Danny Read Online Free PDF Page A

Stacey showing up on my doorstep, expecting me to
let her in. What if she went upstairs? What if she realized I
wasn’t sleeping in my bedroom anymore? She would know for sure I
wasn’t over him then.
    I may have run a red light or two, may have come to
rolling stops at a few stop signs, but I made it to her place by
7:01 p.m. Her car was still parked out front.
    Breathing a sigh of relief, I took a moment to
steady my nerves before climbing from my car and going to her door.
I let myself in, like I always did, expecting to find her waiting
in the living room, but she wasn’t there. In fact, the whole place
looked dark, deserted. Was she home? Oh God, what if she’d had
Danny drive her over to my place? He still had a key! “Stacey?” Did
I sound as frantic as I felt? “Stace!”
    “Back here.” Her voice sounded from the bedroom.
Relief rushed through me, and I crept down the hall on shaky
legs.
    Stacey’s bedroom was shadowy, lit only by a handful
of varying sizes of pillar candles on the nightstands at each side
of the bed. Stacey stood silhouetted against the window across the
room. Just ten steps and I could have my arms wrapped around her,
feel her body pressed against mine. How many times had we stood
just like that, staring out at the moonlight reflecting off the
lake, drawing comfort from each other?
    I didn’t cross the room, didn’t pull her into my
arms. Even the idea felt wrong for some reason. Instead, I stood in
the bedroom doorway, uncomfortable and confused by my own
emotions.
    After several long moments, Stacey turned away from
the scenery outside. Looking at me without really looking at me,
she motioned toward the bed. “Have a seat,” she directed. I obeyed
without hesitation, resting lightly at the edge of the
mattress.
    Stacey began a slow pacing from the window to the
door and back again. Just when I thought I wouldn’t be able to
handle the silence anymore, she spoke. “When you and Danny first
came to see me, I was sure I could stay objective, maintain my
professionalism. I didn’t know I was going to start to care about
you.” She sucked in a breath. “Both of you.”
    Shit, was she leaving me for Danny? I’d given him up
for her, and now that I was realizing I’d made a mistake, was I
going to lose them both? Stacey watched me, as if trying to gauge
my reaction, but I was too stunned to react. Deep down, I’d known
all along she cared for Danny, too, but I couldn’t shake the
feeling that she was trying to let me down gently so she could be
with him.
    “I shouldn’t have let my emotions get involved,” she
continued, and then she said something so unexpected it took
several moments to register. “You and Danny belong together, Paige.
You’ve always belonged together.”
    Stacey wasn’t leaving me for Danny; she wanted me to
be with him. Motionless in that spot on the bed, I was unsure of
what to say or do. Was she done--should I go? I was about to stand
when the bed shifted behind me, like someone had just climbed onto
it.
     
    I wasn’t sure what I’d been expecting to see when I
turned, but I certainly hadn’t thought Danny would be there,
kneeling on the bed just behind me. How had I not noticed he was
there? He must have been in the room the entire time, must have
been sitting in the chair in the corner--the one completely
shrouded in darkness, I realized, peering over his shoulder.
    He smiled a warm, inviting smile and shuffled a few
inches closer. I suddenly felt like a timid animal he was trying to
capture without spooking.
    “What are you doing here?” I whispered the words as
he inched ever closer. What kind of game were they playing?
    “I asked him to be here. I wanted to speak to both
of you together,” she answered for him. “I was worried that if you
knew he was here, you would leave.” Yeah, she’d probably been right
about that. “Like I said, I care about you both.” She’d stopped
pacing and was now taking slow, deliberate steps toward the