Free Deep Surrendering: Episode Nine by Chelsea M. Cameron Page B

wouldn’t be pretty. She didn’t take kindly to anyone telling her what to do.
    Oh well. We’d cross that bridge when we got there.
    “That sounds fine,” he said, and I agreed that I could make time in my schedule to come over and help. Dad protested at first, but I shot him down. I was going to help with this, dammit.
    It was a relief to get back in my classes and think about something that didn’t involve me for a while. But then classes ended and it was time to go home. I texted Chloe and asked if she wanted to have dinner, but she didn’t answer back right away. Huh. Guess she was busy.
    So I headed back to my apartment and made myself some dinner from leftovers I had in the fridge. It was a sad meal and was made sadder by my quiet phone. I was used to Fin not being able to communicate, but for some reason, today it was really bothering me.
    Not sure what else to do with myself, I got out some homework and put on a romantic comedy. Then I changed my mind and put on a stupid reality show marathon. I didn’t want to watch a movie about happy people falling in love and everything working out.
    My own love story was (so far) complicated and twisted and confusing. I wouldn’t change Fin for the world, but . . . I didn’t know how much I could take. What if it took a long time for him to get free of his father? And really, would he ever be free of him? I mean, not unless his father died, and I didn’t think patricide was a good solution.
    I wished I had a timeline. That Fin would give me a ballpark of when he could come home. Or at least let me in on some of his plans.
    I finished my sad meal and sat on the couch and was sad. I hated feeling this way. Chloe wasn’t answering her phone, it was too late to feed the ducks, and I didn’t have any wine in the house. The homework helped a little, but not enough.
    So I went to my bathroom, lit some candles, and filled the bathtub. A good soak could do wonders.
    I put a pillow under my neck to support my head and lay back in the warm water. Starting with my feet, I relaxed each part of my body and breathed deep. Or I started to, and then got distracted by my stupid thoughts. And then my phone rang. I’d set it on the sink just in case, and I nearly broke my neck stumbling out of the slippery bathtub to get to it. I answered without seeing who was calling.
    “Hey babe,” Chloe said, and I couldn’t help feeling disappointed she wasn’t Fin.
    “Hey,” I said, panting a little. “Where have you been?”
    “Ugh, this stupid fucking training session. They’re forcing all the managers in the state to do trust falls and shit like that to somehow teach us how to deal with employees who won’t stop checking Facebook during working hours.” That explained it. I realized I was dripping all over the floor and grabbed a towel to wrap around myself.
    “That sucks. So, have you had dinner yet?”
    “No, I’m fucking starving. I haven’t been able to curse all day, so I have to fulfill my quota for the day.”
    I laughed. “Well, I already ate, but if you want to come over we could order something. Or you could have some leftovers from the other day.”
    I didn’t have a whole lot to offer in the food department. I really needed to stock up and head to the store. I’d been a little too preoccupied with other things to go grocery shopping. My house was also a wreck. I’d been neglecting my domestic duties. Even though I lived alone, I still liked to have my house nice, and I didn’t have a cleaner coming in once a week like Fin did.
    “That sounds great. I’ll be over in a half hour?”
    “Sounds good.” I hung up, and I went to put some clothes on and mop up my bathroom floor.
     

     
    “Feed me something, please,” Chloe said when she crashed through the door. She was still in her work uniform: khakis and a polo shirt with the spa’s logo on it. It wasn’t the most flattering thing to wear, and Chloe hated it with the passion of a thousand suns.
    “I’ve