The Great Bedroom War Read Online Free PDF Page B

not going to believe what she’s been up to.”
    Uh-oh. Dani was always his daughter when she was in trouble. Sam took complete credit for anything wonderful their child did. “When we talked this morning, she said you grounded her for breaking her curfew. I hate to see her cooped up any—”
    “Is that what she called making it look as if she was asleep in her room and sneaking in after midnight, drenched to the bone? I thought we had a burglar and called 911.”
    He closed his eyes and pictured his wife cowering in her bed, terrified some psycho had broken in to kill her and Dani. If the situation wasn’t so serious, he’d laugh.
    “Fortunately, Jack Wallace was on duty. Oh, darn.” Sam huffed. “That’s my call waiting. It must be Adam—”
    “Adam? You mean Dr. Chase?” he asked, since Dani’s hematologist was the only Adam they knew. Why would her doctor be calling so late? Unless....“Is Dani okay?” Fear had sucked the moisture from his throat, making his voice rasp.
    “Yes, uhh....” Sam hemmed and hawed. “She’s fine.”
    A different kind of dread tightened his gut. From the first time they took Dani to see the specialist, the blond Adonis had ogled Sam like a jewel thief casing Tiffany’s. “Dani told me you’ve been dating someone. I knew that S.O.B. wanted you.”
    “So hip-hip-hooray for your clairvoyant power. You should get a job reading fortunes. Then you could say ‘ I told you so ’ every day of your life.”
    “Ha-ha.” The truth would only hurt, but he had to know. “Are you sleeping with him?”
    The phone was so quiet, at first, he thought Sam had put him on hold to talk to Dani’s doctor. But then in a tone that could flash-freeze the sun, she replied, “So what if I am?”
    Damn. Her refusal to give a straight answer probably meant she was.
    “The only part of my life I’m obligated to discuss with you is our daughter. So let’s stick to that subject. Otherwise, I might have to ask why you’re living with a girl who’s practically jail-bait.”
    “Fair enough,” he agreed through clenched teeth. Evidently Dani had mentioned her trip to Santa Monica with Bethany and told her mother how young his houseguest was. “FYI, the girl and I are just friends. I’m helping her through a rough patch.”
    “Uh-huh,” Sam muttered, blatant disbelief lacing her tone. “While I was waiting for you to call back, I asked Dani if she’s met your so-called friend. She showed me the pictures she took at the beach last spring. Frankly, I was shocked there wasn’t a staple in Bethany’s navel. Although, knowing what a boob man you are, it was no surprise you chose a double-D bimbo.”
    Okay, so she’d seen the girl’s centerfold breasts.
    He opened his mouth to defend his houseguest but snapped it shut again.
    Why bother trying to explain? It would serve Sam right if he let her think he was shacking up with some nubile hottie. “So enough about Bethany. What else has Danita done?”
    “The list is so long I don’t know where to start. She refuses to eat the meals I make her. After she left her lunch home this morning, I chased after her just in time to see the little brat toss the Greek omelet I’d made for her in the drainage ditch.”
    He struggled not to laugh. “Sammy, no teenage girl wants to eat spinach in her eggs. Or teenage boy, for that matter.”
    “It’s the only way I can get her to eat any vegetables. She’s loading up on junk food, and last night she came home reeking of cigarettes. I’m spending a fortune on organic food and cooking from scratch so her diet is all natural, and she’s sucking in carcinogens.”
    So much for him giving up smoking to set a good example for their child. If that was the best of their daughter’s misdeeds, he didn’t want to hear the worst.
    “According to three of her teachers,” Sam continued, “she’s not doing a lick of homework, and she failed her first Spanish test.”
    “How? She speaks the language like a