Hiding In His Dreams Read Online Free PDF Page A

like I couldn‘t
breathe.”
    “ Sounds unhealthy, but it
doesn’t have to be that way,” she whispered. “It could be really
good.” She reached out one hand, then trailed the side of his cheek
with her fingers.
    “ I’m so happy right now,” he
whispered.
    She smiled. “Me too.”
    “ I could stay here with you
forever.”
    For a moment, there was silence,
nothing but the crash of the waves outside.
    Then, he said, “I wish the waves would
stop making that noise.”
    “ Noise?” She propped head up
with one arm. “It’s not noise. It’s music. It’s beautiful. You need
to stop and smell the roses more. That‘s what I was telling you on
the ferry.”
    “ What do you mean?” He
looked at her blankly. His mind was now elsewhere. It was on work
and the current project. Will I get the deal done on time? He
wondered. Or will I mess up and get fired?
    Alyssa noticed his absent-minded
expression, but did not mention it.
    “ It’s nature’s music. It’s
the sound that lets you know everything’s OK. Listen
again.”
    He did. “I still hear
noise.”
    She did not roll her eyes, or laugh at
him. Instead, she said, “Just imagine it’s singing to you, singing
a lullaby.”
    So he tried it, clearing his mind and
banishing all other thoughts. The sound of the waves was hypnotic,
a never-ending cycle.
    At that moment, his fears and doubts
vanished, carried out to sea. He fell asleep to the gentle sound of
the waves murmuring to one another, and to the feeling of Alyssa’s
soft fingers caressing his face.
    * * * * *

Chapter 4
    The following
Spring…
    Luke stared at his boss
Stew.
    That day, Stew’s Santa Claus demeanor
had disappeared. “Are you OK, Luke? You haven’t said anything for a
while.”
    “ But why? I handled that
Bank of British Columbia deal successfully.”
    “ You did,” his boss
admitted. “But you overlooked something that cost your client a
couple million dollars. Chump change to them, of course, but it’s
the principle of it. They expected you to deliver your best service
to them and you failed. It tarnishes the reputation of our
firm.”
    His boss put a hand on his shoulder.
“We gave Steve the Junior Manager position because we just felt
that Steve handled his deal with Tomer’s Inc. better. His deal went
off without a hitch.”
    Stew stroked his white beard. “You’re
lucky you’re not fired. In the cutthroat world of investment
banking, you get only one life. If something is distracting you, I
would advise you to deal with it before coming to work.”
    Stew started to turn around, then
stopped. “Oh, one more thing. We expect your new assignment to be
your best work. If it’s not, I’m afraid we’re going to have to let
you go.”
    His boss left Luke’s office, leaving
him to his thoughts. Luke never made mistakes. Ever.
    Nothing was new in his life except
Alyssa, but that was eight months ago. Could she be the one
distracting him? Nah, he thought. That can’t be it. She’s
everything that I have ever wanted.
    He decided to focus entirely on work,
pushing thoughts out of his mind.
    For the next few hours, he poured over
contracts, websites, and agreements. During this time, he took a
brief break, glancing out the window at the sunny atmosphere. He
could see Burrard Inlet and joggers, bikers, lovers all strolling
on the boardwalk. It was so leisurely. He wondered how they found
the time to do that.
    He worked until the sun was gone,
leaving only blackness in its place.
    A familiar voice brought him out of his
concentration. “Luke. You’re still at work? You didn’t
call.”
    He turned around and saw Alyssa
standing there with a food container in her hand.
    He smiled at the sight of her. “Hi.
Sorry. I have to do this next deal perfectly, or else I’ll be
fired.”
    “ I brought you some dinner.
Your favorite. Lasagna.”
    She opened the lid and the smell of
freshly baked of pasta smothered in tomato sauce filled the air.
She made it her own way, with