Brave the Heat Read Online Free PDF Page A

could you?” Jordan grabbed her friend’s hand and squeezed. “I had cut myself off from everyone. I was determined to make it on my own and then…well, so much time had passed, it felt like it was too late. When you and I actually had time to talk on the phone over the past couple of years, the last subject I wanted to bring up was my sham of a marriage.” She pressed at her eyes with the heels of her hands.
    “It’s ironic, isn’t it? I ran away to escape my father, and I ended up marrying a man exactly like him. How pathetic. Ted may have more money than my father and look like a polished tycoon, but at the core he’s a mean, controlling, and nasty drunk too.” Pushing herself off the car, she sucked in a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “I stayed as long as I did because I didn’t want my daughters to come from a broken home.”
    “What made you change your mind?” Maddy asked gently. “Why now?”
    “Girl, this is a conversation that requires a bottle of wine and a couple of chairs on the beach.” She squeezed Maddy’s hand. “For now, let’s just say that it’s better to come from a broken home than live in one.”
    “Ain’t that the truth?” Maddy murmured. “And I’m taking you up on that bottle of wine offer. You, me, and a bottle of wine on your deck. Deal?”
    “Deal.”
    “I’ll bring the wine.” Maddy gathered her up in another hug and kissed her cheek. “You tell me when.”
    “Hey, Jordan.” The gentle, hesitant tenor interrupted their conversation, and Jordan knew who it was before she even saw the man on the sidewalk. “When did you get back to town?”
    Tommy Miller appeared much like he did in high school, and the sight of him was no less heartbreaking now than it was then. He was dressed in a dark gray uniform with his name stitched neatly on the front. His slightly stooped frame had filled out a bit over the years and his blond hair had thinned out to a dusty gray, but the burn scars that marred the right side of his face remained the same. They were a gruesome reminder of that fateful day from their childhood, one that haunted everyone in town, but Tommy and Gavin more than anyone else.
    “Hi, Tommy. It’s so good to see you again.”
    Jordan stepped onto the sidewalk with a wide smile. She gave him a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and the poor guy almost dropped the two grocery bags in his arms. She stepped away and tried to help him secure the bag slipping from his right arm, the side that had been weakened and scarred in the fire.
    “Sorry,” Jordan said quickly. “I guess I was so excited to see you that I almost knocked the bags down.”
    “That’s okay.” Tommy dipped his head and stepped back, obviously not wanting Jordan’s help. “I can manage.”
    “Of course.” Jordan gave Maddy a sidelong glance. “Sorry.”
    “Hey there, Tommy,” Maddy said with a wave.
    “You back home to see your dad?” Tommy asked. He flicked his good eye up to Jordan before looking down at the ground again. Jordan’s heart broke. He was so self-conscious after all this time. “Or are ya here for good? I-I thought I saw you at the school today.”
    “The school?”
    “Yeah.” He adjusted the bags in his arms, and even though Jordan wanted to offer to take one for him, she resisted. “I’m the head custodian over there. I been workin’ there since we graduated, but last year I got promoted.” He stood a little taller. A hint of a smile played at his lips. “Anyway, I thought I saw you there today coming out of the principal’s office.”
    “Of course. I think Principal Drummond mentioned that during our tour of the school. And, yes, we’re back for good. The girls and I are renting the Sweeneys’ old place out on Shore Road. I’d love for you to meet them, but they’re sleeping at the moment.”
    “That’s okay.” Tommy lifted one shoulder and shuffled his feet. “I don’t wanna wake ’em up. I’m sure I’ll see ’em in the fall once school