Love on the Lifts by Rachel Hawthorne Read Free Book Online Page A

by.
    â€œNo big deal, Freckles.”
    â€œWhy’d you call me that?”
    â€œI don’t know. Maybe because you remind me of Kate on Lost .”
    That was a major compliment. Kate was strong and confident, repeatedly kicking guys’ butts. I hardly ever did that. I thought about telling him, but what the heck. Let him have his fantasy.
    â€œWho’s your favorite character on the show?” he asked.
    I took a minute to respond to his change in direction.
    â€œI liked Jack in the beginning, but Sawyer really grew on me.”
    â€œYeah, I’ve always heard girls go for the bad boys. I guess that’s the reason Brad has such a following.”
    I had a vision of Brad surrounded by maniacal, screaming women. I hoped Joe wasn’t putting me in that category. It was insulting.
    â€œWhat do you mean?” I asked.
    â€œI mean wherever we go, girls are attracted to him. Like the snow bunny last night.”
    The reminder of our neighbor—and my failure to hold Brad’s attention—hurt. “I didn’t hear him come in.”
    â€œI’m not surprised.”
    â€œSo he was really quiet when he came home?” I was pitiful. My voice sounded so hopeful and fearful at the same time. Like I was putting off facing the truth—Brad had done more than fix a stupid garbage disposal.
    Joe just shook his head.
    â€œMaybe he knocked—”
    â€œI left the door unlocked.”
    As if on cue, I heard the front door open. My stomach tightened and my heart started pounding.
    â€œHey, Joe!” It was Brad. I’d recognize his voice anywhere and the way it shimmered through me. “Good news, man. Cyn is going to hang around with us on the slopes today.”
    His good news was my bad news.
    Brad came around the corner, into the kitchen, and stopped short at the sight of me. I figured I probably looked the way our snowman would come summer: melting, melting, melting. Why couldn’t he be as excited about me as he was about Cynthia?
    He gave me a broad grin that for the span of a heartbeat offered me hope that maybe…
    â€œHey, Allie.”
    And the hope was gone, buried beneath an avalanche of disappointment. He was never going to get together with me. He didn’t even remember my freaking name!
    â€œShe’s Kate,” Joe said quietly.
    Brad shook a finger at me like I was the onewho got my name wrong. “That’s right. Kate is the sister, Allie is the friend. Sam talked about them so much on the drive here, I got them confused. No big deal. I’m off to take a shower. I’ll catch you guys later.”
    I stood there mute and devastated. Sam talked about me and Allie? Why would he do that? Why did I care? It was probably all bad. My brother must have turned him against me, revealing the most embarrassing moments of my childhood.
    â€œHey, Kate, don’t let him get to you. He’s not good with names.” Joe’s voice held pity and he was so wrong. Brad didn’t have any trouble at all remembering Cyn.
    I hated Joe at that moment. He knew, knew I liked Brad. I was wearing my heart on my sleeve. Something Aunt Sue always said, but I’d never really understood what it meant until now. It meant everyone—except stupid, dumb Brad—knew that I liked him.
    I sprung into action and started to walk past Joe. He grabbed my arm. “Kate—”
    â€œI have to go.”
    â€œWhere are you going?”
    â€œTo Aunt Sue’s for our morning meditation session.”
    He gave me a grin like he thought that was all I needed to make my world right again. “Thought the girls were supposed to cook breakfast.”
    I had to get out of there. Pronto. The last thing I wanted him to see were the tears burning the back of my eyes as they moved to the front and rolled over onto my cheeks. “Later.”
    I sounded like I was choking on those very tears. I broke away from his hold and grabbed my jacket from