Just a Little Bit Guilty by Deborah Smith Read Free Book Online Page B

help me move in here. She took one look at this place and got back in her pick-up truck and left."—
    It was Vivian's turn to laugh. She saw defensive pride flow into his handsome face, flattening his brows into a frown. She shook her head before it became more intense.
    "Jake, I'm laughing because I'm in shock, that's all."
    "Oh." A sheepish smile replaced his grim expression. He waved a nonchalant hand, and his voice became comically nostalgic. "She was a right bossy heifer, but good-hearted. I've known her since we were in grade school. Once when we were about, oh, eight years old, she caught me at the playground and pulled my pants down. I learned to do an Olympic sprint with my dungarees around my ankles that day."
    55
    Just a little Bit Guilty
    by Deborah Smith
    "Stop, stop," Vivian commanded, thumping his shoulders and laughing. She settled her arms cozily around his neck, and he bounced her once on his knee. His laughter joined hers. "Was that typical of your romances in Tuna Creek?
    Come on, confess."
    His rumbling laughter faded like distant spring thunder. Now his eyes were pensive.
    "I never dated a woman I couldn't live without." He shrugged. "One told me I was gettin' set in my ways and wouldn't ever find anybody." His voice dropped "I guess I got pretty borin' in the years after my wife left. I sort of withdrew."
    "Wife?" Her smile faded.
    "I got married right out of college. Three years later she packed up and left for Nashville. She wanted to be a singer."
    "Did she make it?"
    "Yeah, she did pretty well. She sings backup for some big names, does commercials, that sort of thing. She remarried, had kids. I'm proud of her."
    Vivian frowned. "Do you find good things to say about everybody?"
    "Try it. It keeps your blood pressure down. When somebody hurts you real bad, find a way to forgive. It cleans your soul. We were just kids when we got married. Looking back on it, I think what we had together just bottomed out." They head the mournful howl of a dog coming from a back bedroom. Vivian climbed off his lap before he could hold her still. She was still processing the wife story. 56
    Just a little Bit Guilty
    by Deborah Smith
    Jake sighed and stood up. "Phoebe probably pushed Chester off the bed."
    She busied herself grabbing her coat. "I'll leave you to your threesome. Well, your foursome, if you count Roberto."
    "I don't sleep with my dogs. They got their own bed. They hog the covers."
    He took her hand. Vivian avoided the inquiring blue gaze he beamed down on her. "Will you go out with me this weekend, Viv? I'll buy pizza and take you to a movie."
    "I'm flying down to Florida in the morning to spend the weekend with my brother, Frank, and his family." He looked crest-fallen. "What about one night next week, Viv?"
    "I'm a member of the mayor's committee on midtown crime. I have meetings every night through Thursday."
    "Well, at least I know you're not faking me out. That's the most boring excuse I've ever heard."
    "Why don't you give me a call next week sometime," she allowed, "and we'll see."
    "Viv, tell me the truth." He looked straight into her eyes.
    "Are you givin' me the heave-ho?"
    "I'm giving you my schedule. If I were giving you the heave-ho, I'd be a lot more direct, dude."
    "Okay, then." He lifted her like a delicate china doll and planted a happy kiss on her startled mouth, then set her down. Vivian wobbled with shaky knees to the door that led to the stair landing above the courtyard, and he slid her blue coat onto her arms.
    "I'll walk you to your car."
    57
    Just a little Bit Guilty
    by Deborah Smith
    "You don't have to do that, Jake."
    "Yes, I do. What kind of men are you used to, who let you go traipsin' around city streets by yourself after a date?"
    "I can take care of myself."
    "By whacking thugs with a shoulder bag full of law books?" he teased, following her as she went down the outside stairs to the courtyard.
    "My street name is Sistah B Bad." They shared a laugh.
    "You know, that fellow I