Скачать книгу

so hard to move beyond the mistakes of my past. And please, please bring Missy home.

      “Hey, wait up,” Brett hollered.

      Nicole quickened her pace. She was done talking. The icy wind sucked the breath out of her.

      Brett caught up with her. “Hold up.”

      She suspected most people froze at his commanding tone, but she wasn’t most people. She bit back a snarky comment and forced a smile. A polite smile. The one reserved for limited interactions with the stone-throwing residents of Silver Lake, the smile that said, “I’ll be pleasant, but I’ll never like you.”

      Brett guided her closer to the building, out of the harsh winds. He surveyed the street, as if he cared what other people overheard.

      Or saw.

      Nicole’s bubbling anger simmered with guilt over the choices she had made as a young woman. It didn’t seem to matter how much she had changed, people still disliked her.

      “I have to get to work.” Nicole’s cool tone was no match for the icy blast of air. “I can’t lose this job.”

      “Who’s Ethan’s father?” Brett tilted his head, his eyes taking on a warmth that made her want to confess everything. But she couldn’t. In a small town, a bad reputation clung to a person forever, like a bad hairstyle in the senior yearbook. Her son’s grandparents—Brett’s parents—might use their influence to gain access to their grandchild.

      “None of your business.” Nicole couldn’t take that chance. She didn’t want the Eggerts to fill her son’s head with negative images of his mother...or worse. “And I can promise you, his father is not harassing me. So, move on with your investigation. Find Missy. Find who ran her off the road.”

      “Ethan was my brother’s middle name.” Brett searched her eyes with his gaze.

      Nicole stepped back and bumped her heel against the wall. “Ethan’s a popular name.”

      An ache throbbed behind her temples. What if the Eggerts wanted to take Ethan from her? Mr. Eggert was an influential lawyer. He’d use terms like “unfit mother,” “unsuitable home environment,” and “in the best interest of the child” to gain custody of her son.

      Gigi had tried to calm her worries. Courts always favored mothers.

      Always?

      The final image of her own mother pulling away from Gigi’s house had played over and over in her mind like the black moment in a Lifetime movie. Her mother had whispered in her ten-year-old daughter’s ear that she’d be back for her. That she was the most important thing in her life. That the situation was only temporary.

      Drugs proved too powerful. Nicole never saw her mother again.

      Nicole had stumbled into drugs just like her mother. But Nicole cleaned up her act for her son because he was the most important thing in Nicole’s life.

      She blinked a few times, flipped her scarf over her shoulder and hiked up her chin. “I have a job and I’m running late.”

      Nicole spun on her heel and strode toward the funeral home. Her worries pelted her like the snowflakes blowing sideways. Head bowed, she picked up her pace, focusing all her energy on envisioning Missy running the vacuum in the front foyer when Nicole returned.

       Please let Missy be okay.

      “Nicole!” Brett’s voice grew closer and held a hint of urgency that made her pulse spike. But she wasn’t going to stop.

      She broke into a jog. Apprehension and shame pressed heavy on her lungs. Why wouldn’t this man leave her alone? She skirted around an elderly lady pushing a walker through the snowy sludge. She had to remain confident. Missy was going to be okay. God was a merciful God.

       Then why can’t you forgive yourself for Max’s death?

      Nicole slowed at the intersection and watched the blinking man count down five seconds. She could make it. She had to if she wanted to avoid Brett. She pulled her collar up and darted across the street. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a delivery truck bearing down on her. Tingles swept up her arms and her vision zeroed in on the safety of the sidewalk a few feet away. Her boot hit the curb. At the same time, slush sprayed the backs of her legs.

      Just great. Annoyance tinged with relief made pools of sweat gather under her coat.

      Nicole spun around to glare at the offending truck and she noticed Brett running toward her, the concern on his face making icy shards shoot through her veins. He wove around a compact car, slamming his hands on its hood just as it screeched to a halt, thankfully finding purchase on the plowed pavement. “What are you doing?” Nicole’s heart jackhammered. She lifted shaky palms in a show of surrender. Brett had almost gotten run over. “Fine, I stopped. I’m not going anywhere. What do you want?”

      Brett’s firm gaze was fixed on something over her head. Way over her head. She was lifting her eyes to follow his gaze when Brett crashed into her, pushing her out of the way. He landed on top of her with an oomph on the hard, cold concrete. A chunk of ice smashed onto the sidewalk a foot from their tangled bodies.

      Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.

      Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».

      Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.

      Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.

/9j/4QAYRXhpZgAASUkqAAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAP/sABFEdWNreQABAAQAAABQAAD/4QNxaHR0cDov L25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wLwA8P3hwYWNrZXQgYmVnaW49Iu+7vyIgaWQ9Ilc1TTBNcENl aGlIenJlU3pOVGN6a2M5ZCI/PiA8eDp4bXBtZXRhIHhtbG5zOng9ImFkb2JlOm5zOm1ldGEvIiB4 OnhtcHRrPSJBZG9iZSBYTVAgQ29yZSA1LjAtYzA2MSA2NC4xNDA5NDksIDIwMTAvMTIvMDctMTA6 NTc6MDEgICAgICAgICI+IDxyZGY6UkRGIHhtbG5zOnJkZj0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMTk5 OS8wMi8yMi1yZGYtc3ludGF4LW5zIyI+IDxyZGY6RGVzY3JpcHRpb24gcmRmOmFib3V0PSIiIHht bG5zOnhtcE1NPSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvbW0vIiB4bWxuczpzdFJlZj0i aHR0cDovL25zLmFkb2JlLmNvbS94YXAvMS4wL3NUeXBlL1Jlc291cmNlUmVmIyIgeG1sbnM6eG1w PSJodHRwOi8vbnMuYWRvYmUuY29tL3hhcC8xLjAvIiB4bXBNTTpPcmlnaW5hbERvY3VtZW50SUQ9 InhtcC5kaWQ6NEJEODA5MTQzMzIwNjgxMTk4RjVCQTFEQzJFMEExMEYiIHhtcE1NOkRvY3VtZW50 SUQ9InhtcC5kaWQ6NEFGMzI1QzJGMjk2MTFFNTlBNzBFMkVENTcwNkE2NzYiIHhtcE1NOkluc3Rh bmNlSUQ9InhtcC5paWQ6NEFGMzI1QzFGMjk2MTFFNTlBNzBFMkVENTcwNkE2NzYiIHhtcDpDcmVh dG9yVG9vbD0iQWRvYmUgUGhvdG9zaG9wIENTNS4xIE1hY2ludG9zaCI+IDx4bXBNTTpEZXJpdmVk RnJvbSBzdFJlZjppbnN0YW5jZUlEPSJ4bXAuaWlkOjI2NjRBNDFFMzMyMDY4MTE5OEY1QkExREMy RTBBMTBGIiBzdFJlZjpkb2N1bWVudElEPSJ4bXAuZGlkOjRCRDgwOTE0MzMyMDY4MTE5OEY1QkEx REMyRTBBMTBGIi8+IDwvcmRmOkRlc2NyaXB0aW9uPiA8L3JkZjpSREY+IDwveDp4bXBtZXRhPiA8 P3hwYWNrZXQgZW5kPSJyIj8+/+IMWElDQ19QUk9GSUxFAAEBAAAMSExpbm8CEAAAbW50clJHQiBY WVogB84AAgAJAAYAMQAAYWNzcE1TRlQAAAAASUVDIHNSR0IAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPbWAAEAAAAA 0y1IUCAgAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARY3By dAAAAVAAAAAzZGVzYwAAAYQAAABsd3RwdAAAAfAAAAAUYmtwdAAAAgQAAAAUclhZWgAAAhgAAAAU Z1hZWgAAAiwAAAAUYlhZWgAAAkAAAAAUZG1uZAAAAlQAAABwZG1kZAAAAsQAAACIdnVlZAAAA0wA AACGdmlldwAAA9QAAAAkbHVtaQAAA/gAAAAUbWVhcwAABAwAAAAkdGVjaAAABDAAAAAMclRSQwAA BDwAAAgMZ1RSQwAABDwAAAgMYlRSQwAABDwAAAgMdGV4dAAAAABDb3B5cmlnaHQgKGMpIDE5OTgg SGV3bGV0dC1QYWNrYXJkIENvbXBhbnkAAGRlc2MAAAAAAAAAEnNSR0IgSUVDNjE5NjYtMi4xAAAA AAAAAAAAAAASc1JHQiBJRUM2MTk2Ni0yLjEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAFhZWiAAAAAAAADzUQABAAAAARbMWFlaIAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA AABYWVogAAAAAAAAb6IAADj1AAADkFhZWiAAAAAAAABimQAAt4UAABjaWFlaIAAAAAAAACSgAAAP hAA

Скачать книгу