Fresh Tracks by Georgia Beers Read Free Book Online Page A

her and the
    sunglasses that now held her dark hair off her face added a sexiness that caused a wave
    of desire Darby had to swallow down. Molly's hair fell in waves around the back of her head
    and when she turned her eyes in Darby's direction.. .Darby cleared her throat and tried to
    focus on the conversation. "I got a degree in computer science and I actually had a job at Langford for a while."
    "Wow. Impressive." Langford was a well-known, up-and-coming software technology firm in the area. Landing a job there straight out of college was quite a feat. "What happened?"
    Darby shrugged. "I didn't like Corporate America, you know?"
    Molly nodded.
    "It was all designer suits and ass kissing and...I didn't feel like I could be me, like there would ever be a chance,of me fitting in. I thought a software company would be more hip,
    more open-minded, but it felt like high school all over again. The cliques and the hierarchy.
    I couldn't stand it. I stayed for three weeks before I bailed."
    "Wel , I admire you. It takes guts to stand up for what you believe in."
    "Now I manage a Blockbuster."
    "Oh. That's...a change."
    Darby laughed. "It's okay. You can be horrified. Everybody else is. But it's a good company to work for. I get great benefits, I can watch whatever I want for free, and I like it
    there. I'm happy."
    "Happy counts for a lot," Molly said, her voice wistful. "Happy counts for just about everything." She stepped slightly off the path and her boot sank into the snow up to her calf. "Damn." She reached out and balanced herself on Darby's shoulder, feeling Darby's surprisingly strong arm slip around her waist to keep her upright.
    She tried to ignore the zing of pleasure that shot through her and dug the snow out of her
    boot, taking longer than necessary. She was having trouble reconciling Darby the kid who
    was stored in her memory and Darby the woman—the very sexy, attentive woman—who was
    holding her steady now. Clearing her throat, she smiled up at her and felt a quick jolt of
    surprise at the blueness of Darby's eyes, so completely different from the deep brown of
    her aunt's.
    "Thanks," she said.
    "Sure." Darby kept her arm around Molly until she let go of her shoulder, not wanting to release her. They continued to follow the three up ahead, but Darby narrowed the space
    between herself and Molly just a little bit, walking as close to the other woman as she
    could without bumping into her. She could smell Molly's perfume and she tried to be subtle
    about the deep, greedy breaths she took.
    "Tell me more," Molly requested. "About you. Where do you live? Are you seeing someone?
    What do you do for fun?"
    "So many questions. Well...I have a little apartment in the city that I love. I could use a little more space, but mine is such a great place that I'm hesitant to give it up. I really
    want a dog, but my hours are kind of funky, so I've settled for a cat. His name's Chuck and
    he's very cool. Am I seeing someone?" She shrugged. "I see a lot of someones."
    Molly laughed and Darby felt her heart warm at the sound, feminine and musical.
    "For fun? I don't know. I go out with my friends. I play Softball in the summer. I read. I watch a lot of movies." The threesome in front had moved quite far ahead of them and
    Darby had the sudden sense that she was on a stroll through the woods with just Molly.
    She didn't dislike the feeling and she fought off the urge to simply push her against a tree
    and kiss her senseless. "What about you?"
    "What about me?"
    "Where do you live? Are you seeing someone? What do you do for fun? Come on. Eye for an
    eye."
    Molly looked up at the blue sky and watched a chickadee zip by. "We've got a house by the canal. It's a little too big, but it's very pretty and it's in a nice neighborhood. I miss the city, though. We used to have a place on the East Side."
    A house on the Erie Canal didn't come cheap, Darby noted. "And then suburbia?"
    "And then suburbia. We thought that's what we were