The Debra Dilemma (The Lone Stars Book 4) Read Online Free PDF

always telling him to get in touch with his emotions. He shook his head. What was it with women and mixed signals?
    “If you want to make things right with her, the best way to do that is to leave her alone. Whatever passed between you is still hurtful. Bringing it up again even to apologize won’t give her closure, it will only reopen a deep wound.” Sweet Louise was getting exasperated.
    “I disagree. How can my making amends be anything but productive.” He had to make things right between him and Debra.
    “Oh, why do I even bother?” She was shaking her head, he could all but see it. “You go ahead and rip off that Band-Aid and watch her go back to the behavior that turned her into a person that she hated. When that happens, I’ll be there to pick up her, dust her off, and help her through it. But, Buddy, make no mistake, after I get her back on her two feet, I’m coming for you.”
    A chill went through him. Not that he was scared of Sweet Louise. After all, she was the loving mother that he’d never had. It felt horrible to disappoint her, but Debra was more important than his feelings.
    “Deal.” Only he would make sure that Debra didn’t get hurt. He’d never hurt her again.
    “Good-bye.” Sweet Louise sounded tired, as if she’d fought as hard as she could and wasn’t giving in so much as giving him enough rope to hang himself.
    “Thanks.” It didn’t sound like enough.
    “Don’t worry. I won’t say I told you so…just know that it’s implied.” She hung up.
    How could making amends be anything but good? Sometimes Sweet Louise was over emotional—well, he tried to convince himself of that. Truth was she’d never been anything but level-headed.
    He sniffed the slit in the plastic top of the cup again. The scent of hot chocolate gave him courage. He might not be booking a trip for two to Paris anytime soon, but this was a start.
    Now all he needed was a really good reason to bump into Debra again.
     
     

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Chapter 4
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    Debra woke up to banging on her front door. She rolled over and willed her sandpaper eyes to open, but they were still onboard with the whole sleep thing and couldn’t get behind the change in plans. Ambien was a glorious, mind-numbing substance and she felt herself slipping back into its hold.
    The banging got louder and she sat up. This time her eyes shot open. Just who in the hell was beating her door down at—she glanced at the clock by her bed—eleven in the morning?
    Crap!
    Eleven. She threw back the covers and ran to the front door.
    Crying herself to sleep around three this morning had taken its toll, and her swollen eyes were crusty. She wiped them vigorously with the palms of her hands, and then went up on her tippy-toes to peek out the peephole.
    Sweet Louise stood there holding a Starbuck’s cup holder with two cups in it and a paper sack. Crapola. It was time for their weekly lunch date. It was like Sweet Louise was her parole officer and this was their weekly check-in. Last week she’d forgotten to cancel because it hadn’t registered that Saturday—today—was December fourteenth.
    Debra opened the door and mentally kicked herself for not cancelling this lunch date. All she wanted to do was crawl back in bed and skip today. Everyone should be allowed a skip day once a year. Those damned ancient Romans with their Julian calendar. They’d thought they were so smart and had thought of everything—well they left out a skip day.
    “You’ve been crying.” Sweet Louise’s shrewd eyes zeroed in on Debra’s.
    Debra ran her fingers through what she was certain qualified for crazy bedhead. “I’m so sorry. I should have cancelled our lunch today, but I forgot. I’m not really good company right now…can we reschedule?”
    She was so damned tired and not just from the Ambien; emotionally she was drained. She leaned on the door.
    “Nope.” Sweet Louise stepped through the door and looked around. “I think you need a friend.”
    What she