Heartless by Cheryl Douglas Read Free Book Online

you don’t know how much I wanted that, but…” He
hesitated. “It wasn’t just you and me. If it was, the decision would have been
easy, but I loved you, your kids, Josh. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”
    She tipped her
head back to look at him before looping her arms around his neck. “But we did
get hurt, all of us.”
    “Yeah, I guess we
did, didn’t we?”
    She glanced at the
picture he’d replaced on the mantle before grabbing his hand and leading him
into the adjoining kitchen. “Let me make that pot of coffee I promised you.”
    He claimed a stool
at the granite breakfast bar. “That sounds great. It feels like I haven’t slept
in a week.”
    She busied herself
preparing the coffee, trying to ignore the fact that having him in her home
felt so right. The four-bedroom house was too big for her now that Jay and Mike
had bought condos in a new building downtown, but she hadn’t been able to
consider downsizing. This house was a part of her.
    He pointed to the
pool area beyond the French doors. “It looks like you’re havin’ some work
done?”
    She rolled her
eyes as she propped her hip against the counter, waiting for the coffee to brew.
“I hired a contractor to rebuild the fence around the pool. He was supposed to
have it finished a week ago, but he’s barely started.”
    Derek chuckled.
“That’s why I live in a condo, so I don’t have to worry about home improvement
projects.”
    She grinned. “I
seem to remember you were pretty good with your hands.” A beat of awareness
passed between them and she could feel the room growing warmer and smaller by
the minute. “I… uh… meant you knew how to…” She reached for a takeout brochure
to fan her face.
    He threw his head
back and laughed. “I know what you meant.”
    She dipped her
head to hide her smile. Her favorite thing about Derek was his sense of humor.
He wasn’t afraid to laugh at himself or her. “Stop teasing me.”
    He reached for her
hand with a wicked gleam in his eye. “I’ve missed teasin’ you.” His smile fell.
“I missed you… period.”
    The coffee maker
chose that moment to sound, indicating the fresh brew was ready. She withdrew
her hand, grateful for the distraction. She didn’t know where this was going or
where she wanted it to go. A week ago, she’d just been looking forward to her
summer vacation; now here she was, with her former lover, contemplating her
future.
    “Josh told me you
went back to school to get your teaching certificate a few years back.”
    She smiled as she
poured the coffee. Without thinking, she added a drop of milk and spoonful of
sugar to his before passing it to him.
    He grinned. “I
can’t believe you remembered that.”
    She matched his
smile. “I shouldn’t feel as though I still know you so well, but I do.”
    “I know what you
mean.” He shook his head. “It feels so good bein’ back home, reconnectin’ with
everybody. I wish the circumstances were different, but hey, maybe my big
brother’s tryin’ to send me a message, huh? Maybe he’s tellin’ me it’s time for
me to come home.”
    She realized how much
she wanted that. At first, she was uncertain, but now she realized how much she
missed Derek, her friend. “I know your family would love that.”
    He looked her in
the eye. “How would you feel about it?”
    “I’m not gonna
lie. I’ve missed you.”
    He smiled. “I’ve
missed you, too.” He pointed to the stool next to him. “Sit down. Tell me about
your life, your job, and your friends. I want to know everything.”
    She set her coffee
mug down on the counter and claimed the stool beside him. “Well, let’s see…”
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “I teach second grade, and I love
it. It reminds me of when my own boys were that age, wide-eyed, innocent, and
curious about everything.” She smiled. “I miss that. Now they’re so damn
cynical, unwilling to give anyone a break. Sometimes I wonder how they got to
be that way, you