Read Online Reunion in October (The Calendar Girls Book 2) by Gina Ardito - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Gina Ardito
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my eyes, that kind of sneakiness didn’t bode well for our marriage. I mean, if he couldn’t keep me in the loop about where he planned for us to live, how could I trust him with my heart? With our future children?
I wish I could say Michael’s secret contact with my mother surprised me, but after Oregon? The man had lost my trust, my respect, and my affection. Mom’s subterfuge, on the other hand, didn’t exactly thrill me. After my aborted wedding, when time passed and I didn’t begin dating anyone else, she interpreted my reluctance as proof I still loved Michael. I had no doubt his return to Snug Harbor had rejuvenated Mom’s hopes for a wedding between us. If I planned to obliterate that dream, I had to be at my sharpest. Not numb, like I was today. Rather than fight my mother, I opted to take care of my other pressing concern.
I hired a locksmith and, by three in the afternoon, had new locks on my front, back, and garage doors. The cost, as Josh had warned, was steep, but what price should I put on my peace of mind? And not a moment too soon because that night at work, I was called to the nurse’s station to take a phone call. Didn’t anyone have anything better to do than call me? If he weren’t already long dead, Alexander Graham Bell would top my hit list right now.
“Hello?”
“You really did it?” Michael asked. “You really changed the locks because I have a key?”
He couldn’t have caught me at a worse time. Between the ten-year-old I’d just sent up to ICU after a multi-car accident and the drunk who’d just vomited his rum and cokes all over my shoes, I was in no mood.
“Since you know that I changed the locks, I can only assume you tried to use the old key—a key I took from you. Which means you must have made at least one copy. Thanks for confirming my worst fears.”
“Aw, come on, Francesca. I just wanted to pop in and see if you were okay. I know I surprised you yesterday.”
“So you thought you’d surprise me today to see if I’d recovered from yesterday’s surprise?” Of all the idiotic stunts… “I’ve got patients to see. Don’t call me at work again.”
“I only called you at work because I don’t have your home or cell number. You changed those, too.”
“Lucky me.” I hung up and passed the phone back over the desk to Danielle, who sat at the nurse’s station, her jaw open. “If he calls again, tell him I’m unavailable.”
Dani didn’t blink. “You got it, Doctor.”
Turning on my heel, I headed to Exam Room Six where another patient from the auto accident—this one with superficial injuries—waited for treatment.
Hours later, I pulled into my driveway and limped to my front door with nothing on my mind except the comfort of my bed. After yesterday’s rain, this morning welcomed a pale sun with the nip of autumn in the air. I wouldn’t have cared if Hershey’s Kisses fell from the sky. All I wanted was sleep. Glorious, uninterrupted sleep for about ten hours.
From the back of my house, a circular saw screeched, shooting stars of pain into my skull. Great. Saturday morning construction at my neighbor’s house would totally throw off my plans for peace and quiet. Unfortunately, he had every right to work on his house and yard at a reasonable hour and, for most people, after nine a.m. was pretty reasonable. In the suburbs, only cops, nurses, and vampires dreaded sunny weekend mornings. The blast of nail guns and heavy metal music joined the power tool symphony, and men shouted instructions to each other over the cacophony. There went any hope of sleep.
On the upside, I now had the perfect excuse to back out of tonight’s date with Josh. I’ll admit to a twinge of disappointment—I liked Josh a lot—but Michael’s reappearance had complicated an already unusual situation. Maybe other women fantasized about two men fighting over them, but this gal dealt with enough drama on a day-to-day basis at work. In my private life, I craved
I wish I could say Michael’s secret contact with my mother surprised me, but after Oregon? The man had lost my trust, my respect, and my affection. Mom’s subterfuge, on the other hand, didn’t exactly thrill me. After my aborted wedding, when time passed and I didn’t begin dating anyone else, she interpreted my reluctance as proof I still loved Michael. I had no doubt his return to Snug Harbor had rejuvenated Mom’s hopes for a wedding between us. If I planned to obliterate that dream, I had to be at my sharpest. Not numb, like I was today. Rather than fight my mother, I opted to take care of my other pressing concern.
I hired a locksmith and, by three in the afternoon, had new locks on my front, back, and garage doors. The cost, as Josh had warned, was steep, but what price should I put on my peace of mind? And not a moment too soon because that night at work, I was called to the nurse’s station to take a phone call. Didn’t anyone have anything better to do than call me? If he weren’t already long dead, Alexander Graham Bell would top my hit list right now.
“Hello?”
“You really did it?” Michael asked. “You really changed the locks because I have a key?”
He couldn’t have caught me at a worse time. Between the ten-year-old I’d just sent up to ICU after a multi-car accident and the drunk who’d just vomited his rum and cokes all over my shoes, I was in no mood.
“Since you know that I changed the locks, I can only assume you tried to use the old key—a key I took from you. Which means you must have made at least one copy. Thanks for confirming my worst fears.”
“Aw, come on, Francesca. I just wanted to pop in and see if you were okay. I know I surprised you yesterday.”
“So you thought you’d surprise me today to see if I’d recovered from yesterday’s surprise?” Of all the idiotic stunts… “I’ve got patients to see. Don’t call me at work again.”
“I only called you at work because I don’t have your home or cell number. You changed those, too.”
“Lucky me.” I hung up and passed the phone back over the desk to Danielle, who sat at the nurse’s station, her jaw open. “If he calls again, tell him I’m unavailable.”
Dani didn’t blink. “You got it, Doctor.”
Turning on my heel, I headed to Exam Room Six where another patient from the auto accident—this one with superficial injuries—waited for treatment.
Hours later, I pulled into my driveway and limped to my front door with nothing on my mind except the comfort of my bed. After yesterday’s rain, this morning welcomed a pale sun with the nip of autumn in the air. I wouldn’t have cared if Hershey’s Kisses fell from the sky. All I wanted was sleep. Glorious, uninterrupted sleep for about ten hours.
From the back of my house, a circular saw screeched, shooting stars of pain into my skull. Great. Saturday morning construction at my neighbor’s house would totally throw off my plans for peace and quiet. Unfortunately, he had every right to work on his house and yard at a reasonable hour and, for most people, after nine a.m. was pretty reasonable. In the suburbs, only cops, nurses, and vampires dreaded sunny weekend mornings. The blast of nail guns and heavy metal music joined the power tool symphony, and men shouted instructions to each other over the cacophony. There went any hope of sleep.
On the upside, I now had the perfect excuse to back out of tonight’s date with Josh. I’ll admit to a twinge of disappointment—I liked Josh a lot—but Michael’s reappearance had complicated an already unusual situation. Maybe other women fantasized about two men fighting over them, but this gal dealt with enough drama on a day-to-day basis at work. In my private life, I craved
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