Tempted Again by Cathie Linz Read Free Book Online

had it with doing that.
    “What are you watching?” she asked.
    “A documentary.”
    “About?”
    “Egypt.”
    He looked so intent that she had to ask, “What are you thinking?”
    “That the Silver Pharoah aka Psusennes actually did relocate Rameses’ lost city.”
    Great. She was thinking about her dad and wondering what made him tick and he was thinking about ancient Egypt. That figured. No wonder she had issues.
    Her dad went into how the Nile River had often changed course over the past several thousand years, making it hard to locate the lost city. She tried to outwardly politely listen but inside her resentment was growing. Her dad knew more about the Egyptian pharaohs than he did about her own life.
    She told herself it was childish to be jealous of her dad’s passion for ancient history. And had she not beenfeeling so vulnerable she would have agreed with her logical inner self. But as it was, her emotions were naked and exposed.
    She didn’t even know how to describe what she was experiencing because she’d never been like this before. Never been such a mess of anxiety, panic, depression, and despair. The self-help books she’d read said those reactions were all normal during and after a divorce.
    At least she and Brad hadn’t had any kids. The thought flashed into her head as she searched for some kind of silver lining.
    “What do you think?” her dad surprised her by asking. In fact, she was so stunned she momentarily couldn’t even frame an answer.
    Then he added, “Don’t you agree that the Silver Pharaoh must have found Rameses’ fabled lost city?”
    “You’re the only one who thinks about things like that,” her mom said as she entered the room.
    “That’s not true. We talk about it on my Facebook page with a lot of people who either agree or disagree with me on this issue.”
    “Do you have a Facebook page?” her mom asked her.
    Marissa shook her head. “Not personally, no. I did work on the one for my former library.”
    “You should get one,” her mom said. “You never know who might look you up. Just the other day I got a friend request from a guy I knew in college. In fact, when your dad and I broke up, Jay and I went out together.”
    Marissa’s eyes widened. “You and Dad broke up?”
    “Several times. Even then it wasn’t easy to get his attention. So I’d break up with him and date someone else.”
    “But she always came back to me,” her dad said.
    “Don’t sound so proud of yourself.” Her mom shot him a look. “As I recall, you were the one who’d beg for me to come back.”
    Marissa knew that Brad had not begged to come back to her. Instead he’d tried to blame her, telling her that if she’d been better in bed he wouldn’t have had to go looking elsewhere for satisfaction.
    Cheating on her was a deal breaker. She’d told him that before he asked her to marry him and afterward. He’d sworn that it would never happen. But it had. In their bed.
    Marissa lost a part of herself that day. The part that believed in happy endings and forever.
    “I never knew that you and Dad had trouble,” she said.
    “We always have trouble,” her mom said.
    “But you never fight.”
    “It takes two to fight and your father doesn’t always reside on this planet. Isn’t that right, honey?”
    “Hmm?” Her dad had that glazed look that said he was no longer following the conversation. It was a look he wore frequently.
    “See what I mean?” Her mom rolled her eyes. “So how did your first day at work go?” she asked Marissa.
    “It went well. I got the fridge rules for the staff room, which is always an important thing in a new job. And I met the rest of the staff. Everyone was very nice to me.”
    “And why shouldn’t they be? You’re a nice girl.”
    “I’m not a girl anymore, Mom. I haven’t been for a long time now. I’m almost thirty.”
    “You don’t have to get huffy.”
    Marissa immediately felt guilty even though she didn’t think her voice had