Over You by Christine Kersey Read Free Book Online

though.”
    “Taking care of you is no trouble at all. I’m just glad I can be here to help out.”
    “I’m glad you’re here too.” Ellen yawned. “I think I’m going to shut my eyes, just for a minute.”
    Leaving her aunt to rest, Jessica went into the kitchen to tidy up. She was glad the large windows let in an abundance of light, but was worried about what would happen once the sun went down. What if Ellen needed something during the night? Jessica didn’t want her walking around in the dark.
    I’ll just make my bed on the couch near where she’s sleeping, Jessica decided. And maybe tomorrow I can convince her to go to a hotel.
    She finished in the kitchen, saw that Ellen was still asleep, and decided to go up to her room to get the book she’d been reading. As she stood at the bottom of the stairs, she hesitated, afraid to see Kyle face to face. “This is ridiculous,” she muttered as she began walking up the stairs. At the landing she stopped to listen, but didn’t hear anyone, and continued on to her room. Grabbing the book on her bedside table, she carried it with her as she walked down the stairs. Just as she reached the bottom step, the front door opened and Kyle stood before her, a bucket of tools in one hand.  
    Though she wanted to turn and run up the stairs to the relative safety of her bedroom, she forced herself to stay where she was.
    “Jess,” Kyle said, clearly caught off-guard to see her at that moment.
    Jessica was no less surprised to see him, but managed to mask the jumble of emotions suddenly whirling through her. Hearing him use her nickname brought an unexpected ache to her heart, and as she gazed into his green eyes a sharp sense of attraction caught her by surprise. Angry at herself for being so weak, she decided to act like he was nothing more than a hired worker. Speaking in a calm voice that belied the turmoil within her, she said, “When do you think we might have our electricity back on?”
    “Oh. Well, I’ve been looking things over and I don’t think it’s nearly as bad as Ben thought. I need to fix the wiring in the bathroom, but beyond that, I don’t think you need to do a full replacement. The electrical panel’s in good shape. I’ve dealt with older houses like this before, and I’m confident that the wiring is safe.”
    Distracted by the sound of his voice and the sight of his lips, Jessica hardly comprehended what he said. “So you’re almost done?” she managed to ask.
    “You should have power by later this afternoon.”
    “I’m sure my aunt will appreciate that.”
    “I understand she just had surgery. How’s she doing?”
    Jessica didn’t want to get drawn in to a personal conversation with Kyle. “She’s fine. Be sure to let me know when you’re done.” At that, Jessica stepped from the bottom stair into the foyer, walked past Kyle into the living room, and toward the sunroom. She could feel his eyes on her until she turned the corner into the sunroom. She kept going until she reached the kitchen, certain there was no way he could see her in there.
    Releasing her breath, she slid into the chair at the small table tucked in the corner, and put her face in her hands. Her heart raced and she took several shaky breaths to slow the adrenaline that was pulsing through her veins.  
    “Jessica?” Ellen called out.
    She lifted her head from her hands, putting aside the examination of the emotions swirling through her, and went to her aunt’s side. “Can I get you something?”
    “I heard voices. Was that Ben?”
    “No.” Jessica almost blurted out that it was Kyle, but she didn’t want her aunt to worry about her fragile state of mind. “It was the man Ben sent over to fix the electricity. That’s all.”
    “Oh. Is it going to take long to fix? What does he have to do?”
    Jessica tried to reconstruct what Kyle had told her, but couldn’t recall the details. Irritated with herself for having gotten so distracted by his mere presence, she