Tying You Down Read Online Free PDF Page B

woman dismissed her. The feelings of jealousy had caught Jo by surprise. She hadn’t even been on one date with Tate yet, and she was feeling as if this woman had cut into something that had been developing between Jo and Tate for a long time.
    She did her best to keep a smile plastered to her face and keep her expression pleasant as Daphne ignored her.
    Jo wasn’t sure what Tate was trying to tell her with his eyes when their gazes met as Daphne monopolized the conversation. It seemed as though he was trying to apologize.
    Even though she had no right to be angry with Tate, Jo fought the irrational urge. This woman had barged in and he hadn’t had a choice on how to react. He was a gentleman and he couldn’t just brush off Daphne the way the woman was brushing off Jo.
    Could he?
    Penny arrived with Jo’s takeout bag. Jo handed Penny enough to cover the sandwich and tea, along with a healthy tip.
    Tate protested that he would get the bill, but Jo shook her head. “I’ve got it,” she told him.
    Jo pushed back her chair to stand, and like the gentleman he was, Tate got to his feet. “I’ll see you later, Jo,” he said.
    She nodded. “Goodbye, Daphne,” Jo said as pleasantly as possible. She was doing her best not to stoop to Daphne’s level. She was not going to get into some kind of catfight.
    Daphne gave Jo a little wave that was as good as dismissing her.
    Clenching her bag tightly in her hand, Jo strode out of the Hummingbird through the open glass front door.
    When she was outside, Jo took in a deep cleansing breath. She let it out slowly, trying to relax the tension that gripped her body.
    She heard the jangle of the bells on the door behind her, then Tate’s voice sent a little thrill through her despite herself and she turned to face him.
    “Jo.” Tate strode up to her with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry about what just went on in there.”
    A little of the tension eased out of her. “You have nothing to apologize for.” She offered him a smile. “I’m going back to the club. You go ahead and catch up with your ex-girlfriend.”
    “That’s what she is, Jo.” He looked uncomfortable. “An ex- girlfriend.”
    “I know.” Jo gave a nod. “Get back in there. I’ll see you tomorrow morning when you pick me up.”
    A look of relief passed over his features. “Tomorrow,” he said quietly before she turned and walked away.
     

Chapter 4
     
    Jo buttoned her jeans and felt a moment of panic when they felt tight across her waist. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, thinking back on what she’d been through in counseling.
    She’d literally nearly starved herself to death while working as a model. She’d lived on just a few saltine crackers and water each day in an effort to get thinner and thinner for the camera. She’d started to lose hair, felt weak and exhausted, and had developed a form of anxiety that made daily life more than difficult. Her low sense of self-esteem came into play when she was at her ideal body weight. She always had to get thinner and thinner to make herself feel better.
    At one point people who cared about her told her she looked emaciated and had begged her to get help. She hadn’t listened until her agent said she’d actually gotten too thin and that she had a problem. She’d been told she had to seek counseling or the agency was going to drop her.
    Even then she’d struggled with trying to make herself eat more. The counselor had told her that according to statistics, twenty percent of women and girls who were anorexic and didn’t seek treatment would die. Jo was depriving herself of the most basic of nutrients and the counselor had said Jo would be forced to check into a hospital if she didn’t respond to counseling and take control of her life and her eating disorder.
    The real wakeup call had been when a model from the same agency had died from anorexia.
    Jo let out her breath and opened her eyes and looked at herself in the mirror and tried