers to her questions. So why couldn’t she move? Why was she frozen with fear?
She shouldn’t be scared. She should be angry, furious. She should go up there and give him a piece of her mind.
That was exactly what she would do.
Throwing her shoulders back, she stepped out of the car and walked across the street and up the stairs to the front door. Her knock brought the sound of heavy footsteps. She was afraid to breathe.
The door opened abruptly and a man stood before her.
“Who are you?” she asked in shock. This wasn’t Nick. It was a stranger -- a man who towered over her five-foot-four-inch frame by at least ten inches. He had dark hair and the most piercing green eyes she’d ever seen. She took a step back, feeling an instinctive need to defend herself -- against what, she didn’t know. “Who are you?” she repeated.
“I’m Nick Granville.”
Buy
TAKEN
Book List
Lightning Strikes Trilogy
The Callaway Series
Nobody But You
(A Callaway Wedding Novella)
Take Me Home (A Callaway Novella),
Coming Soon
#11 Closer To You,
Coming Soon
The Callaways Boxed Set - Books 1-3
Bachelors & Bridesmaids
#6 Forever Starts Tonight,
Coming Soon!
The Wish Series
Contemporary Romance Novels
Romantic Suspense Novels
The Sanders Brothers Romanic Suspense Duo
The Deception Romantic Suspense Duo
#1
Taken
#2
Played
Angel’s Bay Series
About the Author
Barbara Freethy is a #1 New York Times Bestselling Author of 50 novels ranging from contemporary romance to romantic suspense and women's fiction. Traditionally published for many years, Barbara opened her own publishing company in 2011 and has since sold over 6 million books! Twenty of her titles have appeared on the New York Times and USA Today Bestseller Lists.
Known for her emotional and compelling stories of love, family, mystery and romance, Barbara enjoys writing about ordinary people caught up in extraordinary adventures. Barbara's books have won numerous awards. She is a six-time finalist for the RITA for best contemporary romance from Romance Writers of America and a two-time winner for
DANIEL’S GIFT
and
THE WAY BACK HOME
.
Barbara has lived all over the state of California and currently resides in Northern California where she draws much of her inspiration from the beautiful bay area.
For a complete listing of books, as well as excerpts and contests, and to connect with Barbara:
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