Free The Black Sheep's Redemption by Lynette Eason Page B

to get to know her better—and his reason had nothing to do with business. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
    * * *
    Demi bit her lip as she let herself into the apartment even as she wondered about the look that had been in Charles’s eyes when he’d said goodbye. A longing.
    And a distance.
    Weird.
    Her heart trembled at the thought of her face being on the news once again. If a silent phone followed the broadcast, she would be heartbroken.
    So, the only way to avoid that was to refuse to get her hopes up. But she appreciated Charles’s desire to help.
    Speaking of help…
    Her eyes went to the kitchen cabinet. She hadn’t told him about the note. Each time she’d thought about it, there hadn’t been a chance to bring it up without another member of the family overhearing. And in the truck, she’d simply wimped out. She didn’t want to hurt him. Telling him about the note would be just another arrow in his already aching heart. He would feel guilty. Possibly even tell her that she needed to find another job.
    She shuddered. She didn’t want to find another job and she didn’t want Charles worrying that he was putting her in any kind of danger.
    So, she’d keep her mouth shut.
    For now.
    As Chloe wrapped a warm welcome around Demi’s ankles, she felt her tense shoulders relax. She hadn’t realized she’d been worried about coming home.
    Facing her apartment all alone.
    At least the door had definitely been locked this time, but she still worried.
    Worry. Fear. Anxiety. Emotions she had become intimately familiar with over the past few weeks.
    But excitement lingered, too. She had a job. True, she had no car and no driver’s license, and it was a fifteen-minute walk to and from Charles’s house, but that was no big deal.
    As she puttered and cleaned a little, getting ready to relax for the rest of the evening—or at least try to if she could keep her gaze from straying to the cabinet that held the coffee canister—she realized she’d finished the last book she’d borrowed from The Reading Nook. Since she had no television, books had been her sole entertainment in the evenings.
    She supposed she could just go to bed, but it was only eight-thirty and she was still wound up from the excitement of the day. Charles had been so attentive, his family kind and welcoming. And she almost wished she hadn’t gone.
    Being around the Fitzgeralds, watching their interactions, listening to their teasing, their good-natured arguing, had spiked a longing in her that nearly split her in two. What would it be like to be a part of a family like that? To know that someone would miss her immediately if she suddenly wasn’t there?
    Tears formed and she blinked them back.
    She looked at Chloe who sat on the floor cleaning a paw. “I definitely needed a book to read.”
    Chloe looked up at Demi’s words then went back to her business.
    Since Fiona had told Demi to help herself anytime she found herself wanting something to read, Demi decided to take her up on that offer.
    Making her way downstairs, she was grateful Fiona didn’t bother to lock the door leading from the apartment stairs to the bookstore area. She supposed Fiona felt that locking the outer doors was enough security.
    The dark interior made her shiver. But she knew exactly which book she wanted.
    The Bible.
    Fiona had a whole shelf of Bibles in every translation available. As Demi made her way through the store, she thought she saw a flash of light toward the back. She frowned and couldn’t help the tremor of fear that shot through her.
    It surprised her so much, she nearly stumbled. The darkness pressed in on her, suffocating her. Another flash of light near the window, then nothing.
    More darkness. She couldn’t handle the darkness. Her breathing quickened as she shoved down the fear that came from nowhere.
    Why am I so afraid?
    Gasping, she flew to the wall that held the light switch and flipped it.
    Nothing happened.
    She flipped it again. Down, then