The Gossamer Gate Read Online Free PDF

incredulously, lifting her gaze to her friend.
    “That’s right. I thought we had a great time together, and he never called.” Cate shrugged and finished shelving the books. “I should have known he was too good to be true. He was everything I ever wanted in a man. But that’s life, and life goes on, regardless of whether or not the man of our dreams is a part of it. Understand?”
    Khiara nodded and said, “Yes, you’re right. I’m going to get ready to go now. Besides, I do have to leave the game early tonight and I have a very good excuse for it.”
    “Oh? And what excuse is that?”
    “I have a date.” Khiara did not sound quite as excited as Cate would have, and she realized that the way she phrased the remark made it sound more like a question.
    Cate’s smile brightened. “You haven’t gone on one in a while, so, this is a good thing for you! Try to have fun and just focus on the game, and then all the fun things that might happen on your date tonight.”
    “Alright.” Khiara rose from behind the counter to give one of her rare hugs to Cate. “Thank you for being right,” she said as she flashed her first real smile in a week.
    “No problem. I don’t mind being right every so often, but only for my best friends.” Cate went back to the bookshelves to finish her task, while Khiara ran upstairs to freshen up for the evening.
    After a shower, Khiara went to the closet to pull out an outfit that she rarely wore. She had to admit to herself that she liked having a good reason for wearing a dress. The short, red and black plaid dress was a departure from her usual jeans and t-shirts. She knew it was a bit over the top for ice cream, but since she finally accepted Matt’s invitation, she thought they both deserved a real date. So she would treat it like one.
    “That is how you get back on the horse,” she told her reflection in the mirror as she ran her brush through her hair one last time.
    With a toss of her head and a mischievous grin, she turned on her heel, grabbed her messenger bag, and walked downstairs. Cate had already finished her work of tidying the shop and departed for the weekend. Khiara double-checked that the shop and the house were clean, and then headed out the front door.
    As she walked down the street, she felt the sinister chill blossom between her shoulders. “Oh no, no, no,” she whispered, spinning on her heel to look around the area. “Not tonight!”
    Khiara’s senses told her she was getting more than the random ogle. Her skin tingled with a sense of remembered, and a ll-too-familiar, danger. Her apprehension about seeing Sean again was miniscule in comparison to the fear now radiating through her.
    She quickened her pace and breathed a sigh of relief when she entered Sean’s home. In a moment, her anxiety about someone or something watching her had faded. Unfortunately, nervousness took its place, leaving her with a heavy feeling in the pit of her stomach. She had gone from one uncomfortable situation into another, and she was almost tempted to go back outside to face the unknown threat. “What the hell is going on with weekends?” she snarled under her breath.
    “Do you always talk to yourself?”
    She whirled around and tried to smile at Sean, who stood in the doorway between the living room and the dining room. His eyes widened when she faced him and she felt somewhat mollified by his expression.
    “Sometimes it’s the only way I get interesting conversation,” she quipped, then tossed her head in her effort to feign nonchalance. “ Are we ready to play?”
    When she strode past him into the dining room, i t was hard to ignore the fact that the other guys stopped speaking and actually stared at her, just like Sean. It was even harder to ignore their reactions when Josh handed her a soda and said, “You look hot!”
    “Good. That was the intention,” she responded with a flirtatious smile.
    One of the other guys said, “Oh my gosh Khiara, you have