Reading Online Novel

Dare to Forgive(7)



With Bentley she had been turned on by that attitude and possessiveness, but too soon that possessiveness made her feel like an object, like something he owned and could do what he wished with. The love, the compassion, the care was replaced with being manhandled, somewhat abused by his firm grips, not-so-gentle tugs and pushes, and of course Bentley’s verbal orders and demands. Throw in some alcohol and the man turned into a monster. How her father didn’t seem to care made her wonder if he ever really loved her as his daughter.

She felt the tears reach her eyes and she put on her sunglasses as she walked down the block. She forced herself to not think of Bentley, or to analyze Hank, or fantasize about Leo, wondering what kind of lover he would be, and she didn’t think about Will, who was wild and a playboy.

The best thing to do was to avoid an attraction to her bosses. To not get involved with any men from work, and to just put her past behind her and not think of the painful memories any more.

She stopped by the deli in town and grabbed a salad and an ice tea. It was beautiful out today and considering she would be stuck in the meeting room with her bosses for the rest of the afternoon, she should enjoy lunch outside.

As she found a spot near the small park, she set up her things and pulled out her iPad. She saw text messages from Alicia and Marlena and then her phone went off as Mercedes texted her. She read the texts from Mercedes.

Going to Spencer’s tonight for a few drinks with Alicia and Marlena. You have to come, too. I can’t be stuck with all their men and feeling like I’m the single tag-a-long friend. Pleaseee.

Adel chuckled. Mercedes was so funny, and she was right. Adel went out with Alicia and Marlena a few times with their men and she felt out of place. Their men were touching them, kissing them, and being affectionate. That made the one single girl not only feel out of place but also in the spotlight for loser guys to come over thinking she was desperate for a man . She texted back immediately.

Sure thing. I’ll meet you there at 7:00.

Adel began to eat her lunch and in between she searched online for a new ceiling fan for her bedroom. The damn thing broke it was so old and considering her small cottage didn’t have central air , she only had a window AC unit and the bedroom fan to keep her cool at night. She needed one desperately.

“So this is where you disappear for lunch.”

She gasped and looked up to see Will standing there and holding a brown bag and an ice tea. His hazel eyes were blocked by some designer sunglasses that hid his eyes completely.

She didn’t know what to say but he sure did.

“Can I join you?” he asked, taking a seat and setting up his stuff alongside her.

“Sure. I guess,” she replied and then looked back at her iPad and noticed the prices for some of the basic fans. She exhaled.

“What are you looking at fans for?” he asked, and then bit into a large sub sandwich.

She turned to look at him. He removed his sunglasses and his hazel eyes held hers a moment. She could smell his cologne or was it the damn appealing soap he used in the shower this morning? She thought about the way he looked as he ran into the meeting room. His hair was practically still dripping. He must have been out late last night. Or maybe up all night. Was he alone in bed, or had some lucky woman gotten whisked off her feet by the very handsome and charming Will Ferguson?

She swallowed hard. He wasn’t her type either. A playboy who slept with a lot of women just because he could.

“Mine broke. I need a replacement one,” she told him then scrolled down to a cheaper one.

“Do you really need one? Doesn’t your cottage have AC?” he asked.

She shook her head. “Just a small unit in the window. It’s supposed to get hotter next week and I’ll be miserable if I don’t get a new one installed right away.”

“If you don’t mind one in brown or white, I think we have some overstock in storage from the last construction site.”

“How much?”

He smiled.

“You don’t have to pay for it.”

“No, I couldn’t do that. They were all paid for originally. What is the price? I’m on a limited budget.”

“Why is that? We pay you really well,” he asked. God he was so forward. He hadn’t a clue about struggling to make ends meet. He had money most of his life. She was on her own now and left home with five thousand dollars to her name. She couldn’t tell him how she needed a new dryer and was hang-drying her clothing outside. She couldn’t tell him her oven was leaking gas and she had to disconnect it because she didn’t want to blow up the small cottage she now owned. It was tough but she needed to be independent.