Free Rising by Holly Kelly Page A

here? The shrill ringing of the phone startled her.
    “Oh excuse me , it might be a client. I’ll be just a minute,” she said as she wheeled over to an old, black wall phone. Missing client calls was not an option when one was on the brink of homelessness.
    She put on a smile and answered the phone. “Hello, this is Sara.”
    “Sara , where are you?” Her heart made a splashdown in her stomach. Of all times for her to call.
    It was her mom.
    S he held the phone away and covered the earpiece as her mother screeched. It didn’t help much. “How could you leave me for so long and not tell me where you would be? You think a few emails telling me you were fine would be enough for me to know you’re not dead?”
    S ara held the phone back up to her ear and spoke low. She didn’t want Mr. Dimitriou to hear this conversation, but with her mom screaming at high decibels through the receiver, it was impossible to have a private conversation.
    “How did you get this number?” Sara asked.
    “I had to hire a private detective to find you.”
    “I’m sorry, Mom. I was going to call, but after I moved… ”
    “Don’t lie to me, Sara,” her mother said, cutting her off. “You’ve always been an ungrateful child. I can’t believe you neglect me like you do. When I think of all the things I’ve sacrificed for you, it makes me sick to see how you’ve turned out. Now I want you to come home right now.”
    “No, Mom. I’m not coming home. I have a life here. I’m an adult and I need to take care of myself right now.”
    “You selfish child.” Sara felt the vibrations of her mother’s voice as she covered the receiver. “You’ve never cared about anyone but yourself. I shouldn’t have come back for you. I should have left you at the bottom of that cliff. I can see why your father never came to get you. You’re just like him. You don’t care about anyone but yourself. When I think of all I’ve suffered because of you… I wish you’d never been born.”
    Sara had heard it all, more times than she could count. Usually she buckled and apologized, but not this time. This time she said what needed to be said.
    “Mom, say what you want. You’re just mad because you can’t control my life anymore. Get some professional help, and maybe then we can talk.”
    She carefully hung up the phone, cutting off her mother’s tirade midstream.
    Sara felt shaken, but still triumphant. She turned toward Mr. Dimitriou and her stomach clenched. His brows furrowed and the corners of his mouth turned down in a frown.
    “I’m sorry you had to hear that ,” she said.
    She paused for a long time. What could she say? How could she explain? Her mother was a selfish woman and a nutcase on top of that. There was no way he’d want to date her now. She took a deep breath, and looked down.
    “Your mother found you at the bottom of a cliff?”
    Her eyes snapped up. “Sort of…” she said. Her cheeks flushed with warmth. “Listen, I know that you agreed to go on a date with me just to be polite. If you’d rather cancel, I’ll understand. Really, I will. I invited you on a whim. Honestly, I think it may be best if we just keep things simple. You’re my landlord and I’m your tenant. And I like it that way.”
    Mr. Dimitriou got up, stepped over, and sank to his knee beside her chair as she kept up her explanation. “Don’t get me wrong,” she said, “it was noble of you to accept my invitation, but I know you couldn’t… possibly….”
    Dang . Having his rugged face this close to hers almost made her lose her train of thought. “ever… be interested….”
    Xanthus moved in closer, just a breath away. “Hmmm?” He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. When he opened his eyes and looked at her, the intensity of his gaze bore into her soul.
    “ …in someone… like me?” Did she just phrase that statement as a question? He raised his hand and pressed his palm to her cheek. His touch was electric. He’s going to kiss