The Curl Up and Dye Read Online Free PDF Page A

couldn’t see her feet. Defeated in every way that mattered, she lowered her head and began to sob. She cried until her head hurt and her eyes were red and swollen before she managed to pull herself together. Feeling sorry for herself went nowhere.
    She put the polish aside and got up to go wash her face. The floor was cold beneath her bare feet as she headed to the bathroom. She splashed water to cool her burning eyes and, as she was reaching for a towel, caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror. The woman she saw felt like a stranger. She leaned forward, glaring at her reflection.
    “What have you done to yourself, LilyAnn? Where the hell did you go?”
    Disgusted, she pushed away from the mirror, dried her face angrily, and stomped back to the living room to turn off the television. She’d had enough of this day. Maybe tomorrow would be better.
    She went through the house, checking locks and turning out the lights, before she crawled into bed. She set the alarm, then turned out the bedside lamp, rolled over onto her side, and closed her eyes.
    ***
    Mike was standing at his bedroom window in the dark, just like he did every night, waiting for that last light to go out. He knew it was in her bedroom, and he knew she was finally in bed. He reached for the window, flattening the palm of his hand against the chill of the glass. As always, there was a distance between them that time and location could not span.
    “Good night, my love. May tomorrow be the day that when you open your eyes, you see me.”

Chapter 3

    Lily woke abruptly as the alarm began to sound.
    “Lord have mercy,” she muttered, as she turned it off and got out of bed.
    She staggered to the bathroom, then down the hall to the kitchen to make coffee. She turned up the thermostat on the way, wishing she’d thought to get her house shoes. The floor was cold.
    As soon as she had the coffee going, she started toward the pantry, then stopped, reassessing her options. Mama and Eddie would be here in three weeks. She knew what they’d be expecting, and a part of her wanted to shock them, especially Eddie. And she wanted T. J. Lachlan to look at her like he’d looked at Rachel Goodhope. If she got the attention of the hot new guy in town, it would almost be like before—almost like having Randy Joe back.
    But taking Eddie down a notch and getting T. J. to see her was a big feat. How could she make that happen?
    Without thinking, she grabbed a bowl out of the cabinet and the cereal from the pantry and began pouring, then stopped. She looked down at the bowl brimming with sugar-coated cereal, then looked over at the carton of half-and-half.
    Sugar and cream.
    She paused, put part of the cereal back in the box, traded the half-and-half for skim milk, and ate with an eye on the clock. Recently she’d been walking to work because she liked being outdoors, but it was also good exercise. If T. J. Lachlan stayed around long enough and she lost some weight, she was convinced she could catch his eye. The thought was exciting. For the first time in years, she was looking to the future.
    Fifteen minutes later, she was dressed and out the door, carrying a bag with her work shoes and iPod. Her steps were long, her shoulders back. She didn’t know she had an audience and, if she had, would have thought nothing of it. Mike was just a childhood friend, not the man she wanted to take to bed.
    ***
    Mike was surprised to see LilyAnn walking to work again. He started to call out and offer her a ride and then noticed the bounce in her step. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen that and decided not to mess with a good thing. He waited until she’d passed before going out to get in his car, then went in the opposite direction. He didn’t want her to think he was spying on her.
    ***
    It was noon when Lily shifted into the next phase. Instead of going to lunch, she put her tennis shoes back on, grabbed her purse and iPod, and headed next door to Dalton’s Fitness