The Way to Her Heart Read Online Free PDF Page A

lecture.
     
    ***
     
    Bernie pulled to the curb in front of Josh’s house at four fifteen on Thursday afternoon. She would have been on time, but she had spent the last fifteen minutes driving around and contemplating how low her grade would drop if she blew off the project and drove away from this upscale neighborhood and him. But she couldn’t stand the thought of him getting a bad grade just because she was too chicken to work with a cute boy who made her nervous. She never cared what people thought about her, about how they might be judging her, but for some strange reason, she cared what he thought. Ugh! Enough already! Just get in there and get this over with.
    She rang the doorbell by the huge double front doors and wondered what it would be like to live in a house this big. He answered, wiping his hands on a towel before flinging it over his shoulder. He had done that last time too. He was probably cooking again.
    “Hi.” He smiled, flashing the dimples that made her stomach flip. “Come on in.” He led her back to the kitchen. Freddie trotted along by her side, nudging her hand with his nose. She took a seat on a stool at the kitchen bar while Josh poured her a Coke. “He likes you.” He gestured to the Great Dane, who had pushed his large brown head under her arm.
    She rubbed his silky ears as he closed his eyes in ecstasy. She loved dogs, although she’d never been up close and personal with such a large one. She’d had a Chihuahua when she was a little girl, but it had disappeared shortly after her dad had gone away to prison. Shortly after her life had begun to free-fall into disaster.
    “So, how was work yesterday?”
    “What?” She looked up from the dog’s head, surprised.
    “How was work yesterday?” he repeated as he retrieved something from the refrigerator.
    Small talk. He was making small talk. Okay, she could do this. “Um, it was fine. Uh, how was yours?” She remembered he had to work as well.
    “Good, actually. Maurice taught me how to deal with these bad boys. Catch.” He tossed something at her.
    She barely caught it before it bonked Freddie on the nose. “It’s an artichoke.”
    “Very good, Detective Abeyta. Come over here and help me.” He motioned with his head for her to join him at the counter.
    “Oh, I don’t cook. And I have no earthly idea what to do with this.” She held the vegetable at arm’s length.
    He laughed and took the artichoke from her. “Don’t worry. I’ll show you. I need to practice. Homework from Maurice. Then we can eat them. Go wash your hands,” he ordered, pointing in the direction of the bathroom.
    She didn’t know what to say, so she meekly turned toward the bathroom she had used last time. Bernie washed with the delicately scented soap and dried her hands on the softest towel she had ever touched. The bathroom was bigger than her bedroom, not that it mattered anymore. She wandered down the hallway toward the kitchen, pausing to look at the framed photographs on the wall. There was Josh, from kindergarten to his senior picture. Sheesh, he had always been so cute. Who was the other kid? I guess he has a brother. There weren’t quite as many pictures of the brother, however. She stopped in front of a family picture—the mom, Claire; Josh; his younger brother; their dad. She wondered where the dad and brother had been the other night, then she remembered Claire had spoken of her husband in the past tense but hadn’t mentioned the brother. They all looked so happy, posing in front of some theme park. Bernie had never been to a theme park. They looked like the perfect family. She turned and made her way back to the kitchen.
    He was stirring what smelled like onions and garlic in a skillet on the stove. He adjusted the heat and gave the pan a couple of moves like she had seen chefs on TV do. He noticed her and turned the gas off under the pan. “Okay, this one’s yours.” He gestured to a cutting board, which held an artichoke and a