Take A Chance On Me by Jennifer Dawson Read Free Book Online Page B

on a secretary’s desk. It was a beautiful piece of furniture, even with the painted flower detail work chipped away.
    She turned to stare out the window at the yard below, mentally landscaping the unkempt grounds beneath. With a little work, it would be gorgeous. Even now, weeping willows and wild flowers swayed in the gentle summer breeze, creating an idyllic view. Oak and maple trees well over a hundred years old lined the grass. Peeking through the leaves was a river, lazily moving downstream. It was so picture perfect that an urge to draw the scene stole through her, surprising her. She hadn’t drawn or painted anything since her dad died when she was fifteen.
    At the thought of her father, her gaze jerked to the phone. It worked. She’d checked last night and even considered using it, but she hadn’t. She needed to call her family and let them know she was alive and safe. But every time she thought about calling, her stomach rolled.
    She loved them and wanted to do the right thing, but if she called now, they’d convince her to come home. Her mom would cry, and Steve would tell her how irrational she was being, and Shane would take over. By the time she hung up, her shoulders would be tense. Her belly would be coiled tight with guilt. She’d fall all over herself trying to make them happy, and somehow, what she wanted would end up sounding ridiculous and silly.
    That wasn’t an option. She refused to have her freedom snatched away before she’d even had a chance to experience it. After one short night, the knot of tension she’d been carrying around for as long as she could remember had eased—not a lot, but enough for her to recognize the difference. Enough for her to know she wasn’t ready to leave.
    The simple solution was to call her best friends. Penelope and Sophie wouldn’t judge her. Maddie could kill two birds with one stone—inform her family she was safe and alleviate some of her guilt.
    She’d try Penelope first. Penelope Watkins was all cool efficiency and grace under pressure. Her brother called her the “Iron Fist.” Unlike Maddie, who had a faux, sister-to-the-boss job, Penelope was integral to Shane’s business. If someone wanted access to Shane, they had to get through Penelope first. Naturally, she was the logical choice to keep the family at bay for a while longer.
    Maddie walked to the bed and sat down. On impulse, she blocked the number before dialing her oldest girlfriend’s cell. After half a ring, Penelope came on the line with a clipped, “Hello.”
    Maddie twisted the cord around her finger and whispered, “Are you alone?”
    “Maddie, thank God,” Penelope said, although her tone held no harried urgency. “Where are you?”
    Maddie darted a nervous glance around the room, irrationally worried that her brothers would jump out from behind the lace curtains. “I’m fine. Are you alone?”
    “Sophie’s here,” Penelope said. “Are you sure you’re okay? Everyone has been crazy with worry. Your mom is in hysterics, Shane’s popping antacid like it’s candy, and the rest of the clan is pacing the floors like caged lions.”
    Maddie heard Sophie Kincaid’s urgent “Where is she, where is she?” in the background.
    Penelope’s voice grew distant. “Geez, give me five seconds to find out.”
    Maddie’s chest tightened, and she wished she hadn’t called. She didn’t want to think about home and reality.
    “Where are you?” Penelope asked again. “We’re worried. Do you need help?”
    “I’m okay,” Maddie said. “Can you let them know?”
    Silence. Maddie could picture Penelope standing there, completely put together, not a hair out of place. She’d always been like that even when they’d been in kindergarten, with her pressed Catholic uniform and black patent leather shoes so shiny that Maddie had been able to see her reflection.
    “You’re not going to call?” Her friend’s quiet question pulled Maddie out of her thoughts.
    “Please, I don’t