The Reunion by Summer Newman Read Free Book Online Page A

Rebecca teased. “Eating, sleeping, not picking up your clothes, not shaving.”
    “Acting the fool,” Doc added. “Don’t forget that one, love.” He smiled at Ebony. “A tired old soul like me might not have much to offer, but I hope I can still make people laugh.”
    Ebony knew he was trying to cheer her up, so she smiled warmly at him. “God knows we all need to laugh sometimes,” she said, forcing a smile.
    Ebony wanted to throw up her hands and run out the door, so conscious was she of herself, but in her tone was an undercurrent of anger, an anger directed at the man who had betrayed her, the man in whose house she now stood, the man she never wanted to see again so long as she lived.
    “You’re an angel, Ebony,” Doc said, “and because you’re so wonderful, I’m coming along as a personal bodyguard.”
    “Sorry, Dad, but we’ve got nowhere to put you. Unless you want to sit on the roof.”
    “Good enough. I’ll ride shotgun.”
    Rebecca laughed. “It might be too cold even for the man of steel.”
    “Nonsense, sweetheart. If I lived through last night, I can certainly handle this balmy weather.”
    “Are you still complaining about last night?” Rebecca said, shaking her head. “His heating vent accidentally got closed, but to listen to him, you’d swear he camped out on top of Mount Everest.”
    Doc looked offended. “I’m telling you it was so cold last night that I’m sure polar bears would have migrated south.” He tilted his head and lightly tapped it with the palm of his hand. “If I had poured some water on the floor, I could have skated in there.” He tapped his head again.
    “What are you doing?” Rebecca asked.
    “I was sleeping soundly,” Doc began, “when all of a sudden I heard this clunking noise. So I opened my eyes and looked around, but there was nothing out of place. No sooner do I turn over, and presto, there it is again. It took me awhile, but I finally figured it out.”
    “Well?” Rebecca cried impatiently. “What was it?”
    “In all my years, I’ve never run across a similar case.”
    “What!” Rebecca shrieked.
    “It was so cold in my room last night,” Doc said, “that my dreams were freezing solid and banging around inside my noggin.”
    The women laughed, and even Ebony smiled at his silly manner.
    “Oh, Dad,” Rebecca exclaimed, “you’re incorrigible.” She flattened his cheeks with the palms of her hands and kissed him on the nose. “But I love you anyway.”
    Doc assumed a serious expression. “It was cold last night, though, wasn’t it, Ebony?”
    “You can say that again.”
    Suddenly she saw Ethan standing in the living room doorway, looking at her. The world stopped. Everything ceased to exist except him, a few feet away, staring into her eyes. Ebony could hardly breathe, her throat tightened, and a rush of sticky heat surged over every pore of her body. It was like a moment frozen in time, yet a moment in which worlds clashed, battles raged, and a history, long and deep, surfaced. Years of love, hopes, dreams, crushing misery—everything combined in that moment as Ebony Evans and Ethan Harrington stood face-to-face, eyes locked, lives on hold, futures undetermined. Doc, Rebecca, and Jenny looked from Ebony to Ethan, and then back again. But Ebony and Ethan saw only each other.
    “Hello, Ebony,” Ethan finally said in a gentle way. “How are you?”
    Ebony’s heart raced, and her face, usually animated, froze.
    “Mr. Harrington,” she returned with a formal nod, her voice cracking.
    Ethan nodded politely and then picked up a toolbox. Though Ebony was keenly and painfully aware of his every movement, she pretended not to notice him. She did not even acknowledge his nod as he left the room, but when he was out of immediate view, it seemed as if a vise had been loosened from around her chest, allowing her to breathe again.
    “We’d better get going,” Ebony said in a high-pitched voice. “We can’t stand around and chat