Free Beyond the Past by Carly Fall Page A

cell phone rang, and she looked at the number, not recognizing it. “Hello?”
    “Hi, Gabby, this is Jerrod.”
    His voice sounded warm and smooth, sending a little chill down her spine.
    “Hi, Jerrod. I was just thinking about you.” Oh, that came out wrong. “I mean, I was looking at houses for you and wondering when you were going to return my phone call.”
    He chuckled. “I got a little tied up today, so I apologize for not returning your call sooner. Although, I do have to admit, I like the idea of you thinking about me.”
    Her cheeks warmed and she shut her eyes, unsure of what to say.
    “Gabby?”
    “I’m here,” she murmured.
    “I’m sorry if I offended you or upset you. It wasn’t my intention.”
    “That’s okay. You did neither.” She hadn’t been offended or upset, but a little rush of that excitement had swelled through her and her heart burned with shame again. She had nothing to feel guilty about—Lucas had left her. At some point, she would need to move on, but she just didn’t feel ready right now.
    “I’m glad,” he said.
    A beat of awkward silence followed, and then she cleared her throat and said, “When did you want to look at these houses? I have four of them I’d like you to see.”
    “Wow, that’s awesome!” He sounded enthused. “I can’t today, but how about tomorrow?”
    “Sure, that sounds fine. I can email the listings to you and you can look them over and let me know if any of them really stand out to you or if there are any you don’t like.”
    “Perfect.”
    “Okay, well . . . um, I’ll send them over and you—“
    “Gabby, would you meet me for an early cocktail?”
    Her heart raced at the thought, and she almost said yes, but then, the guilt washed over her again. She just wasn’t ready. “I’m sorry. I can’t tonight, but thank you for the invitation.”
    “That’s too bad. It’s hard being in a city where you don’t know anyone.”
    “Yes, I know,” she replied, thinking about her first few months before she met Rachel.
    “Well, then, I guess I’ll look forward to seeing you tomorrow.”
    “Sounds good. I’ll send this over right away.”
    “Perfect.”
    Gabby laid her phone down on the table. Maybe she should have gone out with him. Maybe if she had, it would help her get over all these conflicting feelings. Jerrod was good looking and nice, and he did spark something within her that both scared her and excited her. She picked up the phone again and almost called him back, but then decided against it.
    Looking around her apartment, the rain pattering on the rooftop reminded her of a song her mother used to sing to her about crying angels. Despite her mother Loretta’s clean living and hippie lifestyle in the commune where Gabby had grown up, Loretta had still succumbed to cancer five years ago. Gabby never knew her father. Her mother had said it could have been one of four men she’d slept with as she traveled from Kentucky to the commune in Montana, just outside of Butte, where she finally settled down. Loretta couldn’t offer any names or address of Gabby’s potential fathers. “They were all just flings,” her mother had said when Gabby questioned her at age thirteen.
    Now, she wished more than ever she knew his identity. With Lucas gone, she felt so alone. She would have loved to be able to pick up the phone and call a parent, just to say hello and catch up on each other’s lives.
    As a tear slid down her cheek, she realized she was in for another night of isolation and loneliness.

Chapter 15
    Lucas lay in bed and gazed out the window, noticing the sunlight wasn’t able to penetrate the grey clouds hovering above. He stood, feeling as though the muscles in his legs would snap in half. He longed to take a couple of Motrin and go back to bed, but the only way the muscles were going to limber up would be through use.
    He gingerly walked to the kitchen and started the coffee pot. As it hissed and dripped, he looked out the