Fool Me Once Read Online Free PDF

tongue-and-groove floor. She cried harder but made no move to fix the phone. Instead, she went back to the fire and curled up with the dogs, where she cried herself to sleep.

    Olivia woke with a stiff neck. She struggled to her feet, all the while massaging her neck. She hoped a hot shower would work out the kink. The dogs raced to the back door, then did a double take when they saw the night’s snowfall piled up against the sliding door. Game little rascals that they were, they did their best to plow through snow that was taller than them. They peed quickly and raced back to the house. Olivia handed out treats, made coffee, and trudged off to the shower, where she stood under the pelting spray until the water ran cold. After dressing quickly in a fleece-lined blue sweat suit, heavy socks, and sneakers, she pulled back her hair in a ponytail and tied it with a red ribbon. The last thing she did before leaving the bathroom was to apply some face toner in the hope it would reduce the redness and puffiness around her eyes. Like she really cared how she looked.
    What she needed next was coffee. Lots and lots of coffee. As she sipped her second cup, she stared out the kitchen window, knowing that by eight o’clock, all her customers scheduled for the day would call to cancel. Considering her frame of mind, she thought it was a good thing. The only way she would be able to catch up was to work weekends. That wasn’t so bad, because she rarely did anything on the weekends except maybe go to dinner or the movies with Clarence.
    In order not to dwell on her immediate problem, Olivia tried to shift mental gears and think about her personal life. With the exception of Dee Dee Pepper, all her old friends were married with families. Most of them had moved out of state, and she’d lost touch with them. Christmas was always an eye-opener, when the cards came in with newsletters, new-baby pictures, and family updates. She hated reading the details. Someday she was going to meet a guy who was going to sweep her off her feet. A guy who would like animals and respect what she did for a living. A man with whom she would want to start a family. She shrugged when she realized her biological clock was ticking. “If it’s meant to be, it will be,” she muttered to herself.
    The phone rang in the kitchen. Olivia looked at the clock. Five minutes to eight. It was Cecil’s handler, Jeff Bannerman, pleading for her to keep Cecil another day, what with the snow-clogged roads. Olivia agreed, reminding Jeff that her services were fifty dollars an hour. As on the previous day, he readily agreed and said he would bring a check for the full amount when he came to pick up Cecil.
    The phone rang three more times, her three morning clients canceling and rescheduling. Outside, the skies were gray, and it looked like more snow. Her father was going to be in for a shock when he stepped off the plane. He was also going to have to take a taxi. There was no way she was going to the airport with road conditions what they were.
    Olivia refilled her coffee cup and carried it to the table, positioning it on one of the cheerful place mats she’d made last winter. She loved this kitchen, with the white cabinets and colorful greenery on the counters. She loved the whole house and was delightedly stunned when her father had deeded it to her when he and Lea went off to the islands. The hanging plants were thick and lush, thanks to a weekly dose of plant food and a good water spritzing every other day. Her collection of saltshakers and pepper grinders graced the tops of the cabinets. Her father had built a special shelf on top of the cabinets when she said she was going to start collecting something. He’d always acquiesced in everything she wanted and got right on it, making it happen. He’d been a wonderful father. Until now. Now she thought of him as a liar. He’d betrayed her in the worst possible way. How could she ever