The Girl He Left Behind Read Online Free PDF

would change when he returned to his normal life, so he might as well enjoy the peace and quiet while it lasted.
    He was looking forward to talking to and singing for the homeless people in the shelter. Except for a really lucky break at the end of his first month in Nashville, he might have ended up in a shelter himself. Down to his last few dollars—he’d even had to chuck his cell phone because he could no longer afford to pay for it—he’d finally gotten a producer to listen to his demo and give him a chance. That same producer had made a ton of money off him in the intervening years, and they’d remained good friends.
    As Adam drove to the shelter, he thought about the songs he’d sing. And afterward, he’d have an early night at the hotel and a good night’s sleep. No drama, no groupies, no photographers chasing him.
    And absolutely nothing to worry about.

Chapter Three
    E ve couldn’t sit still. The kids should’ve come home tonight, but Bill had called early that morning and asked if he could keep them over the weekend because the Kelly family reunion was taking place in San Antonio and he wanted the twins to be there with him. Eve hadn’t wanted to agree, but how could she say no?
    That was the biggest problem she had with Bill. He was always so reasonable she could never refuse him when he wanted something. Even if he hadn’t been reasonable, she owed him. Not that he ever said so, but the knowledge was always there, unspoken, between them.
    I rescued you. You owe me.
    She knew that was what he was thinking. And why shouldn’t he? She was thinking it, too. He had rescued her, and she did owe him. Even now, after nearly twelve years, she still felt grateful. In fact, she couldn’t imagine what her mother would say if she knew. Even thinking about the problem made Eve’s heart beat a little faster.
    Her mother would never know. That secret was safe. Bill would certainly never tell anyone—it would be the last thing he’d ever want people to know—nor would she. They both had a huge stake in keeping their secret safe.
    So she’d said yes to this weekend, even though he could have given her more warning. Surely he’d known about the reunion for weeks now. Why hadn’t he told her earlier? She would have insisted on keeping the twins last weekend in exchange.
    That’s probably exactly why he didn’t tell you.
    Eve knew this wasn’t a big deal. It was just that she hated weekends on her own. It would be different if she, too, had remarried and had other children, or at least a partner to go places with her. But she hadn’t. And the way things looked, she probably wouldn’t. After all, to get married meant you needed to be seeing someone, and she had no prospects on the horizon. Crandall Lake wasn’t exactly a dating mecca. And even though, at one time, she’d dreamed about moving to Austin or Houston or somewhere with a bigger newspaper, her dream had turned out to be only a fantasy. Bill’s business was here. So here she’d have to stay. She could not take the twins from their father.
    Olivia had once suggested Eve might sign up for an online dating service.
    â€œI don’t see you doing that,” Eve had said.
    â€œI’m not ready” had been Olivia’s quiet answer.
    Eve had been immediately sorry for her retort. At the time, her cousin had been still mourning her husband’s death.
    â€œBut it would be good for you, Eve.”
    Eve knew Olivia had been right. Eve should be proactive if she didn’t want to remain single her entire life. She would be thirty in just a couple of months, and even though thirty wasn’t exactly old-maid territory, and lots of women today married later in life, mostly those women had interesting and successful careers. That wasn’t true of her. She worked for a small daily paper struggling to keep afloat with dwindling subscriptions and fewer