Free Finding Obscurity by Emma Shade Page A

someone. Last I checked, we’re not dating.”
    “Meow!”
Sam said in the background with a laugh.
    Blake
knitted his brows at me. “True. Are you dating him?”
    “No.” I
frowned.
    “So you
aren’t taken. Good. Would you like to go out sometime? I understand you have
plans tonight, but maybe we could get dinner one night this week?”
    I knew
what he was trying to do as he gave me a lopsided grin, and Sam chuckled. He
figured if he was in the running then he would have some say. He was sadly
mistaken if he thought I would let anyone tell me who I spent time with or what
I did. “Sure. Why not?”
    Blake’s
smile grew. “Great. I will call you later tonight then. Did Sam ask you to lunch?”
    “Um… no
need to call me later tonight. I will be occupied. And no he didn’t say
anything but I have to catch up on laundry and do some housework, so I won’t be
able to go.”
    “Bummer!
Maybe next time. Blake, you ready to eat? I am wasting away to nothing,” Sam
said as I followed the two of them out to the door.
    Blake
leaned in and whispered in my ear, making me shiver. “Be very careful tonight
and watch your back. Sweet dreams, Lily.”
    They both
waved goodbye before I locked the deadbolts on the door. I leaned my head
against the cold metal of the door and exhaled noisily. I never wanted to have
any friends, and now I have Sam. Then I didn’t picture that anybody would want
me, but now I had two men who were vying for my affections. To make matters worse,
they absolutely hated each other. When
did I start to care about all of this?
    I was no
closer to finding out why I have these crazy-ass abilities. Blake knew
something about others like me, but he hadn’t really given me anything to work
with. He had offered to teach me more about what I could do, but that meant
letting him in. With Blake and Ashton throwing around warnings about each
other, I wasn’t so sure if getting answers from either of them was a smart
idea. Blake had been about to tell me something in the dream last night. What
was it? Oh, probably something stupid, like another warning to keep my
distance.
    Grabbing
my laptop, I sat on the couch and checked my email, figuring I could get some
work done and these men off my mind. I had several clients asking for social
media help in creating a portfolio of different ideas for websites and
advertising. Another one of my clients wanted me to go over their financial
forecast to see if I spotted errors. It wasn’t a pretty job, but it paid well.
Plus, working from home had advantages and I only had occasional meetings with
my clients.
    I had been
up to my elbows in financial spreadsheets when I noticed there was only an hour
or so to get ready. Reluctantly, I headed towards the bedroom. I quickly
showered and blow-dried my hair before curling it to the side, letting it flow
down my shoulder. I went with dark eyeliner and blue eye shadow this time. I
slipped the dress over my hips before applying my pale lip gloss. The matching
jewelry went on, and I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked pretty damned
good. The dress and blue eye shadow made my hazel eyes pop. Ashton knew what he
was doing when he picked this dress, as it outlined every curve on my lean
body. My stomach was full of butterflies and I put my hand over it, taking a
few deep breaths to try and calm my nerves. I repeated over and over in my head
that I didn’t want anything to do with either of the men. Yet, here I was,
headed out on a date against my better judgment. Slipping on strapped heels, I
petted Jinx, and then headed out the door.

 

Chapter
Eight

 
 
 
    Traffic was
light on Sundays to which I was grateful, and the mall would be closing early,
so I hoped I would be able to park closer to the circle. I lucked out with a
spot close to the mall, which was only about a block and a half away. I grabbed
my beaded clutch purse, got out of the car, and locked the doors. I was
thankful to have grabbed a white leather jacket