Vivian Read Online Free PDF Page A

just a bad combination?
    Clayton knew he certainly didn’t need any more drama in his life. His girls didn’t need it either. Maybe it was good they hadn’t shown up. This gave him a clear view of what he was doing and it wasn’t in the best interest of everyone.
    Vivian Monroe was a strong woman who didn’t want anyone’s help. She wanted to keep everything hidden away and let it stew—let it burn. Fine. There was always the rec center. Clayton didn’t have to leave the girls with them next week, though he liked their set-up. He liked Penelope’s gentle touch with Charlotte. Damn—he was simply too far into it now. He didn’t want to give up on Vivian.
    “ Daddy, look!” Charlotte nearly bounced out of her booster seat to point toward the door.
    When he turned back around, he saw two grinning faces running toward them. Emma and Ava scooted into the booth and instantly began making young conversation with their friends.
    “ Where’s your mommy?” he asked, having never seen her.
    “ She told us to sit here. She’s ordering a pizza.”
    That wasn’t the plan. He stood from his seat but could only see the top of her head over the small wall. He certainly couldn’t leave four talkative toddlers sitting at the table alone.
    A moment later she came around the wall. A weight was on her shoulders. And though she was smiling at him, he could see something was wrong.
    “ I’m very sorry we were late. I was in Sam’s office and…” she closed her eyes and let out a breath before opening them again. “I’m sorry.”
    “ No need. I have pizza.” He pointed down to the pieces of congealed cheese.
    “ I knew I’d ruined your plans. A hot one is coming. You can heat that up for lunch tomorrow. School lunches are never very good.”
    He laughed. “You’re right. They aren’t. Have a seat.”
    She sat on the edge of the circular booth and he on the other end. Four chatty little girls sat between them talking Disney Princesses and My Little Ponies. Vivian, on the other hand, watched the door.
    How was he going to get this woman alone so they could talk? They needed to talk. She needed to talk.
    “ Ball pit, Daddy. We want to go in the ball pit,” Stephanie took over the planning of the evening.
    “ Why don’t you take all of them? I’ll wait for the pizza.”
    It wasn’t quite what he wanted to do, but he would. However, he’d be watching her very closely.
    Clayton nodded and followed four little girls to the small ball pit in the corner, which he was sure was filled with nothing but germs that would have to be bathed off of them.
     
    Vivian glanced at the door and then toward the kitchen where she knew there was a back door. She’d been at Sam’s office all afternoon, just as she’d told Clayton she had been. They’d pulled in Darby, the officer who had been called when the house had been broken into a few weeks before.
    The break-in had been written off as a string of vandalism crimes that had happened that night. But Vivian had always known better. Someone had been in that attic looking for the money Adam’s grandmother had hid in all the vintage books. But now—now the text had her frightened. She was sincerely considering a bigger move than one to the house on Main and Pine. Maybe it was time to just disappear off the map.
    It would mean leaving Penelope and Amelia with all Adam’s crap. But if it meant security for her and the girls—well that’s all she could think about now.
    Vivian looked at the table. There were only three glasses. Hadn’t he said it was a family dinner night? Where was his wife? Certainly she would have come for dinner.
    A young girl delivered the pizza to the table. Vivian thanked her, and though her stomach growled in anticipation of tasting hot food, she walked across the restaurant to the ball pit.
    The familiar giggle and screeches of the four girls was music to her ears. It would devastate her girls if she moved them away from Clayton’s girls.
    “ You look