Dark Promise. M. L. Guida

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СКАЧАТЬ returned to her table and bit into the blueberries, relishing their tart, sweet, juicy flavor. Definitely her favorite fruit. She shoveled three more bites.

      “You’re eating the way a death row inmate eats his last meal.”

      Damn Lilly. Mr. Hottie was glued to his paper. God, the man dwarfed his chair. Why did Lilly have to point out every little thing she did wrong? When did she become Ms. Manners. “Well, I, uh, wanted to hit the slopes.”

      Lilly leaned closer. “Do I appear stupid to you? You’re the Queen of Avoiders.”

      “What? No, I’m not.”

      “Look, I know you want him. Get him before someone else does. Your beautiful, Cassandra. He’d be a damn fool to let you go.”

      Easy for Lilly to say. She didn’t turn into a stuttering buffoon around good-looking men. “Lilly, we’re not in seventh grade anymore.”

      “You’re the one who’s in love with a dream guy and now his twin is sitting over there, you’re going to blow him off?”

      “I’m not blowing him off. He’s interested in you.”

      Lilly rolled her eyes. “Cassandra, you don’t know that. Now, go say something. Anything. Rather than sitting here like a shivering snowwoman.”

      “Lilly, stop.”

      “You’re chickening out again. He’s getting coffee.” Lilly glanced at Cassandra’s cup. “You’re out. Go get some.”

      “Lilly, I don’t—”

      Lilly patted Cassandra’s thigh. “If you don’t go over there and, at least, introduce yourself and ask him his name, I’m inviting him here for breakfast.”

      Cassandra couldn’t face him. Not after the dream. He was way out of her league. “You wouldn’t.” The dream man’s words haunted her. He’d promised she would find out his name and—no this was a coincidence. It was a dream. Just a dream.

      Her eyes twinkling, Lilly started to get up.

      “Fine, I’ll go.” Forcing her wobbly legs to move, Cassandra clutched her mug, her nails digging into her palm, and headed to the coffee table. Pain would keep her mind straight. Hopefully.

      Heart pounding and hands sweaty, she brushed up next to him and inhaled his cinnamony scent. Crap, her hormones were going into over drive.

       Concentrate. Concentrate. Concentrate.

      She ached to grab his shoulders, whirl him around and kiss him. What if he did? It would be too much, too real, too terrifying.

      He poured cream into his mug and stirred.

      “Hi,” Cassandra said too loudly. Why had she let Lilly goad her?

       Dumb. Dumb. Dumb.

      He cocked an eyebrow. “Do you always say ‘hi’ so angrily?”

      “What do you mean? You don’t know me, and, for your information, I’m not angry.”

      “Then why do you have a scowl on your face?”

      She was so not good at this. “No, I don’t.”

      “Ah, so your idea of a smile is to furrow your eyebrows together, push out your upper lip and narrow your eyes?”

      “I’m not mad.” Her cheeks heated and she had no doubt she resembled a cherry tomato. Her hand shaking, she refilled her cup and pretended that it was more fascinating than him Yeah, right. This wasn’t working. What was wrong with her? Why was she acting as if he just peed in her coffee?

      “So, are you a skier?”

      “No.”

      He lifted his eyebrow.

      “I mean yes. If you’ll excuse me, you’re in my way.”

      “I sure as shit wouldn’t want to see you when you are mad.”

      “I told you I’m not mad.”

      Before she could finish, he moseyed to his chair. She might as well hand him to Lilly on a silver platter. She hurried back to Lilly and tripped over her chair. “Happy?”

      Lilly shook her head. “God, Cassandra, what is wrong with you? I’ve never seen you turn into Medusa around a guy before. I'm surprised your hair didn't coil into snakes and bite the poor guy. Why are you acting this way?”

      “I don’t know. Come on, let’s go.” Eyes forward, Cassandra hastened out of the dining room.

      “Okay, Princess Charming.” Lilly half-jogged to keep up. “Now we’re racing back to the room so you don’t have to run into this guy?”

      “I made a freaking fool out of myself.”

      “If you wanted to annihilate the guy, I think you succeeded.”

      “That wasn’t my intention.”

      “What was your intention?”

      She threw open their door, not wanting anyone to hear what she was going to say. What if someone heard, especially him? Lilly walked in and Cassandra closed the door. “Lilly, he scares me.”

      Lilly frowned. “Why?”

      “Because I want him so much.”

      “Okay, that doesn’t make sense.”

      “I know. I’m a hot mess.”

      “Well, I’ve got to pack Miss Hot Mess.”

      As Lilly packed, Cassandra leaned against the wall by the window facing Galena Street. The window frosted and goose bumps ran over her skin.

      She twisted the smooth silver ring on her right hand, the circular motion sending tingles through her and the tension in her muscles relaxed. A shadowy cowboy figure stood on the corner on Galena Street next to a statue of a hawk. The ghost tipped his white cowboy hat at a young woman walking a barking and growling husky. She yanked the dog’s chain.

      What would the woman do if he she knew her dog protected her from a ghost? People should learn to trust their animals.

      “What are you gawking at? Is that guy outside?”

      “No, he’s not,” Cassandra muttered and stopped playing with her ring. She refused to give Lilly something else to tease her about. The ghost faded along with the chill. Lilly didn’t believe in the supernatural and Cassandra kept her secret to herself. She had enough teasing as a child to last a lifetime.

      Lilly snapped her suitcase shut. “Done packing.” She set her suitcase at the door and stretched out her arms. “Come give me a hug, girl.”

      Cassandra gave her a big hug, enveloped in the scent of oranges, lemon and peaches—Calvin Klein’s Obsession and Lilly’s СКАЧАТЬ