Free The New Year's Wish by Dani-Lyn Alexander Page B

accident. Right, boy?” He reached out to pet Barney’s head, and Barney leaned into his hand. “He’s a real sweetheart.” He swallowed hard. “We have to get going now, though.”
    â€œAwww . . . Dad, do we have to?”
    He glanced at Olivia. She smiled at him and his heart lurched. “Sorry, sugar.”
    Gracie groaned, but thankfully didn’t argue any further.
    Olivia walked them to the door.
    He turned back to her. “I’ll see you around, huh?”
    â€œSure.” Olivia looked as though she might cry, and Garrett had to resist the urge to swoop her up in his arms and kiss her better. Instead, he turned and walked away.

NINE

    O LIVIA CLOSED THE DOOR behind them and leaned against it. The sound of their footsteps and Gracie’s laughter receded down the hallway toward the stairs. She dropped her head back and swiped at the tears that had begun to fall. The ache in her chest increased.
    It was obvious Garrett wasn’t going to pursue any kind of relationship with her. Whatever his reasons, he’d walked away. Maybe it was her. Could she be misreading him? Sometimes when he looked at her, she melted from the intensity of his gaze. She pressed a hand to the side of her face, the memory of his fingers lingering against her jaw teasing her. Olivia scrubbed angrily at her cheeks. She pushed away from the door, flopped onto the couch, and propped her feet on the coffee table. Barney dropped his head onto her lap.
    â€œIt’s not your fault, boy.” She twined her fingers into his fur. “I guess he just isn’t interested.”
    She sighed and pulled the computer onto her lap. She signed on to the proofreading site and checked her in-box. One message. She anxiously opened it. “I got my first job, Barney.” A flare of excitement chased away some of the sadness Garrett’s sudden departure had left her with.
    â€œA hundred-page business book needs to be proofread by tomorrow.” She glanced at the clock in the bottom corner of the screen. “Oh well, it’s not like I have anything else to do tonight.” She shrugged and hit accept , happy to be starting on her newest career path. Who knew, maybe she’d find some helpful information for her business.
    She pulled the afghan around her shoulders, used the remote to turn on the stereo, and curled up in the corner of the couch with the computer. Chapter one. Strategies for finding good employees.
    Two chapters later, her eyes burned and her mind was pretty much numb. Do people really read this crap? She struggled to focus, but her mind kept wandering back to Garrett . . . and Gracie. Examining her feelings for Gracie was easier. She loved that little girl. Tears pooled in her eyes at the thought of Gracie’s energetic smile that just radiated happiness, and she fought to suppress them. No use. She wiped them away and forced her attention back to the screen.
    Another chapter. How many chapters are in this thing? She scrolled ahead. Twenty-four? You have got to be kidding me. If I have to read twenty-four chapters of this drivel, my eyes might fall out.
    She settled more comfortably and tried again to focus on reading one chapter at a time. Barney turned over and lay on his back at her feet. “This isn’t what I signed on for. I figured I’d get to read some nice romance novels, not this nonsense.” She shifted the computer. “ ‘ How to get your employees to work harder for you with no extra compensation .’ That’s actually the name of a chapter. Can you even believe this?”
    She groaned and settled back for a long night. By the time she’d made it through ten chapters, her eyes burned so badly she couldn’t keep them open. She let them fall shut for just a minute to ease some of the strain. She’d get up and try some Visine in a minute.
    BRIGHT LIGHT PENETRATED HER eyelids, and Olivia’s eyes fluttered