Fireside Susan Wiggs (best free ebook reader for android .txt) 📖

to college. Anyway, it’s only temporary. Dino’s going to take care of AJ while I’m gone. He says he wants to do it.”

Kim hesitated. She could tell Bo was trying hard to sell himself on the idea. She could only imagine what it had been like for him, to discover in the middle of his big career break that he was responsible for a child. “In this house, he’ll get plenty of backup support,” she said, trying to sound reassuring.

“That’s real nice of you to say. Funny thing about AJ. He tends to bring out the ‘nice’ in everybody.”

“I’ve noticed. He’s a special boy.”

“Yeah, I’m proud of him, though I can’t take any credit.”

Kim’s computer signaled an incoming e-mail. She glanced at the screen and saw that it was from Lloyd Johnson. She quickly hit the delete button. “Are you sure you want to delete this message?” asked a pop-up window. She stabbed the Enter button. Yes. Then she slapped the laptop closed. The tension in her neck and shoulders returned full force.

“You look like you could use a neck rub,” Bo suggested.

She flushed at the knowing expression on his face. For a fraction of a second, she was tempted by the offer. There was nothing quite like the sensation of a pair of large male hands gently massaging away the tension. Unfortunately, the large, male hands always came attached to a large male.

“No, thank you,” she said.

“I wouldn’t hurt you,” Bo said in a quiet voice.

Kim’s stomach dropped. She realized then that he knew. Either he could see past the makeup, or he’d figured out why she’d flown across the country without so much as a change of clothes. Her throat felt dry and prickly, hurting as she asked, “Is it that obvious?”

“Probably just to me. The way I was raised…Let’s just say I know what a woman is like after some son of a bitch hits her. My mother couldn’t seem to stay away from guys like that.”

“I’m sorry,” Kim said. “It must have been terrible for you.”

“Are you safe now?” he asked, his voice still quiet.

“Yes, yes, I am. Let’s just say I’m a fast learner.” Lloyd was too busy and self-absorbed to come looking for her—that was what she believed, anyway. Now here was this man, asking her if she was safe, offering to comfort her, and the concern in his eyes made her want to cry.

“You want to talk about it?”

Yes. “No,” she said quickly. “I’m fine, really. I don’t need rescuing, if that’s what you mean.”

“Maybe not,” Bo said quietly. “I don’t pretend to know all that much about women, but you’re not that hard to read.”

He was amazingly easy to talk to; he’d already proven to be a good listener. She didn’t feel the need to protect him from the ugly details as she did her mother. “His name is Lloyd Johnson,” she said. She could tell by Bo’s expression that he knew exactly who Lloyd was. “He started out as a client with my PR firm. We dated for a while, and for the past few months, it had been serious. We were going to get a place together.”

The thought now caused a chill to slide across her skin. “The night I left, there was a reception at a private club,” she said. “A very big night for Lloyd. And for me, too. He had just agreed to sign with Fandango, an athletic wear company. I’d worked for weeks to make it happen.” It had been so much more than a publicity project for her. She’d helped broker a major deal, one that paved the way to her future. She could still remember the high ripples of anticipation that had buoyed her along that evening. Everything had fallen into place for Lloyd…and for her. The one thing she forgot to consider was the one thing that never varied for athletes of his caliber—his ego. “The sponsor’s daughter came with a date—Marshall Walters—who just happened to be Lloyd’s biggest rival, both on and off the court.” The two had been in a brawl on the court earlier that season. The altercation had resulted in Lloyd being suspended for a dozen games. It had cost him millions, and was a constant sore spot.

“I saw their latest fight on the news,” Bo said. “Too bad they’re not boxers.”

“Mute boxers,” she added. “I’ve always thought the world would be a better place if we didn’t have NBA players asking each other ‘How does my ass taste?’ in public. And don’t you dare laugh.”

“Not laughing,” he said.

“I won’t defend Lloyd, but Marshall Walters was pushing his buttons that night. For a while, I managed to keep them on opposite sides of the room. Lloyd was mad at me, but I figured that was less dangerous than letting him get mad at Walters. After he got a few drinks in him, Lloyd decided Marshall’s presence was all my fault,” she continued. “I was in charge of the guest list. The daughter was listed as bringing a plus-one, but I stupidly didn’t bother to research who that might be. It was a setup, an ambush—Walters knew his presence would drive Lloyd crazy, and as for the daughter—I don’t know what she was thinking. And Lloyd took the bait. He was going to confront Walters, so that’s when I stepped in. That’s what was caught by the stupid cell-phone video somebody shot—me, throwing myself under the bus.”

“You picked a fight with him so he wouldn’t fight with Marshall Walters.”

She remembered clearly Lloyd’s words. He’d called her a name that made her flinch even now. He loudly declared he was firing her, and claimed she’d never work in the business again. “Not exactly a high point in my career,” she said, “but it gave me an unexpected moment of clarity. And I realized nothing—no career, deal, boyfriend and no amount of money could keep me there, doing what I was doing. That’s when I walked out. I thought that was the