A Long Goodbye by Kelly Mooney Read Free Book Online Page A

walked back to the car to get a hold of Lu who was still passed out, which scared me, some. This girl could hold her liquor like a sailor on leave. “Lu, wake up, Sweetie,” I repeated several times, slapping her face softly to try and get her to wake, but she didn’t even stir. “Lu, please wake up, girly. I can’t carry you.” I paced back and forth. “Shit!” I screamed looking up to the cemented roof to God knows who, wondering how the hell I was going to get her to the room.
    “Grace, you need some help?” A voice sounded from behind me. I froze, but that voice was as smooth as my favorite cashmere sweater and I would know it anywhere now. I flicked my hair off my face, but turned to see him, unsure of why he was here and how the heck he knew where we were staying.
    “What are you doing here, Woody?” I asked nervously, thinking that maybe I got rid of the wrong guys. I glanced to the ramp, but they were long gone.
    He smiled shyly; a soft blush touched his cheeks. He turned his face toward the hotel. “I’m staying here.” He held up both his hands in protest. “I promise I didn’t follow you or anything. I was sitting in my truck eating a burger that I picked up on the way back.” He moved a few steps closer to Lu and me. He glanced around me to take a better look inside the car. “What happened to her?”
    I shrugged. “Too much to drink I guess. It’s not like her, but ya’ know, vacation and all?”
    He grinned but sidestepped me. “I got her.” With those three words barely out of his mouth, he hoisted Lu over his shoulder like she was lighter than a feather. “Grace, did you just meet those men tonight?”
    “Yeah, why?” I grabbed both our bags and hurried to catch up.
    “One of those assholes could’ve spiked her drink. How you feeling, Darlin’?”
    His remark stopped me from moving. “I don’t think they’d do that. They seemed real nice and all.”
    Woody shook his head as we moved inside the hotel and approached the elevator. “What floor?” I told him, and he hit the button with his free hand. The other was holding on to Lu’s backside, and I actually felt a twang of jealousy that he was touching her and not me. But it didn’t seem to even faze him. He was still wearing those damn dark sunglasses, and it was now after one in the morning.
    I wanted to know why so I decided to just go ahead and ask. “What’s with the glasses? Are you trying to hide your scar?” He didn’t say anything but I could sense his eyes staring at me through those dark lenses. The bell dinged and the doors spread open.
    He strutted past me, smiling. “Yeah, Darlin’ I’m hiding my scar.”
    Not really paying attention to where we were going, he stopped when we get a few doors down the corridor. “Which one?”
    “506,” I told him. “Where’d ya get that scar from anyway?”
    I pulled the keycard from my back pocket of my shorts and opened the door, not even giving it a second thought that a semi-strange man was coming inside our room. He walked over to one of the beds and softly placed Lu down. Then he turned and lifted his glasses until they rested on top of his soft brown curls and I could really see his eyes. The glasses were too dark, and I’d had a hard time seeing through the lenses and making the color out earlier, but dang if they weren’t they nicest shade of blue I’d ever seen, and those lashes. My lord, I couldn’t buy mascara to get mine to look that good.
    “Afghanistan.” Just like that, he said it, and just like that, he was walking out the door before I could even say anything in response. I felt so stupid after he stepped out. How I couldn’t even muster up a thank you, or more importantly, find out when I’d be able to see him again. Part of me hoped never, but part of me knew the way that boy held my hand in his as we danced that, that was definitely not our last twirl on the floor.
    With Lu passed out, I tucked her under the blankets after taking off her