Splitsville.com by Tonya Kappes Read Free Book Online Page A

to clear the air before I see her. “Why did you do that?”
    “I didn’t do anything Olivia. Can’t you be happy that he’s into you and can’t you be happy that I’m happy?”
    Yes, I can be happy Bradley’s into me, but I can’t be happy about Kent. I don’t like the sound of Erin’s voice or the way she acts when she’s around him. And I don’t like that she’s settling for someone who’s not good enough for her—again. But now is not the time to talk to her about it, so I bite my tongue. “I am happy for you. I’m happy if you’re happy. And yes, Bradley is a great guy.”
    I hear a chipper sound in her voice. “It all worked out. We’ll meet you around seven?”
    “See you then,” I confirm.
    I can’t decide whether to call Bradley or text him. I dial. Okay, so maybe I want to hear his voice.
    “Hi, Liv.” Bradley sounds like he’s smiling when he answers.
    “Hi.” I laugh at the sound of barking dogs in the background. And at the fact that he’s already using my nickname.
    “Are you canceling on me? Did I already scare you off?” he asks with a laugh.
    I speak a little louder because I know he can’t hear me over all the dogs. “No way!” I can’t stop smiling. “You’re not getting off that easy. I wanted to ask if we can meet Erin and Kent at the annual Spring Fling at Pleasant Ridge Park tomorrow night?”
    The sounds of chains and gates cause me to move the phone away from my ear. “Yeah, sounds great. What time?”
    “Pick me up around 6:30,” I scream into the receiver.
    “Okay.” He’s yelling, too. “Gotta go toss some Frisbee. See you tomorrow.”
    My body tingles just like the first time he kissed me. “Bye.” I linger a moment to hear him hang up the phone.
    Aunt Matilda creeps down the hall allowing her cream gypsy dress to float serenely along the hard wood floors. The slight jingles of her bells use to drive me crazy when I was a kid. She’d walk down the hall and check on me every night. But now it’s a comfort.
    “What’s all the screaming about?” she asks after I hang up the phone. Then she nods like she knows. “Oh, how was volunteering? Did you adopt a cute puppy? Or something better, perhaps?”
    Aunt Matilda doesn’t like that I live alone and is always trying to get me to adopt a dog.
    Maybe she’s the one who needs a dog to come home to at night.
    I ignore her comment because I don’t have time for a dog and attempting to explain that is useless. I change the subject.
    “You aren’t going to believe what I saw today.” My anxiety over Kent’s aura is outweighing my giddiness about Bradley’s. “A magenta aura.”
    Her eyebrows cock up. She takes a sharp breath and draws her hand up to her mouth.
    “Don’t worry.” I reassure her. “It changed to violet right away.” Which I still don’t understand and which I hope to hell to make sense of—for Erin’s sake.

Five

    I had plans to clean my house before starting work, but since I neglected my dumps last night the piles of clothes will have to wait. I feel almost schizophrenic—or multiple personality. Half of me is on a high because of Bradley, the other half can’t shake the chills after seeing creepy Kent and his aura, not to mention Dabi’s death.
    I grab a piece of day-old pizza out of the box and sit down at my computer to find all the lovely souls I’m going to come in contact with. Thank God Bradley is nothing like the people who use my service. Kent, on the other hand, is exactly like them.
    The thought of going on a double date with them tonight puts me in a mean mood. A great mood to dump people.
    I click on Splitsville.com emails to see what’s in store. Wait! The threatening email (or disgruntled) I deleted yesterday is sitting in my inbox. "Didn't I delete that?" I mutter.
    I scan the date and time to confirm that it's the same email. Holy moly. It isn't.
    My finger trembles, hovering over the ENTER button. It's like pleasure and pain. I want to click it, but