Edge of Shadows (Shadows #1) Read Online Free PDF Page B

and he shifted his head from side to side, keeping his limbs warm.
    Ellie was suddenly entranced by his muscular shoulders. She smiled faintly back at him, and felt like she was sixteen years old all over again and David was the first boy she had ever met in her life.
    “Look at that, you can smile when you want to,” he said in a teasing tone.
    Her small smile instantly turned to a frown. “What does that mean?”
    “You just look so down all the time when I stop by your shop. You seem sad a lot,” he replied, continuing his slow jog.
    Ellie start walking again. She didn’t know what to say. This is what happened when you talked to strangers. You got pulled into awkward conversations and then suddenly people brought up something you don’t want to talk about. She was surprised when David turned around and fell in beside her.
    “I didn’t mean any offense,” he said.
    She glanced out of the corner of her eye at him. His aura had turned to orange. That meant that he was distressed, so his intentions appeared to be genuine. “No. It’s fine. I guess I haven’t had a lot of things to smile about lately,” she said.
    “Well, if you ever want to talk about it I’ve been told I’m a good listener. I know this great place to get an outstanding cup of coffee,” David said.
    Ellie couldn’t help herself; she laughed out loud. David just shrugged his shoulders with a mischievous grin on his face. The orange aura was fading back to blue as he relaxed. She could imagine what he was thinking: the situation has been diffused. She wondered how many other people in her life thought of her as a ticking time bomb and that thought brought her back to reality.
    David was certainly good looking and obviously witty; exactly the type of man who wouldn’t give her the time of day under normal circumstances. Not that she would have noticed or known what to do with that kind of guy anyway. But now she didn’t know how to respond. Was this an invitation for a date? Was he just being nice, or was it something more? And if it was, what should she say? She had to slow down and think about this.
    “Well, I don’t know, David. I’m usually pretty busy at work,” she said slowly.
    “Aren’t you the boss?” he asked. There was an amused glint in his eyes.
    “I have to set a good example for my employees,” she retorted.
    “I don’t think they’d mind,” he said.
    Ellie cringed inside because she knew he was right. Her employees would be delighted to see her talking to anyone other than herself and her dog. She thought there had been discussion recently of committing her.
    “Well, maybe. If I have time, and the shop isn’t busy.” She had no further argument, and she was fairly certain that they both knew it.
    “Great!” David said. “I’m sorry, I have to go. I want to get this lap in before I head into work.”
    “Okay.” Ellie felt a small twinge of regret. She was grateful he hadn’t pushed anything, and she realized that it felt nice to talk to someone else, if even for a few minutes. She was making progress after all.
    David waved as he turned around.
    After a few moments, Ellie turned around to watch him. He was keeping a steady pace and soon was a speck in the distance. Ellie pulled on Skipper’s leash. “C’mon, bud, it’s time to head home.”
    She started home, dragging a reluctant Skipper the whole way.

CHAPTER FOUR
    David was almost done with his run and his whole body felt like it was on fire. It had been a pleasant surprise to bump into Ellie. He had been trying to figure out a way to talk to her alone for weeks. Six months ago David moved to Minneapolis from a suburb of Phoenix to complete his medical residency. His work required long hours, so it wasn’t a big surprise that he had a serious caffeine addiction. After trying several coffee shops on his route to the hospital, one day he had stumbled upon Ellie’s Coffee Isle.
    It was a charming shop and David had instantly felt at home. The staff