Return to Me Read Online Free PDF

“Go back to your date.” She whispered without looking at him.
         “Is that what you want?” A hard edge crept into his tone; Paige felt as though she were teetering on the edge of a cliff.
         “Go.” She forced herself to answer, her heart pounding as he glared down at her, sweet concern replaced by barely suppressed anger.
         “Fine.” He was gone before she could utter any second thoughts, any regrets…and she had plenty. Conflicting feelings churned in a sickening, twisting mass and she was desperate to get out, to get far away from this parking lot and this place.
         After a brief debate over the wisdom of returning to the restaurant in hopes of locating Hailey, she opted not to bother. For one thing, there was the tricky issue of actually finding the girl. Paige checked her watch-at least thirty minutes had elapsed.
         Hailey could be anywhere by now, and , she winced, her friend was liable to be with anyone at this stage in the evening. If she did somehow manage to track her down, convincing her to cut her fun short and leave would still be another matter.
         The odds were not good, Paige decided, scanning the lot and sighing in relief when she spotted the payphone tucked close to the side of the building. It w as rusted and looked so old she experienced a moment’s panic that she’d lift the questionable receiver and find that it was broken. But for the first time in the entire wretched evening, luck was on her side. She hurriedly dug around in her purse, coming up with exact change to feed into the contraption.
         Shaking fingers stabbed at the number pad and she kept her thoughts on simple things like soap and hand sanitizer while she waited anxiously for him to pick up. What if he wasn’t at home? Whom else could she call if he refused to come and get her? But no, she acknowledged, if he were home, he’d never leave her stranded. The phone rang three times, then four. By the sixth shrill ring, she tasted defeat and was ready to hang up, unsure of what her next move would be and very, very scared.
         “Hello?”
         “Erik!” S he exhaled on a rush.
         “Hi…are you okay?”
         To her abject mortification, she began to cry in lieu of an answer to his open concern. The warmth in his voice reached through the phone line and effectively opened the floodgates; once she’d gotten started, she couldn’t seem to stop the hot flow of tears.
         “Okay, okay…it’s okay sweetie. Are you at home?”
         “N-no.”
         “Just tell me where you are.”
         She managed to give him the name of the truck stop before replacing the receiver in the cradle, clinging to his promise to be there within the hour. He made it in twenty minutes. Tires squealed as they fought to find traction on wet pavement and she watched as he brought the truck to a screeching halt in front of her.  He was out of the cab and around the heavy duty vehicle in record timing, kneeling before her to lift her tear stained face to meet his eyes. “Are you hurt?” His voice was steady.
         “No.” S he shook her head and gulped.
         “Tell me what- “ He began, only to be interrupted by the bells jangling over the door.
         “What the hell is going on?” Guy demanded , stepping out of the restaurant with both his date and Hailey in tow.
         “Paige what is he doing here?” Hailey added, pushing Guy aside and hurrying over to where Erik was slowly helping Paige to her feet.
         “Who’s she?” The date put in, looking bored.
         “It’s nothing Tanya.” Guy replied before swinging back to face Paige. “What’s he doing here?”
         She couldn’t find the words to answer him, and so she was glad when Erik stepped forward and spoke for her. She was still reeling over being referred to as an ‘it’ and ‘nothing’. The first embers of temper began to smolder deep within. Damn