Free Secrets by Leanne Davis

at him that way made him uncomfortable.
    “What about you? Did you lose a parent too?”
    She shook her head adamantly. “Oh, no. I have both parents still.”
    He thought maybe if he played it up some Sarah just might sleep with him because of it. Something he wasn’t above doing. In fact, it was one of his best pick-up lines. Why then did he mentally shy away from that image? From having casual sex with Sarah Langston. Somehow it didn’t fit. Not at all.
    Just as he was about to suggest leaving, his cell phone chimed. He grabbed it. He listened with sigh and agreed, hanging up he found Sarah watching him curiously.
    “That was Vanessa.”
    “Oh.” She practically grimaced.
    “She needs me to pick her up.”
    He was already sliding out of the booth. He threw some bills on the table to cover the meal. She finally caught on he was in a hurry. Once on her feet he turned and rushed to his truck. On the road he glanced at her and noticed her stony face. He swore. He should have gone the opposite way to drop Sarah off at her car.
    “I can drop you off.”
    “You’re driving the wrong way.”
    “I can turn around.”
    “No, it’s okay. You seem in a hurry to get to her .”
    He flinched at Sarah’s subtle, icy tone. Sarah was the polite, restrained one of the two. What was Vanessa’s reaction going to be when she saw Sarah? Vanessa didn’t do subtle tones to her voice. Vanessa would more likely throw something at his head.
    And now he’d prolonged his time with Sarah, when until today, he didn’t even like her, let alone want to hang out with her. But she had turned out to be a little funnier than he’d have guessed. She had always appeared so prim and proper, very serious and intent with her demeanor, and with whatever she talked about. But somehow that evening, he’d gotten a kick out of her. He’d almost enjoyed her . Almost . She was after all that bottle of expensive wine and he didn’t do wine. Ever.

Chapter Six
    Sarah glared straight ahead out of the windshield, afraid she’d already stared too much at him tonight and given away her sudden, strange fascination with him. She was suddenly attracted to his looks, his mannerism, and his face in ways she hadn’t expected. And yet, he by no means let on that he even liked her, let alone noticed her as a woman.
    They drove a short distance out of Seaclusion. The road was desolate feeling as lights became sporadic through the thick growth of trees lining the road. Scott pulled off onto a side driveway that Sarah didn’t see until they were turned into it. For a moment she thought Scott was going to land them in the ditch. Scott knew exactly where they were going, even though she felt like they had, in less than a mile, fallen off the face of civilization. They followed the rutted drive a short length until they came to a single wide trailer nearly hidden among the long grass and tree growth.
    She flinched at the scatter of junk. A blue tarp served as a roof in one section of the rusty, red trailer. God , did Scott, Angie and Vanessa live there? Somehow it changed what had been a growing opinion of Scott. And she hated herself the snobbery which she’d claimed she didn’t have. But this place was bad. Better left abandoned than lived in. Scott left his truck headlights on the trailer. He turned off the engine.
    “No, I don’t live here.”
    She nearly heaved a sigh of relief. What could she have said? Nice place you have here? “Did I look that obvious?”
    “With your disdain? Yeah, kind of. But I don’t blame you. It’s awful.”
    She smiled at him glad he felt that way too, again his appeal climbed another degree in her estimation. “Where are we and why are we here?”
    His jaw clenched as he stared straight ahead. “This is Vanessa’s boyfriend’s place. They had another fight, and she’s stuck here again.”
    Did Scott realize how much he said, again and another, where Vanessa was concerned? Did he realize how at her beck and call he was?