A Jar of Hearts by Clarissa Cartharn Read Free Book Online Page B

Everyone else unfortunately relents to everything she wants to do. Even her own father. But you…” She shook her head. “That’s why you could help her.”
    He swallowed. He was the cause of all her pain. How could he forgive himself?  “What do you want me to do?”
    “Be her friend. Date her if you can. I believe if you can make her feel worthy of her life, she will want to live again.”
    “But Julia…”
    She rubbed her brow. “I know. It’s crazy.” She shook her head. “I’m sorry I put you on the spot. I shouldn’t have asked you something like that. I don’t know what came over me. But seeing her so full of life gave me hope. It’s been hard watching her hurt each day that I was prepared of paying you just to take her out. I still am if you are willing. I handle her money from her father and I would be able to offer you something generous.”
    “Don’t you think that she wouldn’t appreciate you doing this?”
    “It’s a desperate situation. I doubt her father would mind it either. Considering the way she disappeared this morning and the rightful mess she turned up in, I can only assume she was bad when you found her.”
    He put his hands into his pockets and leaned against the kitchen bench. Remembering how he had found her in that corner of the beach huddled and dirty, made his heart ache all over again. It was the weakest he had ever seen of her.
    “What about her boyfriend? I saw a man with her last night while she was playing her violin. That was her boyfriend, right?” he asked slowly.
    “That was Nicholas Bradley.” She let out a long sigh. “Nicholas has long been in love with Anne, but Anne refuses to treat him more than just a friend. You see… Anne is still in love with her dead boyfriend and until she can heal and move past his death, I’m afraid she will begin to lose all interest in living again.”
    His jaw twitched. Only he could be blamed for her anguish.
    “I can understand why,” the housekeeper continued sadly. “That girl lives in a world of her own. We can’t see hers and she can’t see ours. I can’t blame her for feeling she is all alone in everything she is going through.”
    He had to fix this. He did this and he would have to do something about it. The pits of his stomach balled. He wished he was truly dead to not have to find her suffering like this. But he was alive and he could teach her to move on. A job such as his came with great risk. As far as he knew he could die anytime at the hands of Juan, a senseless drive-by or even Mark. What would happen to her then? He would never have this chance again to ensure she would be strong enough to press on living.
    Besides, there was no guarantee Mark would live up to his promise and let him go free once The Pacheco mission was done. As far as the FBI was concerned, Mark’s team did not exist. Only a handful of superior officers who had delegated Mark with the mission of ending the drug war in San Diego knew about him but he could never trust them either to live up to their side of the bargain. No, his past sins would always be his shackles around his ankles.
    “Fine,” he said with a pretentious tired puff. “How much are you willing to pay me?” After all, he had to have a credible reason to do this.
    “You will?” She clapped her hands in joy. “Really? Oh, thank you! Thank you so much.”
    He smiled and lowered his head. His heart was racing inside of him, and his palms were growing wet from his nervousness. He was going to spend more time with Anne… probably even have the chance to kiss her. To love her all over again. He didn’t know if this was going to be a wise decision. Actually, he didn’t care. Juan would probably kill him for it and so could Mark. But he couldn’t walk away from her- not now, not when he knew she was suffering because of him.
     
     

     
     
     
    “How much?” Julia asked through her tears.
    “A hundred… two hundred,” he replied with a shrug. He didn’t want