A Younger Man (Mount Faith Series: Book 7) Read Online Free PDF Page A

tell him the secret he was keeping for Anita. The anticipation was bubbling up inside him. He was sure that the secret was not all that bad. Nothing could really shake him from loving Anita at this moment—nothing at all.
     
    *****
     
    Anita let herself into her house a little after seven Monday evening. As usual, it had been a tiring day trying to battle the glass ceiling. She was the only female vice president, and she had a hell of a time bucking against the status quo.
    Her answering machine was flashing, but she ignored it. She kicked off her shoes and sat in her sofa with a sigh.
    The rumbling of her belly had her heading for the fridge; she flung some cucumber, a handful of grapes, and an apple into her blender and gulped it down as soon as the mix was smooth enough.
    Her dog, Chudney, rubbed against her leg. She looked down at him and grinned.
    "I fed you a big bowl of dog food this morning. I am not going to allow you to get fat."
    Chudney whined and nudged her leg.
    "Okay, okay," She grinned down at him, "more food for you, but only a little."
    She fed him then headed back to her living room. After relaxing in the settee, she glanced at the flashing light on her phone. Chudney came to join her, and she cuddled him. He was a Shih Tzu and the closest thing to a child she would probably have.
    He was three years old. She had gotten him in a particularly low period in her life. She sighed. It was right after that kiss with Vanley Bancroft, three years ago. She had finally realized that she was barking up the wrong tree. They were never going to work; she was fooling herself. Then she had had an almost insatiable craving for companionship, and she had gone to a breeder and gotten herself a dog.
    She caressed Chudney's coat, and he licked her hand. She closed her eyes and waited for that infernal loneliness to swamp her as it usually did when she was relaxed—it did. It usually came softly, then slammed into her, rendering her immobile for minutes. The feeling actually felt like a presence—dark and all engulfing. She hugged Chudney closer to her and pressed “Play” on her answering machine just so she could hear somebody else's voice.
    "Hello, Anita. This is Natasha Jackson. Just got back from honeymoon. We have a tiny problem we need to discuss with you. Can we set a meeting for eight o'clock at your office tomorrow?"
    There were no more messages. Anita inhaled and shuddered at the same time. Why would the police want to question her?
    She hadn't done anything illegal in her life. On the contrary, she had always done what others and society expected of her.
    She got up and went to the veranda. The house was in an isolated location. Her closest neighbor was Micah Bancroft, who lived two miles up the road. Her curving driveway was lined with solar powered garden lights, but most of them were dim. The sun had not been out in earnest for a few days.
    She did not want to live on Mount Faith Drive with the rest of the admin staff and their families. She enjoyed the solitude and the fact that the three-acre property had been going at such a cheap rate that she would have been foolish not to have taken it. The executors had sold her the four-bedroom place as is, with even the knives and forks still in the cupboards. The owner had died and his heirs want to dispose of the property with as little fuss as possible.
    She stood on her porch and watched as the fog flirted with the lights leading up to her driveway. All around her was pitch black and cold. Chudney had followed her outside and he pressed his body on her foot.
    The gesture brought tears to her eyes. Was this how it was always going to be for her: living in a remote house with only a dog for company? Why was she even torturing herself over her situation tonight?
    She had known how it was going to be for a long time now. Just then a longing for Vanley clutched her unexpectedly and she slumped onto the rocking chair. She gripped the arms of the chair and reminded