Glass Ceilings Read Online Free PDF Page B

you decide, just sign on the line and leave the rest to us. Oh, and don’t worry about losing those, I have plenty of copies at home.” She scooted off the barstool and added, “Come on, Jase.”
    “Where are you going?” Angela asked, unable to hide the annoyance she most definitely felt.
    “I told you we had a date.”
    “No, you didn’t.”
    Eve’s brows puckered in confusion. “I didn’t? Huh, my bad. Sorry, I have a date. I’m sure Nick won’t mind driving you home, right, Nick?”
    “Of course not.”
    “Great, see? Problem solved.” Eve smiled sweetly, before adding, “Also, The Dump is sold out for their New Year’s Eve bash. Can you get us in, Nick?”
    “Of course.”
    “Yay.” Eve pointed to me while looking at Angela. “He’s a keeper, cuz. Bye, kiddies.”
    I was pulled away for a few minutes to fill some drink orders, leaving Angela alone at the other end of the bar. When I finally had a break in customers, I slowly walked back to stand before her. “Can I get you something to drink?”
    “No, I’m fine. Do you have the number for a local taxi service?”
    “Angela, if you don’t mind waiting a few hours I
can
drive you home.”
    Mugs arguing with two guys in a corner of the bar caught my attention. I watched the exchange, taking in every expression crossing their faces.
    “Everything okay?” Angela asked, following my gaze to where the altercation still continued.
    “Yeah, just Mugs being Mugs.”
    I laughed at the enchanting way she scrunched up her nose. “He scares me,” she admitted with a shrug.
    I leaned in closer and whispered, “He scares me, too.”
    After a small giggle she became serious again. “Nick, you don’t have to babysit me just because Eve bullied you into it.”
    I made sure my facial expression held nothing but sincerity when I said, “No one can ever bully me into doing something I don’t want to do, Angela.”
    She scanned my face before meeting my stare, failing to hide the skepticism that she felt. Without a word, I moved away, fixed her a rum and Diet Coke, and slid it over on a bar napkin. “It’d really be my pleasure. Okay?”
    “Okay. Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome.”
    Throughout the night I bounced around from Angela to anyone who needed a drink. In between, I kept an eye on the activity that occurred between Mugs and random characters in the stockroom. I even managed a brief conversation here and there with Angela…mostly centered around Eve and her family. I learned that Eve’s and Angela’s dads were brothers, the girls had spent the holiday with Eve’s family who lived in the suburbs, and Angela had one brother, as did Eve.
    She’d ended up hanging out with me for hours as I worked. Slowly, I learned bits and pieces about her likes and dislikes. She despised beer, loved the beach, hated violent action movies, and loved to read. These were all inconsequential to who she really was, but it gave me a clearer picture of what made her tick.
    I never pushed, instead waiting for her to volunteer whatever she wanted me to know. She was clearly hiding something, but weren’t we all? The fact that she completely intrigued me with so little information spoke volumes. The rest of our chat was filled with Chicago weather and favorite sports teams. Her vagueness only added to her appeal. Gorgeous, funny, mysterious, and shy, this woman was driving me fucking nuts.
    —
    By the time we climbed into the freezing cab of my truck, I was determined to get to know as much about Angela as possible. The more time I spent with her, the more time I wanted.
    “I won’t miss Chicago winters,” she said while staring at the dark night sky. She read my mind. The snow that fell on Christmas was now covered with sheets of ice. She shivered beside me as we waited for the heat to kick on. When warm air started to fill the tiny space we silently shared, her scent quickly overtook my senses. It was nothing like the overpowering perfume most girls