Huntress by Nicole Hamlett Read Free Book Online

perplexed.
    Long pauses make me uncomfortable.  Over the years I've learned to count to twenty so I don't start blabbering to fill in the silence, but that trick doesn't always work.  To stall further, I scrubbed harder at a stain that would never come out of my cutting board - the damned thing had already been clean for 15 minutes.
    As I forced myself to stop and look at her again, I could see the indecision in her eyes.  Whatever she wasn't telling me was making me uneasy.  She sat back in her chair and began fiddling with her frayed cuffs.
    Her mouth opened as if she was going to begin, but then immediately shut it.
    I raised my eyebrow at her expectantly and she smirked at me in return.
    “Be patient! I’m trying to think of the best way to put this.”
    “Which means that it’s bad.”
    “No, it doesn’t mean that it’s bad.” She rolled her eyes and shook her head at me in exasperation. “It means that I’m not sure how to word it and still make sense.”
    “So, it’s bad.”
    “You are extraordinarily annoying at times Grace. I obviously mis-named you.” Rising from her stool, she moved around the end of the breakfast bar to stand in front of me. With both of her hands on my biceps, she looked me in the eye and said, “I don’t expect you to stop anyone, but I have been told that you would be an integral part of resolving this matter.”
    When a woman of superior strength has a solid grip on your body, you aren’t going anywhere. How would I know this? Yeah, I tried because the urge to run screaming was so strong.
    “What do you mean you have been told? You-you keep saying that you don’t think I’m ready. Why haven’t I been ready and what makes you think that I’d be ready now?”
    Her smile was beauteous.  For a fraction of a second, I saw her true form shine through her disguise.  I decided that she scared me even more when she smiled.
    “Look at you! You’ve been searching for who you are your entire life. Finally, not only have you shucked off the baggage that was holding you back, but you’ve passed every test that life has thrown you. Here you are, independent and free. You took a really long time to learn the lesson that it doesn’t matter what others believe of you. It’s whether you find yourself worthy enough to be treated well and with respect. Are you going to be a victim for the rest of your life Grace? I think not. You can choose to pursue that role, but I’d really like to see you shine, baby.”
        “Yeah you must not have been paying attention very well. I can’t say I’ve actually passed that last test. I just do the best I can to get by.”
    “Oh for the love of… get over yourself.”  She threw her hands in the air. “You’re here aren’t you? You have a home, a beautiful child, a successful career. You’ve made it. Does it hurt? Sure it does. Do you still have fear and doubts? Of course you do. You think that this life you’ve lead was hard? You should have seen what I’ve had to go through.” She gave me a very pointed look. “There are things that you just have to decide to get past Grace. Remember that. Your sandwich is about to burn.”
    Startled out of my shock, I turned around and flipped up the lid on the Panini maker. She was right, it was right at the edge between browned and burned.
    Sliding the sandwich onto a paper plate and grabbing a bottle of orange juice, I nodded back to the family room. “We can continue back in there. It’s more comfy.”
    She nodded and led the way back in, seating herself in my favorite chair. Irritated by her choice, I flopped down onto the couch and took a giant bite out of my sandwich. Melted cheese filled my mouth with creamy goodness. There is little better than a great grilled cheese sandwich.
    “Continue,” I ordered. Except, it didn’t sound at all like “continue” since my mouth was full. It came out more like an mmphoo.
    “Didn’t your mother teach you not to talk with your mouth