Always With You: Part One by M. Leighton Read Free Book Online Page B

it gets hard to do, come to me.  I’ll set you straight.  I’ll tell you who comes first.  And second.  And third.”  He leans back, forcing me away from his chest so that he can peer down into my face.  “It’s you. And it always will be.  No matter who comes rolling through our door, you’ll always be the one who matters most.  Got it?”
    I do my best to grin.  “Got it.”
    He brushes his lips over mine and then urges my head back onto his chest.  When his phone bleeps again from his pocket, I don’t ask why he doesn’t check it.  I just remind myself of his words.  And try my best not to worry about ghosts.

 
    CHAPTER THIRTEEN
     
    Cash
     
    W hen Olivia takes a call from her father’s neighbor, I reach into my pocket for my phone.  Two texts from an unknown number, but the first line of the first text tells me who the number belongs to.
    Cash, it’s Sophie.
    I don’t bother reading the rest of the message or the next one until I’ve angrily tapped out a single question. 
    Me:  How did you get this number?
    Within seconds, I see the three little bubbles pop up, an indication that she’s typing a response.  I read her other text as I wait.  She’s asking if everything is okay and saying that our things are still there.  Before I can reply, her answer to my question displays on the screen.
    Sophie:  The business cards on your desk.  I saw them when I went in to wake Izzy.
    Her answer diffuses some of my irritation.  I’d forgotten about those. 
    Me:  Oh. Right.
     
    Sophie:  Well?
     
    Me:  Well what?
     
    Sophie:  Is everything okay?
    I toy with how to respond.  For some reason, telling Sophie too much feels like a betrayal to Olivia, even though she could find out from any number of other people. It’s not like it’s a big secret.
    Me:  Olivia’s father is having surger y , I respond vaguely.
    Sophie:  I hope he’s okay. If there’s anything I can do, just ask.
     
    Me:  Nothing you can do.
     
    Sophie:  I’m going to fill in at the club tonight. Don’t worry about a thing. I’ve tended bar before.
     
    Me:  But not at my bar .
     
    Sophie:  No, but I’m a quick learner.  Remember?
    She adds a winking smiley face to the end of the sentence. It makes the question seem flirtatious. Suggestive. Unfortunately, I know exactly what she means by that. It’s a reference to a conversation we had many years ago when I took her virginity.  She asked me to show her how to please me.  So I did. Not long after that, during a particularly…heated night at her house when her parents were gone, she teased me after sex, saying that she was a quick learner.  At the time, it was good sex, but I was a kid. What the hell did I know about good sex?
    I don’t rise to her bait. If she thinks that there’s a chance for us to get back together, I mean to put an end to that little spark of hope right off the bat.
    Me:  No.  But I hope you’re right.  I don’t have time to babysit you.
     
    Sophie:  You won’t have to babysit me.  I’ll be running that bar like a pro in a couple of weeks.
     
    Me:  All you need to do is keep the customers happy.
     
    Sophie:  I’m good at pleasing people.
    Another suggestive remark? Or am I making too much of everything she says?  Am I looking for something that’s not there?  Am I looking for something to be pissed about?
    I scrub a hand over my face.  What a damn nightmare!  Of all the things Olivia and I need in our life right now, none of this comes anywhere close.  The arrival of an ex, a child that could be mine, being uprooted during the holidays, Olivia’s father having surgery—our life and our plans will be taking a back seat for the moment.  Indefinitely.  And that makes me uneasy as hell.
     
     
     
     

 
    CHAPTER FOURTEEN
     
    Olivia
     
    I have the strangest feeling that Cash is hiding something from me when I walk back into the little waiting room.  His expression is unusually tense.  Even the smile he gives