Nocturnal Read Online Free PDF Page B

she’d worn at the chili cook-off, but her clothes couldn’t hide the way her hips moved, or her statuesque figure.
    I stood up to greet her, hoping my broad smile didn’t appear too rabid. After thinking of little else for the past thirty-six hours, I was near bursting with excitement.
    She allowed me to take her hand, briefly, before settling into a chair.
    “So, what brings you into town?” I asked cheerily.
    “Shopping. Fall fashion.”
    “Man, how can you think about fall fashion in this heat? I’d be in shorts and a t-shirt if I didn’t have to work.”
    She studied me apprehensively, her blue eyes narrowing. I was already bombing, coming across like a dorky, socially awkward teenager.
    “I’ve only got a few minutes,” she said, glancing towards the exit. “Do you have the photo?”
    I nodded down at the satchel resting against my chair. “I’ll give it to you, like I promised. But you have to stay for coffee, first.”
    “Oh, didn’t I mention? I don’t drink coffee. Or tea.”
    “Then have a muffin. I checked online, and apparently they do a great lemon-strawberry here. After tasting your chicken and white bean chili, I know you appreciate good food.”
    A hint of a smile, which she quickly pulled in. “Okay, I suppose I did keep you waiting.”
    Before she could change her mind, I went up to the counter and ordered a lemon strawberry muffin for Lucy, and an extra-large latte for myself, planning to sip very, very slowly. I thought the coffee and food would buy me time, but when I returned to our table, Lucy was perched on the edge of her seat, like she was ready to leave.
    “Have you been in Granite Bay long?” I asked quickly, before she could make her excuses.
    Lucy pursed her lips. “Only two years, since I met Sterling. He’s lived there all his life, almost sixty-one years if you can believe that.” She paused, leaning back in her chair. “It’d take a forklift to get him out now.”
    “Does he still work?”
    She nodded. “He’s a property developer. His daddy started the business after the war, and Sterling took over the reins when he passed on. Piper & Son, building dreams since 1949.” She laughed cruelly. “No surprises what his boys are going to do after college.” Lucy picked up on my inquiring look. She said, “Sterling had four kids with his first wife, Margaret. She lives in Granite Bay, too. We get the youngest ones every other weekend.”
    “Ah-ha,” I said, secretly relieved she wasn’t a mother.
    “I don’t usually get involved with school activities, but Margaret canceled at the last minute. She’s always pulling stuff like that.”
    “Your husband couldn’t have helped?”
    “Nah, he was buttering up some politicians at his fishing lodge. He thinks cooking’s a woman’s job, anyway. So of course it was up to me to save the kids from embarrassment. Not that they showed any gratitude. In their eyes, Margaret can do no wrong, and I’m just the evil stepmother. ”
    I paused to sip my coffee, slowing things down. Talking about Sterling and his first wife was only making her agitated. “So where are you from originally?”
    “Austin. But I moved to LA when I was eighteen.”
    “ LA ,” I repeated reverently, although I wasn’t sure why. “I’m from Chico myself, but I don’t think of it as home. My mom died when I was young, and I never got on with the old man, so there’s nothing pulling me back. I went to Sac State after high school and now everyone I know is here.” I rapped the table thoughtfully. “This place feels like home to me.”
    Lucy’s stony expression said it all. Why exactly did she need to know this? She was one more pointless anecdote away from leaving.
    I changed the subject. “What did you do in LA?”
    “I was a model,” she said, somewhat defensively.
    “Oh yeah? Would I have seen you in anything?”
    “I doubt it. Not unless you were in the market for lipstick and eye-liner.”
    “Nah, I went through that phase in