Where Life Takes You by Claudia Burgoa Read Free Book Online Page B

belonged to her—no rules applied to her. Everyone had to kiss the ground she walked on. Everything had to be done her way.
    Oh my….
    It dawned on me. Trish was my new Lisa, only taller and more vicious—no meth or crack involved. My eyes widened when I realized why I couldn’t stomach her. Worse, Ty’s stiffened body and wide eyes told me that he got it too. No, no, no. Not the Lisa-was-my-sister-you-bitch discussion.
    I put the milk back in the fridge. Then stared at the inside of the door contemplating how many times I would’ve needed to slam the door against my head to make the ringing in my ears loud enough, so I couldn’t focus on anything but that.
    Now, Becca, flipping on Tyler, or melting in front of Dan won’t be pretty. They don’t need a stupid girl losing her shit because her life sucked.
    Dan pulled me out of my trance by physically removing me from the fridge. He closed the door and looked at me. We had one of those silent moments when words weren’t necessary.
    Are you okay? His inquisitive eyes waited for an answer.
    I shrugged, then nodded. I’m good.
    Liar, he mouthed.
    We both knew I might lose it at any time. He gave me a quick hug and ordered me to eat.
    “I meant what I said.” Ty broke a cookie and dipped it in milk. “You two are like my family. I want us to interact more, Becca. We should be in each other’s lives, for real. I don’t want to learn about your life from the Dan-and-Ash grapevine.”
    It baffled me. Indirectly, I’d killed his sister, and he wanted to be… friends?
    Surprise, the guy doesn’t hate you.
    Dan lightened up the atmosphere with his plans for the coming year. Ty was right. The man needed to slow down. Ash joined us after talking to Trish and her friends. A few minutes past midnight, Angie’s little noises came through the baby monitor, and we said goodnight to everyone. Trish and friends were watching movies in the living room. There were a couple of wine bottles on the coffee table, so Dan warned them not to overdo it, and to keep it quiet.
    Dan led me toward the small den in his bedroom. Enamored with the place—mainly his room—he made a few notes in his phone to find the architect, as soon as we arrived back home. “This house has everything I wanted. Together we’ll build a few developments around Boston—the suburbs, most likely.”
    In addition, he wanted to finance a few vacation homes in the Hamptons, and probably the Keys. With the right partnership, they’d start a construction company.
    “Sorry.” I cleared my throat. “You already own a construction company.”
    “Woman, what’s wrong with you?” Appalled, he gave me an inquisitive smile. “Commercial development differs so much from residential. Though, you are right. I’ll create an exclusive branch for residential construction. Starting right after I hunt the man down.”
    “For real, Daniel?” I smirked. God bless such an energetic man. “Normal grown-up boys would buy new toys, bigger and shinier cars, or get a new girlfriend—not that you’ve ever had one.”
    “I have lots of cars.” He faked hurt. “Name the toy, I own it.” The cocky man came back. “And I don’t need a girlfriend. But if you must know, I had one back in college.”
    “Uh, juicy! Tell me more.” I pulled my legs to my chest and hugged them tight, placed my chin on top, and fluttered my eyelashes. The story time position, Dan called it. I expected a deep dark secret, the piece I needed to solve his heart puzzle. There had to be another reason—aside from his screwy parents—to the die lonely attitude.
    “Sorry, but there’s not much to tell. Don’t get too comfortable, or excited.”
    Darn, he was right. Lamest story ever. They’d met freshman year. Tessa was cute and easygoing, and he gave it a try. As part of his fresh start, Dan wanted to change the player persona he assumed during his teenage years.
    “Having a girlfriend wasn’t everything they said. It didn’t last long. Yes,