Cut Too Deep Read Online Free PDF

suddenly starving and feeling a little faint.
    They searched for a seat at the long narrow bar. Hadley loved Fanelli’s. Unlike many of the trendier places to eat in SoHo, it was affordable and comfortable. With a traditional throw back style, tables were dressed with picnic décor, white and red checkered tablecloths and yellow and red plastic squeeze tubes for ketchup and mustard. Pictures of celebrities from boxers to rock stars, both old and new, adorned the walls. Mingled in with those were photos of old kegs filled with booze, representing a time when Fanelli’s operated as a speakeasy during prohibition.
    Since the bar was full, the hostess sat the two of them at a small corner table, which Hadley actually preferred. She and Mac needed to talk.
    A few minutes later the waitress arrived. She batted her long black lashes at Mac and set two glasses of water on the table before asking what they would like to drink. Mac smiled a big, sexy smile, and told her he would have a Bass. Hadley promptly ordered the same, annoying the waitress with her request. As the waitress walked away, Mac’s eyes stayed on her ass that nearly fell out of the bottom of her short shorts.
    “Hello,” Hadley said, waving a hand in front of his face.
    Mac looked up with a dreamy smile. “What?”
    “Wow, Mr. Walsh! I had no idea you were such a tramp,” Hadley teased, and it made Mac laugh. He also enjoyed the pink sweeping over her cheeks, as though she might be slightly jealous of the flirtatious waitress. At least that’s what he hoped.
    “I’m a single guy, Had. We’re all tramps.”
    Hadley’s stomach constricted at his use of a childhood nickname she hadn’t been called since she was eight-years-old. Her hands sealed together on her lap. She rocked in the chair and breathed through her growing panic. When she lifted her eyes, she met Mac’s soft blue gaze. He observed her inquisitively, silently questioning her obvious uneasiness. She waited until her nerves subsided to say anything.
    While smirking across the table, Hadley hoped her friend didn’t notice her minor meltdown and said, “You can be a tramp if you want. But that girl is no lady.”
    Mac didn’t crack the slightest smile at her poorly timed Disney reference. Hadley realized how lame her joke had been. Being a child forced to run before walking meant little time to be silly and act like a child. Times like this, when Hadley chose to disguise her emotions with awkward humor, she realized how much of an effect growing up too soon had on her. Some of the mental pieces never matured past a frightened eight-year-old.
    After several tense seconds, Mac asked, “Are you okay?”
    Her gaze shot over his shoulder to a couple a few tables away. They held hands, lost in each other’s eyes. They were happy.
    Hadley didn’t look at her friend, but answered, “Yeah, I’m fine.”
    Mac’s fingers found her chin. He gently tugged her face, so she had to look at him.
    “Uh, whatever happened with you was definitely not fine .  Tell me!”
    She removed his fingers with her hand.
    “It’s nothing…you called me, Had.” The words barley came as bile burned the back of her throat. This was one of those triggers she worried about when she agreed to go out with him. “My dad calls me that.” Or, he did.
    Hadley lifted the glass of water and guzzled several large sips.
    “I take it that’s a bad thing?” Mac asked, and she nodded. “You want to talk about it?” Hadley shrugged and looked away from him again. Mac hated her discomfort and the difficulty she had making eye contact when something bothered her. He vowed to work harder to gain her trust and be the friend she needed. “Okay, mental note, don’t call Hadley, Had , and don’t ask about her dad. I got it.”
    She couldn’t contain her smile. Mac was quickly becoming someone she couldn’t imagine life without. He got her in a way no one ever had.
    “He’s dead,” Hadley blurted out nervously. She grabbed