Summer of Love Marie Ferrarella (easy books to read in english TXT) 📖

Taking his hand, Schuyler tugged on it, making him sit down on the bottom step. She sat down beside him, just the way they used to do as kids whenever they wanted to talk about things.

“What happened?” she asked him.

After a short internal debate, Everett gave her an abbreviated version, mentioning his donation to the Foundation in passing, but not the amount.

He told his sister about going back with Lila to her place, but left it for her imagination to fill in the details of what transpired there. He ended by telling his sister that Lila had suddenly pulled back, saying that things were going too fast and that he needed to go home.

“And...?” Schuyler asked, waiting for him to tell her more.

“And I came home,” Everett said with a shrug. “Or to your house,” he corrected. “I wanted to change out of this monkey suit, get my suitcase and go back to Houston.”

“And nothing else happened?” she questioned, studying his face closely.

“Nothing else happened,” he echoed flatly. He just wanted to get his things and hit the road, putting this night—and Lila—behind him.

Schuyler’s mouth curved in a tolerant, loving smile. “You do realize that your shirt is inside out, don’t you?” his sister asked. “Did you wear it that way at the fund-raiser?”

He glanced down. Damn it, leave it to Schuyler to catch that, he thought, annoyed. “Yup. The whole fund-raiser,” he told her stubbornly.

“I see,” Schuyler replied, watching the nerve just beneath his eye flutter. “Well, maybe nobody noticed,” she said loftily. “Or maybe Lila did and that’s why she told you things were moving too fast and sent you away.” Schuyler’s smile widened. “She didn’t want to be associated with someone who couldn’t dress himself properly.”

“Schuyler—” There was a warning note in Everett’s voice.

Schuyler held up her hands, warding off what he was about to say.

“I’m just teasing you,” she told him. And then her tone changed. “Why don’t you stay here for what’s left of the night and then go talk to Lila in the morning?” she suggested. “Things always look better in the morning,” she added kindly.

“No,” he told his sister, his mind made up. “I need to be getting back. I’ve let a lot of things slide lately and I need to do some catching up.”

“That’s not the Dr. Everett Fortunado I know,” Schuyler told him, rising to her feet when he did. “You can juggle more balls in the air than any two people I know.”

“Not this time,” he answered as he started up the steps. “This time those balls are all falling right through my hands.”

“Want me to help you pack?” she offered, calling up the stairs.

“No, I’ve got this,” he told her, glancing over his shoulder.

Schuyler stood there, arms akimbo, and murmured loud enough for him to hear, “No, I don’t think that you do.”

“That was some hefty donation that your boyfriend made on Friday,” Lucie said the following Monday morning as Lila passed her open door.

Lila made no answer, merely shrugging in response as she stepped into her office.

Lucie didn’t take the hint. Instead, she followed her friend into Lila’s office. When Lila sat down at her desk, Lucie peered at her a little more closely.

“You look awful,” she observed. Then a small smile lit her eyes. “Didn’t get any sleep all weekend, huh?”

“No,” Lila answered, deliberately not taking Lucie’s bait. Her tone flatly denied any further dialogue between them.

But Lucie wasn’t about to take the hint. “So how was it?” she asked with a grin.

Lila spared her friend a glance. Lucie was now firmly planted on the edge of her desk. “How was what?”

“You know...” But since Lila gave no indication that she did, Lucie further elaborated. “Getting back together with Everett.”

“We’re not back together,” Lila answered, biting off each word. They all had a bitter taste, but that would pass, she told herself. It had to.

“Why the hell not?” Lucie cried. When Lila looked at her sharply, Lucie said, “Anyone at the fund-raiser could see he was crazy about you. When you two left early, I was sure you were going back to your place—if you made it that far,” Lucie added.

This time Lila’s head shot up. She was really hoping that no one had noticed them leaving the fund-raiser. So much for hoping.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she wanted to know.

Lucie sighed.

“Lila, there were so many sparks flying between the two of you that you’d make an electrical storm seem like an afternoon at the library in comparison.” She gave Lila a deep, penetrating look, as if willing the truth out of her. “You can’t tell me that you two didn’t get together after you left the fund-raiser.”

“All right,” Lila replied grudgingly. It wasn’t in her to lie. “We did.”

Getting up off the desk, Lucie closed Lila’s door, then crossed back to her desk, coming closer. “And?” she coaxed.

Lila shifted uncomfortably in her chair, but it was clear that Lucie wasn’t going anywhere until she heard all the details.

“And then I sent him away,” she said, jumping to the end without elaborating anything in between.

Lucie stared at her. “You’re joking.”

“No, I’m not,” Lila replied firmly. “I sent him away.”

“Why in heaven’s name would you do that?” Lucie cried incredulously.

“Because things were moving much too fast between us,” Lila blurted out, frustration bubbling beneath her statement.

Leaning forward, Lucie took her friend’s hands into hers. “Lila, honey,” she began gently, “it’s been thirteen years. After all that time, things were not moving fast. They were barely crawling by at a turtle’s pace.” She squeezed Lila’s hands as she looked deeper into her eyes, as if trying to understand, to read Lila’s thoughts. And then it must have hit her, because she sharply drew a breath. “You got scared, didn’t you? He made you have all those feelings again and it scared you.”

Lila looked away. Lucie had homed in on the truth.

But there was no running from the truth. She knew that now.

With a sigh,