Curtis Read Online Free PDF Page A

out part of their secret.
    But again Daniel was too polite to
mention it. After she turned for him he pulled the zipper up only having it
catch once. His fingers grazed her skin and she shivered. It was nothing like
when Curtis had—
    She turned to him smiling, then she
frowned. “What are you doing here? I thought I told you I had a date with my
dad.” He reached for her wrap and she allowed him to put it over her shoulders.
“Daniel, what’s going on?”
    “Your dad called me. He said that he’d
broken a button off his jacket and the neighbor was sewing it on. Instead of
making you both late, he asked if I could pick you up since my date bailed on
me at the last minute. I told him that I would bring you and he’d ride in
later.” He put out his arm for her to take. “Ready?”
    The ride over was spent with the two of
them talking. He never mentioned Curtis and neither did she. Nor did he bring
up the file. She was glad and hadn’t realized until that second she’d needed
this more than she’d thought. He smiled at her when the limo stopped, but made
no move to get out when the door opened.
    “Curtis is going to be here tonight. Are
you going to be all right with that?” She looked at the open door. “Kylie, what
is the relationship between you two?”
    That startled her. “We don’t have…he
kissed me, that’s all. And then I slapped him. End of story. And even if things
were different, you know as well as I do that I’m not his usual type.”
    Daniel nodded. Actually, Kylie had no
idea what anyone’s type was, but Daniel didn’t seem to know that. She’d been
gone until last month and now this.
    “I’d like to see you. I know that we’ll
be working together on this project, but I’d very much like to take you out.”
Her heart flipped at his words. “You don’t have to answer me now, but let me
know.”
    She watched as he disappeared out of the
limo and then reached back for her hand. She let him pull her out and then
stood next to him as cameras went off all around them. She smiled, letting the
moment take her. She finally had her dream man in her arms and nothing would
spoil it.
    ~~~
    Curtis stood at the bar and watched them
come in. He had already explained to his mother what he’d done and what he was
going to do about it. She wasn’t any happier about it than he was.
    “You kissed her. Why?” He didn’t answer,
not that it mattered. “What does Daniel think? That girl has been in love with
him for nearly all her young life.”
    “I know that. Da…darn it, Mom, why do
you think…I’m not going to go tonight. I would embarrass her.” He didn’t add
that he’d be hard pressed not to throw her over his shoulder and take her home
with him. “I don’t think we’ll be able to come to an agreement if I make her
too mad at me.”
    “You’ll be there, young man, or you’ll
answer to me. And you’re going to be nice to her. I don’t care if it kills you.”
He thought it might. “And you’ll not make Daniel mad either. He might want to
settle down with this girl.”
    That statement was why he was hanging
around at the bar listening to the mayor go on about pre-election planning and
whatever else spewed from his mouth. When Daniel pulled the chair out for
Kylie, Curtis excused himself and stepped outside at the back of the building. He
nearly turned and went back when he saw Kylie’s father, Jon Washington, standing
there.
    “Hello, Mr. Washington,” Curtis said
when the man caught him. “It’s a little stuffy in there right now until
everyone gets seated.” He was babbling. He snapped his mouth closed and looked
out across the lake that butted nearly up against the building. To the left of
them was a beautiful eighteen hole golf course and to the right, the slightly
smaller building that the city used for other functions. This building would
hold more than a thousand and it looked like it was nearly at capacity.
    “It is. I don’t care for these things
anyway. Had to