More Than This: Contemporary Christian Romance Novel by Staci Stallings Read Free Book Online Page A

Guy is back, and he’s asking about you.”
    “What?” Surprise and excitement surged followed by futility and hopelessness. “But I’m not supposed to come in tonight.”
    “Hello. Then make something up! You forgot a book. You need your paycheck. Dang, girl, get creative if you have to.” She stopped short. “Gotta go, but get your cute little self over here now.”
    And she was gone. Liz pulled the phone from her ear and looked at it. She crooked her face thinking through the brief conversation. Mia wasn’t supposed to be using the phone for personal calls. That was against company policy. Then Liz looked at the information and realized it was worse than that. She had used her own cell phone. People got fired for that.
    Liz shook her head. “Mi, you shouldn’t be putting yourself on the line like that. You’ve got babies to think about, girl.” With a small clunk, Liz dropped the phone onto her desk. Go in? It was crazy to even think about doing that. She had studying to do. Besides, just because he asked about her didn’t mean he wanted to see her.
    Worse, it really depended on how he asked about her. Was it, “Hey, where’s your friend?” Or was it more like, “So, is your psychotic friend off tonight or what?” Mia would make no real distinction. To her a guy asking was a guy asking. But that information could mean so many, many things. The sigh escaped as Liz thought through all of the possibilities. She put her hand up to her head. Did he really want to see her? And even if he did, did that mean she should go?
    She looked down at herself and hopelessness drilled into her. She looked like she’d been through the carwash without the car. Hair up in something resembling a twisted ponytail, lounge clothes, and no make-up, it would take her an hour to get ready at least. What if she got over there and he had already left? Maybe it was best to just stay here. She could always tell Mia she was too busy to come. Granted, the lecture that would surely follow that declaration would be the longest of her life, but it might be preferable to the humiliation of showing up with no invitation to see a guy who had no real interest in her at all. He would think she was insane.
    No. If she went, she would have to think up an excuse that made sense. The paycheck thing could work except that it was the 8 th . Nobody got paid on the 8 th . Maybe she could act like she’d just come from the movies. That was more believable as long as you didn’t know she never went to the movies. Especially not by herself. Sure, there was that one Becca had dragged her to a year ago— on the blind, double date from Hades.
    Liz let the battle wage in her heart and mind as she sat there. It was easier than making a decision. Then again, what had they been talking about in Contemporary Philosophy but how the not making of decisions was actually making a decision? Strange how she had thought that an odd concept at the time. Now that she was in the middle of it, it didn’t seem nearly so strange.
    “Fine. I’ll go. But it’s just to see Mia. If someone else happens to be there, okay.”
     
    The words were once again caught in the tangled dam behind his consciousness. How or why that happened, Jake never could tell. The pictures were right there in full-living color, but the words swam one way and then the other making no sense at all. He glanced over to his cup. It was empty again, but he really didn’t need any more. He’d already had four cups, and the sad fact was that his fantasy about her coming in was just that— a fantasy. It annoyed him that even his fantasies no longer worked out. He couldn’t get them right on paper. He couldn’t get them right in real life. So what good were they anyway?
    He put his hand to his head and closed his eyes, pushing the depressing thoughts back deep into his skull. There was no point in dwelling on them. They would just take him places he had sworn he would never again go. Maybe he should