Free Closely Guarded Secret by Natalie Money Page B

aloud. I’m hungry and decide to take a quick shower then head over to Dottie’s True Blue Café for breakfast.
     
    The line is long, which isn’t unusual for Dottie’s and I don’t mind waiting. Deciding to call Steven, I tug my phone out of my overstuffed purse. I get his voice mail. I hope he and Sampson worked out their issues. I’ll worry about that after breakfast.
     
     When I get home, Steven’s car is in the driveway. He’s lounging on the sofa with a huge cup of coffee cradled in both hands. I plop down next to him. “Well, look who the cat dragged in,” I joke. “I was about to call the National Guard.”
     
    “You should have: all those men in uniform. That would have been a great way to wake up.” He licks his lips and his bloodshot eyes light up. Then he sighs, “I’m exhausted,” He looks and sounds drunk, but he’s not.
     
     I feign disgust. “I’m glad to see even sleep deprived, your freaky sense of humor doesn’t wane. By the smug look on your face, things went well between you and Sampson?”
     
    “Sampson and I talked all night. We didn’t get to bed until seven this morning but the wait was worth it, well worth it,” he winks at me.
     
    Holding my hands up, palms out, I let him know I don’t want to hear anymore. “Remember the rules of Fight Club, Steven?”
     
    “Too early for you to hear all the juicy details?” He’s impossible, but I’m relieved. Steven and Sampson are back together and the world seems to have righted itself.
     
    #
     
    Like a cat waking from a long nap, I stretch my body across the bed. The angle of the golden light falling across me tells me the sun’s getting ready to set. My phone’s ring tone jangles me out of half-awake contentment. Caller ID says ‘unknown’ but, immediately, I know it’s Bryce. I put down the phone and let the call go to voice mail. I feel like a coward. Maybe I am.
     
    Soon I hear a ding, and I grab my phone off the table. My heart races and the same prickling sensation I get being around Bryce, returns. My inner self is excited that he called. My mind, however, takes out yellow caution tape and wraps it around my brain. As I listen to his message, I’m excited and disappointed at the same time.
     
    “Hello Ali. This is Bryce Steede.” I smile – he sounds so formal. “I’ve been hoping to hear from you today, but I need to let you know something’s come up – something requiring my immediate attention. I’m sorry to say this means I won’t be able to have dinner with you tonight. Call me tomorrow and we’ll make other plans. I hope you understand about tonight and I look forward to hearing from you.”
     
    I feel like I’m on an emotional roller coaster. Up one minute because he has called, then plunging downward when he says he can’t make it - to a dinner I wasn’t sure about going to anyway.
     
    In my head, I hear the conversation I had with Dr. Hunter: it’s time to let it go and move forward with my life. After debating with myself for a while, I decide that, yes, I’ll call Bryce tomorrow. What possible harm can there be in talking to him over the phone?
     
    I’m still recovering from this topsy-turvy emotional week. Thank goodness, I’m not going anywhere else anytime soon. Settling back against my pillows in bed, one more night of restful sleep, I should be back to normal.
     
    I switch on the TV and begin surfing channels. I stop and stare as Bryce fills the screen, looking too sexy in a tuxedo, mingling with a crowd of people who are all dressed in formal evening attire. So, is this what needed his “immediate attention?” He is one handsome man. In an instant, he’s gone, ousted by the next news item. Since the TV is on mute, I didn’t hear what the event was about. I roll over, holding a pillow in my arms, with Bryce on my mind, and tell myself that I’m ready to do this.
     
    #
     
    I recommend waking up to the heavenly aroma of hot, steaming coffee. Am I dreaming? I usually