Edge of Shadows (Shadows #1) by Cege Smith Read Free Book Online Page A

mouth to bite back the unkind words on the tip of her tongue. “I know.”
    Linda bustled back into the room with her apron on. Linda always wore an apron, but that could be because she always wore outfits better suited to a ladies luncheon than a coffee shop to work. Although she was woefully overdressed, Linda seemed to fit right in behind the counter. She had a knack for making people feel at ease. Ellie wished that just once she could see Linda’s aura. It was like Linda was hidden from her, and that made her uneasy.
    “Now children,” Linda said, “no need to argue. Our little Ellie is going to get her head straight any day now. I can feel it.”
    Then she hugged Ellie, and Ellie couldn’t help but hug back. A smile spread across her face. The human contact felt good. She didn’t know why, but hugs from Linda always seemed to make her feel better about things.

CHAPTER SIX
    As the afternoon wore on, Ellie started to feel better than she had in a long time. She even caught herself laughing at a few of Kevin’s off-color jokes, and thought she saw a satisfied smile on Linda’s face when she thought Ellie wasn’t watching. She wondered how she could have made it through this time without her friends.
    A while later, as Ellie was going through the day’s receipts and other odd paperwork at a table near the front of the shop, the door swung open and David walked in. He was wearing khakis and a blue button-down shirt that matched his eyes. His hair had the same curl swung over his right eye as that morning. It made him look dashing, as if he had positioned it there on purpose.
    Ellie wondered if he had been serious about getting a cup of coffee with her. She appraised him with a new eye from behind a piece of paper. His aura was a light blue tinged with deep purple. David was tired.
    “David!” both Linda and Kevin exclaimed from behind the counter. David smiled at them and waved, but spotted Ellie and bee-lined for her table. She glanced at the paperwork strewn all about her and sighed. Would he ever see her completely put together and organized?
    “Hey there, stranger. They tuck you back here in the corner for doing something bad?” he asked.
    “Hi, David,” she said as her hand went to her hair again. She wondered if he remembered how disheveled she had appeared that morning. “I’m just trying to get a jumpstart on some paperwork.”
    She looked up into his eyes and her brain short-wired. Her social skills were failing once again. Work was the only thing she could think of to talk about, since work was the only thing she ever did. She suddenly felt like a completely boring person. “How was work?”
    “I’m actually on my way in now. I had a short break this afternoon and was able to get a quick nap in. The hours can be pretty intense but I manage,” he replied. He seemed amused.
    “Oh, I work a lot too, but nothing like that. I’m sorry you’re so tired,” she said. She saw David look at her with a question in his eyes and realized that she had said too much. “I mean, I’m sure you are tired. Long hours,” she said, backpedaling.
    Then she saw him nod. “It can be draining, but it’s worth it.”
    He smiled at her again, and suddenly she felt very warm. She’d have to check the thermostat. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Linda and Kevin taking an obvious interest in this new plot twist.
    “I don’t have to be there right away, so I thought I’d head out a little early and drop in to see if you were still interested in having that coffee,” David said. He gestured at the chair across from her, but she didn’t make any indication either way. He plopped down in it anyway.
    “I don’t think…” Ellie started to say, and then Linda was suddenly at her side.
    “David! How thoughtful. We’ve all been talking about how nice it would be if Ellie had someone outside our little circle to talk to. Meet new people, see the world, that kind of thing.” Linda pushed a coffee cup