Secured Wishes by Charity Parkerson Read Free Book Online Page A

recognizing his cue to bow out.
    ***
    “Can I walk you to your car?”
    Gracie hid a smile at the shyly asked question. For all his wild appearance, Bob Sparks seemed like a nice man. “I didn’t drive,” she admitted, and his disbelieving look nearly made her laugh.
    “You walked? It’s like twenty degrees outside.”
    “I know. It didn’t seem so bad when I first started out, but the wind is awful,” she admitted, shaking her head at her own foolishness.
    “Maybe I could give you a lift instead?”
    She chewed on her lip, unsure if she should accept or not, and before she could agree he added. “And maybe I could take you to lunch while we’re out?”
    He really did have a sweet smile. “Will you let me sketch you afterwards?”
    He put his hands on his hips before glancing down quickly at his toes as if he were hiding a smile. “Yes, if you will go to lunch with me, I will let you sketch me.”
    “With your shirt off?” she added for good measure.
    This time he brought his hand to his mouth, as if physically wiping away his smile, and she realized she had done it again. She said something he found outrageous, and she tried back-peddling. “I meant because of your tattoos. I don’t think I could do them justice with your shirt partially blocking them.”
    “Actually, most my body is covered in tattoos, so I’d have to get completely nude in order for you to get the full picture.”
    “Would you be willing to do that?” she asked, surprising a bark of laughter from him. Bob threw an arm over her shoulders and steered her out the front door. “Not on the first date. You’ll have to ply me with more than lunch if you want to get me out of my clothes.”
    January
    The high profile SUV gave Jacob a clear view of the line of brake lights in the distance, and inexplicably his thoughts drifted to Gracie. He was so tired of Florida, and he wanted to be where she was.
    She flattened her palm against his, as if she were measuring the difference in their size. “What’s it like to be tall?”
    Jacob let out a short laugh as her question cut through the silence. Her head was resting on his chest, and he linked his fingers through hers. “You ask the most outrageous questions.”
    He felt her shrug. “I’ve never been tall, so how am I supposed to know if I don’t ask. Does it get tiresome looking at the top of people’s heads all the time?”
    She was so much fun to be around. He never knew what to expect. It was impossible to try and guess what she was thinking because her mind didn’t work the same way as everyone else. “I never really thought about it before,” he answered honestly. “What is it like to be short? Do you get tired of looking up people’s noses?”
    Instead of laughing, as he expected, she only seemed thoughtful. Finally, she said, “I guess it is a lot like driving a car as opposed to a truck.”
    He just needed to know. “How so?”
    “Well, when you’re in a truck you can see what’s going on ahead of the car in front of you and can adjust your driving accordingly. When you’re in a car, you are totally dependent on the car directly in front of you. If they slam on their brakes, you’re screwed.”
    “What does that have to do with being short?”
    “It explains why I’m always running into everything.”
    He could barely catch his breath he was laughing so hard. He would never again look at short people the same way again.
    Jacob smothered a laugh and Caleb glanced at him sharply. “Do you care to share?”
    “Nope.”
    “Okay,” Caleb drawled, going back to staring out the passenger side window. The car in front of him moved another five feet, and Jacob eased off the brakes, rolling forward. “Well I’ll be damned. It’s James Thomas.”
    “You got to be fucking kidding me. Where?” Jacob asked as Caleb leaned closer to the window.
    Caleb pointed to the parking lot of a nearby gas station. Jacob muscled the car onto the shoulder of the road and into the