Out of the Blue by Opal Mellon Read Free Book Online Page B

maybe I just want to see you more.” He faced her and put a hand up to her hair. “You have such a clarifying effect on me Molly. Like you really see me.” He pushed a lock behind her ear. “Sometimes that’s hard for me.”
    “Hard?” Molly could feel her own heartbeat when he touched her. Pounding.
    “I better check on the other clients.” He pulled away and grimaced. “Sorry Molly. Let me know when you think of something.”
    Molly watched him go, unsure what had made him withdraw and pull back. She wished she could call him back, but had the feeling that he was already distanced in his mind and would be even if his body came back to her.
    ~~~
    Later that night, Justin saw her leave from the camera in Hope’s office. Though he sat pressed against the wall, his arms around his head, he watched the screens as a good manager would. Sweat poured down his face, and he hit his head again to shake out of it. Get a grip, come on. Molly won’t find out why you left. She’s not in danger. None of you are. She doesn’t know where you are. Everyone is safe as long as it stays that way.
    When Molly had agreed to let him pay her back with that simple trust, something had just snapped. The thoughts of a future where he had to leave again, leave all of this, sent him back to the past, to so many things he didn’t want to remember. To the painful life he’d left, to the good life he’d been forced to leave painfully, and the life he’d built here. He’d found Molly again; he couldn’t lose her or anything else to the woman who had called herself family and ruined his life.
    He’d never be whole, sane. Never be a man a girl like Molly deserved. Never fit with a good woman. But he couldn’t let his past decide that he couldn’t have friends like her either. He couldn’t let that woman force him out of another life he wanted. Even if it was a secondhand life, not his first choice.

Chapter 4
    M olly squinted at her screen, stood up and poked her head over her cubicle to make sure no one was around, and then squinted again. She knew it wouldn’t make a difference in the words on the screen, but somehow squinting at them as if to let them feel her displeasure felt good.
     
    Molly,
    Have you missed me? I’ve missed you. I’ll be seeing you again soon though.
    You know who.
     
    Molly didn’t. She looked at the sender, didn’t recognize the generic looking name, and closed the window, turning back to work.
    She hadn’t run even a full bug test when her email chimed, announcing a new message. She huffed and thought about ignoring it, but she’d ignored an email from the tech VP one too many times already, and looked in the box. The same annoying email address. She almost didn’t open it, but was too straightforward not to face it head on.
     
    Molly,
    You don’t know who I am, do you? Well you will soon. Can’t wait to play with you.
    You don’t know who.
     
    Molly cocked her head, then rested her chin in her hands. This was where having ex-boyfriends would have been handy, because she could have pegged one as a crazy ex. Not that there hadn’t been any interested boys in the past. She thought for a moment then opened an email to Nicole.
     
    Hey,
    Been getting a weird email. You aren’t pranking me are you?
    Molly
     
    Molly attached the two weird emails and sent them to Nicole. If Nicole hadn’t sent them, she’d certainly have an opinion on what to do, if anything, about them.
    Molly went back to her bug test, watching it crawl through code, only paying a sliver of attention (though that was all that was needed). She left the email in a small window at the top of the screen where it didn’t obscure her view. She didn’t need to hear the chime; she saw a new email appear and had already clicked it when the chime went off. She silenced her computer so that no one in the office would think she was excessively emailing.
     
    Emailing your friend? Did I say you could share my messages?
     
    Okay, it