Deserve by C.C. Snow Read Free Book Online Page B

Admiration and pride shine in his eyes.
    Feeling shy all of a sudden, I mutter, “Thanks,” and stand
up to take our trash to the garbage bin.
    Sean gets up and asks, “Want to walk around?”
    I nod enthusiastically and for the next two hours, we wander
all over Midtown. As a native New Yorker, Sean has a lot of stories to tell
about the city, but I can tell he’s forgotten the joy of living here when he
looks at me in amazement when I ooh and ah over the small pleasures of being in
New York.
    As we head back to his car, he asks, “Are you free next
Saturday?”
    My stupid heart jumps again, but I force my voice to be
steady, “Sure. School doesn’t start until the following Monday and other than
an orientation, I’m free most of the week.” I cringe as the words come out of
my mouth. Do I sound like I’m begging for attention?
    “Great! Why don’t I meet you at your dorm at ten and we’ll
go spend a day in Central Park? Then we’ll have real pizza instead of that crap
you serve in Chicago.”
    I stop and put my fists on my hips in mock anger, but I’m
smiling on the inside. “Hey! Deep dish is the best.”
    “ Pfft !” He waves his hand. “You
can only find real pizza in New York.”
    “And maybe in Italy,” I say dryly.
    His blue eyes twinkle and I feel my belly flip. “Brat!”

Chapter Five
Sean
    Fuck . I should
have made an excuse to get out of tonight’s “family” dinner.
    What a fucking joke.
    We haven’t been a family for a long time. I have vague
memories of laughter and warmth when I was very young, but for most of my life,
being the son of a United States Senator was a miserable existence.
    I had neither privacy nor freedom. Everything was about
appearances. If there was a chance the public and the press didn’t perceive my actions
in a positive light, I couldn’t do it. If something didn’t serve the purpose of
advancing my father’s political career, then it wasn’t worth doing.
    It was no wonder my mom was so unhappy. I wondered why she
stayed—
    I shut down my train of thought. The tracks lead to Nowhereville , USA.
    I steer my thoughts toward the redhead who so easily brings
a smile to my face. After spending yesterday with Maggie, my mood has been
riding high. Even now my lips curve at the memory of her startled face after
she took that first bite of spicy chicken. Maggie does everything with such
undisguised delight that I can’t help but be sucked in by her exuberance.
    Seeing New York through her eyes was like seeing the city
for the first time. She noticed all the little things that made the city
special. I had forgotten how fun and undemanding it was to hang out with her.
She had always been an irrepressible bundle of energy and enthusiasm.
    When Cael and I used to take her
to baseball or football games, she would be so excited , she couldn’t sit still . She chattered nonstop from the
time we left the house until we left the stadium. It didn’t faze her that Cael and I were sports fanatics and were incredibly vocal
at the venues. She was so damn happy about everything that you just wanted to
keep making her happier.
    I still remembered when I bought her a keychain from a trip
I took to Paris. The kid cradled the kitschy replica of the Eifel Tower in her
hands like it was a priceless pearl and her worshipful eyes made me squirm with
shame. I didn’t have the heart to tell her I picked it up as an afterthought at
Charles de Gaulle airport. After that, I always made it a point to bring her
something back from my trips, but I made damn sure I bought her something she
would love. No more cheesy souvenirs.
    But it didn’t matter what I bought her. A five-dollar
paperback would elicit just as big a smile as a thousand-dollar African mask. The
monetary value of the object had no bearing on her happiness.
    For Maggie, a cheap meal from a street vendor would bring
her as much pleasure as a ten-course meal at a three Michelin star restaurant.
My smile grows wider. Most women