Hidden Scars Read Online Free PDF

It was as good a topic as any. “
LA Confidential
. You said it was one of your favorites. Got any others?”
           Her drink sloshed as her hand jerked around it. “Oh. Um.
Memento. Chinatown. The Lives of Others.
”
           “Why?”
           She drank deeply before answering. The level of liquid in her glass was below the halfway point when the glass came back down. Her cheeks were flushed, eyes bright and animated. “It’s the story. It has to have a good story, otherwise why would I want to spend two hours or more sitting in the dark? They…make me think. They let me into someone else’s world, a believable world, not one populated by morons who think shit jokes are funny.”
           Her fries arrived, and she worked her way through the basket, the pauses in the conversation growing less awkward as she told him about her favorite movies, moving on to books and reading, her preferred hobby. There was an entire wall in her dining room, she said, lined with boxes of books. She was thinking built-in shelves, once she got around to painting the damn place.
           She sipped her drink and sat back, nudging the basket toward the middle of the table. “God, I’m awful. I swear I’m not normally this self-centered.” She waved a hand at the fries. “Help yourself.” Propping her chin on her hand, she looked at him, the wariness and reserve finally gone from her expression. “Now you know what I do with my free time. What about you?”
           “Spend a lot of time outdoors. There’s plenty of hiking around here. Skiing, too.” He reached for a fry. “Haven’t caved to peer pressure yet and gotten a bike, but I’m thinking about it.”
           “Do you hike with a group? My friends aren’t all that into nature, so the most they’ll do is walk one of the trails out at Forest Park. Trying to talk one of them into anything more strenuous requires bribes.”
           He shook his head. “A buddy of mine sometimes goes with me, but I go alone a lot of the time.” He told her about some of his favorite trails, and she pulled out her phone to note a couple he mentioned that were fairly easy hikes that would have a good number of hikers in decent weather if she went by herself.
           Hiking. Something they could do together. He made a mental note to ask her in the spring, when the weather improved.
           She tucked the phone back in her purse. “Hate to say it, but I need to get home.” She signaled to the server for the check, then slid her gaze to Taylor. “Thanks,” she said quietly. “This was fun.”
           She left it at that. No subtle hints she’d like to do it again, just a simple thanks. They busied themselves with the check and pulling on coats, stepping out into the cold, damp evening. “Where’s your bus stop? Or did you drive in?” he asked. It wasn’t late, and the streets around their office were pretty safe, but if she was walking somewhere, he’d go with her to make sure nothing happened.
           And he wasn’t quite ready to leave her.
           “Two blocks over. Yours?”
           “Three blocks. I’ll walk you to your stop.”
           She shrugged. “Okay.” Then she headed for the corner.
           Sara’s bus stop turned out to be two blocks out of his way, and if he wanted to catch his bus he’d have to hurry. He scanned the sidewalk. The shelter was lit, and several people stood inside, waiting for the bus. She stopped just outside the pool of light and shot him a teasing grin. “Now who’s going to walk you to your stop?”
           His lips twitched. “I’ll take my chances.” That was his cue to say goodbye, leave her for the evening. Still, he hesitated, unsure if he should make some gesture. A hug, a kiss on the cheek.
           Too much, too soon. He was going to take this slow, let her lead for a while. He settled for a brief smile and