The Great Bedroom War Read Online Free PDF

business.
    Sam smoothed her daughter’s hair back and kissed her forehead. “I know you’re not happy about how much time I have to spend in my workroom, but you’ll hate it a whole lot more if we have no heat this winter.”
    ~*~
    That evening after work, Nick tugged on a clean pair of gym shorts and a T-shirt before opening the bathroom door to clear the steam from the mirror. After towel drying his hair, he headed into the living room. When his own voice suddenly began crooning on the stereo, he skidded to a halt. Bethany must have found the CD with the songs he’d written.
    “Oh-my-gosh!” she shrieked. “Why didn’t you tell me you’re in a band?”
    “I’m not. But I was years ago. Now, I just fool around and compose a little for fun.”
    “You call that foolin’ around? I bet you had, like, a zillion gigs.”
    “My buddies and I did all right.” After his marriage, Sam insisted he shouldn’t let her pregnancy stop him from following his dream. But finances still forced him to quit.
    When Sam’s blood pressure spiked six weeks before Dani was due, the doctor induced labor, and Nick barely made it to the hospital in time for her birth. Seeing Sam so sick and his premature daughter in an incubator left him terrified and depressed. That same night, the founder of Swann’s department stores discovered Nick bawling like a little girl in the hospital’s parking lot, trying to figure out how he could pay the mounting medical bills.
    Kenneth Swann helped him realize it was time to let go of his pipe dreams and put his family first. Before the CEO left that night, he handed Nick his business card and told him to get a haircut. The man then promised him a job with insurance and financial assistance to go to college. That was why Nick still felt such a deep obligation to Ken and his son, Ethan, who’d replaced Ken as CEO after he retired.
    “It seems like a million years ago,” Nick told Bethany.
    “I’d love to copy your CD. The lyrics in That Special Moment put a lump in my throat.”
    If that one choked her up, when she heard Two A.M. Love Song, she’d bawl her eyes out. “Be my guest.” He glanced at his watch. “I hope you don’t mind if turn in after I take Chewie out. I’m beat.”
    He’d awoken at four that morning in a pool of sweat from the same nightmare he’d had off and on for the last year. Each time, he was locked in the basement with Sam and Dani, surrounded by a maze of pipes springing leaks. No matter how many valves he turned or how fast he applied patches, new holes kept forming, and the water kept rising.
    It didn’t take a shrink to know he felt helpless. His life was out of control, and he was terrified of losing his family. What he couldn’t figure out was how to stop the damned dreams.
    Thinking about all he’d missed with Sam and his daughter in the past year, his throat ached. He wished they could see the new Beverley Hills store and all he’d accomplished. In the last six months, he’d worked around the clock, finalizing the store’s construction and coordinating the various departments to ensure each one was stocked and staffed in time for Saturday’s grand opening. They expected a record turnout.
    As he headed into to the bedroom to get his sneakers, Bethany called, “Oh, by the way, Samantha phoned while you were in the shower.”
    “Thanks.” Sam rarely initiated their calls, so his stomach plummeted in a freefall of trepidation. “Wait.” He froze in his tracks. “Did you tell her you’re staying here with me?”
    Guilt flashed across Bethany’s face. “I didn’t realize I wasn’t supposed to. I simply mentioned how much you miss Dani and how sweet you were to take me in. I’m sorry.”
    “Don’t sweat it.” He strode into the bedroom and closed the door. Sinking onto the mattress, he stabbed out his old home number. “Hey, Sammy-bee. Did you get my check?”
    “Yes, it came today. Although, I’m not sure your daughter deserves it. You’re