A Rocky Path Read Online Free PDF Page A

Sam.
    He led Emily upstairs to his suite of rooms
with Jamie trailing behind her. When he opened the door, she
noticed that the bedroom was all dark wood and beige walls, just
like a masculine bedroom should be. But in his sitting room there
was a desk with a computer sitting on it. There were a lot of
notebooks, pens and pencils scattered around the room. And on the
bookshelf were several novels by Sam Kelley, a writer who
specialized in trashy detective novels. She had read several of
them and enjoyed the witty, sarcastic style of writing.
    “Well, here it is. This is what I do!”
    Emily looked at him incredulously. “You…you
are Sam Kelley?”
    “The one and the same!”
    Jamie was grinning at her astonished
expression. “You would never have believed it, would you? I guess
the gift just runs in the family.”
    “You can’t tell anyone,” he said. “I write
under a pen name and I don’t want anyone to know who I really am.
Promise you won’t tell?”
    “Of course I won’t tell. Now there are two
famous writers in the house! What in the world is going to happen
to shock me next?”
     
    ***
     
    The rest of the day passed uneventfully. She
started getting restless about 4:00. She kept thinking about the
possibility of seeing Patrick again. Rebecca finally got tired of
her fidgeting and told her to take off an hour early.
    “I’m so sorry,” said Emily. “I don’t know
what’s wrong with me. I’m just antsy for some reason.”
    She had no idea why she hadn’t told anyone
about meeting Patrick. She guessed it was partly because there was
a small thrill from having a little secret that no one knew about.
And for some reason, she didn’t want to share him with anyone
yet.
    When it was time for dinner, Emily kept on
her jeans and t-shirt and put on her hiking boots. She planned on
going down to the rocks tonight, hoping that Patrick would be
there. She was beginning to think she was acting like a crazy
person, but she couldn’t help it.
    “Well, you sure dressed differently for
dinner tonight,” remarked Rebecca.
    Emily smiled. “I’m just moody like that. You
just never know what I’ll feel like wearing.”
    After dinner, Emily told everyone that she
would like to wander around by herself for awhile.
    “Do you want to go do something later on
tonight?” Jamie asked. “Sam could go with us, too.”
    “No, I don’t think so. I really just want a
little solitude this evening, ok?”
    “Sure,” Jamie said. “I’ll see you either
later on tonight or in the morning. Sam, let’s go shoot some
pool.”
    After the two men had left, Rebecca went up
to her sitting room and Emily went down the path and down the
little rocky cliff. She was disappointed to find that Patrick was
not there. She wandered down the coast a little bit, looking
around, hoping to see him somewhere. The disappointment she felt
was much deeper than it should have been.
    ‘What’s wrong with me? Am I just a school
girl with a crush? I just met this guy!’ she thought.
    Suddenly a teasing voice came from behind
her. “Are you looking for me by any chance?”
    She whirled around to find Patrick standing
there, his shoulder length dark hair blowing in the wind, a slight
smile on his face. He was wearing jeans that rode low on his hips
and a t-shirt that was a little tight, showing off his lean body.
He didn’t have the bulkier muscles like Jamie did, but was thinner,
with muscles that were hard, but not huge.
    “How in the world did you get back there? I
was looking all over….” She stopped, blushing when she realized
that she was admitting more than she wanted to.
    He reached out and lightly touched her face
for just an instant. Just that tiny touch sent shivers through her
body and turned her legs to water.
    “I just walked up behind you. You were just
not looking in the right direction.”
    “But you couldn’t have…..never mind. I must
have been daydreaming and just didn’t see you.”
    “So, Emily, what have you