A Penny's Worth (The Cephas Bourdon Series) Read Online Free PDF

down on my familiar seat. I inhaled deeply and exhaled dramatically, angry at my whimsical behavior. Cephas sat down and pulled his right leg up, resting one arm carelessly on his knee.
    “What’s wrong?” he asked, looking directly at me. His voice was warm and sent tingles up my skin. I rubbed my arms to make the bumps go away.
    “Hmmm?” I responded, drawing my attention back to the present. “Oh, nothing.” I sounded exasperated, even to myself.
    “Should I leave?” He stood a little ways.
    “Oh, no. No, you’re fine,” I assured him. “Stay as long as you please. I’m not very good company, though,” I warned. My gaze drifted towards the group around the fire. Chase was still gallivanting around the fire, prancing to the high school fight song sung by his loyal fans. See — the go weak at the knees feeling was gone — as long as I focused on my vain boyfriend.
    “Do you come here often?” Cephas encouraged. I looked over at Cephas and a smile crept across my face.
    “Well, it’s very nice back here.”
    “Yes — rocks are usually my choice of seating.” Cephas looked interestedly at me. “You really don’t want to be out there, huh?” He pointed to the group of people in disbelief. “I mean, you’re dating the basketball star, right?”
    “Yeah, I guess,” I replied, somewhat annoyed. Great — another person who thinks he knows me.
    “Okay, my mistake.” Cephas put his hands up in surrender. “Did on of your parents go to Princeton?”
    I sat confused for a moment, then remembered my tattered sweatshirt. “Oh, haha. Yeah, my mom.” I chuckled. “She graduated with a master’s degree in journalism.”
    “Journalism, huh?” he encouraged again at my lack of embellishment. My eyes narrowed as I looked over in skepticism. W hy did he want me to keep talking? No guy could really be that interested.
    “Why do you want to know about my mom?” I asked, forcing him to show real interest in the conversation if he was, in fact, interested.
    “Hey, you seem a little stressed. The least I can do is distract you.” His eyes sparkled with mischief. I felt light and airy again at his insinuation. In an attempt to gather my wits, I thought a moment before responding.
    “Do you really want me to expound? It could bore you tremendously.”
    “Oh, I love to be bored; it’s my favorite pastime,” he smirked. “It’s got to be better than that bonfire over there, anyway.” He looked in a jovial mood now, his smile reaching up into his aqua colored eyes. I narrowed my brows and smiled, unsure of how to proceed.
    “So what did your mom do?” he asked.
    “She was a reporter — wait —” I eyed him suspiciously. “You said ‘did’.”
    “So,” he replied, seemingly quite confused.
    “Well, you said what ‘did’ your mom do, not what ‘does’ your mom do.”
    “I don’t follow.”
    “My mom is dead.” The words sounded very rigid, and it surprised me, which surprise apparently crossed my face, because Cephas looked at the ground.
    “I — I’m sorry, Em — I didn’t know — just a slip up of words.” I looked across the woods, trying to see into the dark entrance to the trees. Why did I have to bring up something like that to somebody I didn’t even know? My mom had died a long time ago — two years should have been plenty of time to get over something like that. It was an accident anyway. I glanced at Cephas out of the corner of my eye. He was loo king over at the bonfire. Great. I was already boring him. I wondered how long I had been thinking in silence.
    “I’m sorry . I’ll stop boring you now.” I stood to leave.
    “No, don’t.” Cephas stood abruptly and grabbed my wrist. We both looked down at our clasped hands.
    “I’m not bored.”
    “Why don’t I believe you?” I asked, nearly in a whisper. My chest heaved up and down at the feel of his skin against mine. I was suddenly very aware of the closeness of our bodies. Why did my body tremble when he was