Fashioned for Love (A Silver Script Novel Book 3) by Jaclyn Weist Read Free Book Online Page A

again?”
    “Maybe, but believe me, that chair doesn’t stop him from doing things anyway. If there wasn’t snow on the ground, he’d probably be outside pushing his lawn mower.” Debra went to the kitchen to find her mom.
    It was another few minutes before Aaron came inside the house, along with the kids. His wife, Sophia, came in last. She was due to have another baby any day, and only left the house on occasion.
    Debra’s mom grabbed the party hats and insisted on having everyone put one on. She grabbed plates and forks, and Debra took the cake out to the living room where everyone sat. After a loud rendition of “Happy Birthday,” the cake was cut and served.
    They played a few games of charades before Debra stood. “I hate to leave, but we need to get back to the city.”
    Her dad groaned. “But you just got here.”
    She leaned down and kissed his cheek. “I know. I’m sorry. I’ll be back as soon as I can. I promise.”
    Aaron and her mom also took turns hugging both Debra and Lance before they were finally able to escape the house. The roads were slushy as they drove back toward the city, making Lance drive slower than he had on the way into Connecticut.
    “Your family is amazing,” Lance said, his voice breaking the silence that had fallen over them.
    “Thanks. I love them.” Debra could feel the pull of her home as they drove, but she pushed it away. She would be back, and she enjoyed her apartment too much to let it go.
    Lance reached over and laced his fingers through Debra’s. “Thank you for letting me take you to the game today.”
    She squeezed his hand. “I’m the one who should be thanking you. It was a good day.”
    “It really was.” He pulled into a parking spot next to her apartment. “Want me to walk you up to your apartment?”
    Debra leaned over and kissed him lightly on the cheek before she realized what she was doing. He always left her so frazzled. “I’d say yes, but it’s late and you need to get home before the roads ice up.”
    Lance rubbed her hand with his thumb. “I’ll just wait until you’re inside then.”
    “Thank you. Text me when you get home so I know you got there safely, okay?” She hurried over to her apartment and waved before walking inside. The giddiness from the evening had her practically dancing up to her apartment.
    It was past midnight when Debra unlocked her door and dropped her purse inside. She got ready for bed and climbed in with her laptop to do some work while she waited for Lance to text.

    The phone rang loudly through Debra’s apartment, making her jerk awake. She set her laptop on the desk so she could plug it in. She glanced at the clock to see that she’d been asleep for a few hours.
    She smiled when she saw Lance’s number on her phone. “Hey, I didn’t think it would take you that long to get home.”
    “Hello?” An unfamiliar voice responded.
    Debra’s heart thumped in her chest. “Who is this?”
    “Hi, this is Shawn Miller. There’s been an accident, and we don’t know much about the man. His phone was next to his hand, so I called the last number he’d dialed. Can I ask who this is?”
    Time slowed to a stop as Debra tried to register what he’d just said. She pulled the phone away from her ear to make sure that it really was Lance’s number.
    “Hello?” the voice said again.
    “I—I’m sorry. Hi, this is Debra Thomas. What do you mean by accident? He was just fine a few hours ago.” Debra’s hand shook as she rubbed her forehead. He’d just left here. And they’d had a wonderful time together.
    “We just drove by the car. It was on the side of the road. I don’t know if he fell asleep or if he’d been drink—,”
    “He wasn’t drinking,” she snapped, then took a deep breath. “Sorry. I’m sorry. He wasn’t drinking, but we’d been out all day. Listen, where is he? Where are you?”
    “We’re at the Staten Island University Hospital. Can I get a name for him, please?”
    Debra scrambled