Falling for Rain by Gina Buonaguro, Janice Kirk Read Free Book Online

thought of ignoring the call but decided against it. She’d have to talk to him at some point. Might as well get it over with.
    “Hello, it’s me,” she said resignedly.
    "You sound horrible, baby. Did I wake you?" Emily cringed at his voice and fought the urge to hang up. "Are you there?" he said impatiently.
    "Yes.”
    "Don't sound so excited."
    "Sorry.  I just woke up. It was a long day yesterday, and I didn’t sleep very well.” The room was cold, and she reached for her dressing gown at the foot of the bed, pulling it on over her flimsy silk nightdress.
    "I hope that means it's all settled."
    "Not exactly,” she said, pulling on her socks, the phone pressed between her cheek and shoulder. Jonathon was going to be furious. Funny how she didn’t really care. “A will has emerged that leaves half to Ray Storm-"
    "Damn,” he interrupted angrily.  “We'll just have to dispute it." He sounded confident of success.
    Emily straightened up and switched the phone to her other ear. "No good. The lawyer said he'll get half of it anyway."
    "Why?"
    "Because he was like a son to my father," she said as though that explained everything.
    "What?" Jonathon almost shouted.
    "I'm just quoting the lawyer," she said with irritation as she got up and went to the window. Condensation had gathered on the inside of the glass, clouding the view. She wiped it away with her sleeve and peered through the streaky glass. Another grey day. She wondered what Rain was doing at that moment.
    "Sounds to me like you believe him."
    Emily was desperate for the conversation to end. She gathered all her energy and, in her best Toronto business tone, attempted to conclude the call.  “Trust me on this one.  I’ll take care of it, and I’ll tell you about it when I get back.”
    It didn’t work. "Like hell you will," he shot back. Emily recognized the cold edge his voice got whenever he was in danger of being thwarted.  But he had never used this tone with her before. She said nothing, and after a pause she heard him sigh. He went from angry to cajoling.  "I'm sorry, baby. You know how I get over a big deal. Actually, I miss you.  I wish I was curled up with you in front of a nice big fireplace right now. I can’t get down today but I’ll come first thing tomorrow. Have you got a fireplace in your hotel room?”
    "No," she said.  This wasn't the time to tell him she was at the farm. She could just imagine his reaction.
    "Well, tomorrow night, we'll get one that does and celebrate our victory with a bottle of champagne. Okay?"
    "Okay," she agreed quietly. There was no point in saying no. He’d come anyway. And right now she’d agree to anything so long as it would end this call.
    "I'll meet you at the farm tomorrow.  I wouldn't mind seeing it with my own eyes, and this Storm character too. If I leave here at six, I should get there around nine.” 
    "Fine. See you then,” she said, trying not to let her voice betray her impatience.
    "That's my girl. Bye.”
    She wanted to tell him not to call her “his girl,” but, deciding there was little point, instead murmured goodbye and hung up. Gratefully, she put the phone back on the night stand and went to her dresser in search of something suitable for a walk in the woods. She decided on a pair of jeans and a deep green wool sweater with a fair isle design. She made the bed and propped the one-eyed teddy bear against the pillow.  This teddy bear had kept the monsters away when she was a child. Maybe it could do the same for her now. Me and Teddy against the world , she thought with a wry smile.
    After putting the coffee on, she went to the bathroom to brush her teeth and hair. She caught sight of herself in the mirror in the deep green sweater. It looked good on her, she decided, though she could imagine what Jonathon would think. Jonathon wouldn’t be caught dead in anything that didn’t have an exclusive designer label. He preferred the label stitched to the front so that no one could