I steadied myself against the counter and took a big swig of diet soda. On the positive side, at least I knew about Ryan. If I couldn’t read minds, I wouldn’t have a clue. That could be a big plus when I told Chris the truth. He was sure to appreciate my talent then.
I finished up the lasagna and put it in the oven, then made a salad and got the table set. At six-thirty, we were ready to eat. I was a firm believer in eating dinner together as a family, and since Chris hadn’t called to say he would be late, we waited. The first few minutes were okay, but it slowly stretched to five, then ten. After enduring endless complaints from Josh and Savannah, most of them only in their thoughts, I relented, and we ate without Chris.
I kept hoping he would come in while we were eating, or at least call. Fifteen minutes later, we were through eating. After cleaning up, Joshua left for scouts and three of Savannah’s friends came over to work on a group project for school. They disappeared into her room, but I knew they were mostly here to talk about boys.
At seven, Chris finally called. “Sorry I’m late, but I have a big case I couldn’t leave. I’m on my way to the car, so I should be there in about twenty minutes.”
“Okay, see you soon.” I put a cheerful tone into my voice, so he wouldn’t know I was mad, but inside it really bothered me. Especially after all the work I’d gone to in making lasagna. I don’t know why I thought he would make it home in time for dinner. Most of the time he didn’t, so I should be used to it by now. Still, I had to let it go. I couldn’t let my anger get in the way of the truth I had to tell him.
I resisted the impulse to eavesdrop on Savannah and her friends, and turned on the TV, channel surfing until I found something that caught my attention. A few minutes later, the kitchen door opened and closed, signaling that Chris was home, but I didn’t get up to greet him. I didn’t necessarily care about the show I was watching, but I was feeling neglected so I stayed put. He could easily find me. Minutes passed without him doing that, so with a huff, I turned off the TV and got up to see what was going on.
I found him in the study, his rumpled hair standing on end, and a pencil in his mouth. His brows were drawn together in concentration so he didn’t notice me for a minute. Finally he glanced up. “Hey,” he said, his voice low and husky, sending shivers up my arms. “I would have come down, but I didn’t want to interrupt.”
“That’s okay. I wasn’t really watching anything important. At least not as important as you.”
He pursed his lips in a guilty pout. “I could have stayed at the office to finish this, but I thought I’d come home and finish here instead.”
“What are you working on?”
“Just a case I have to argue before the judge tomorrow.”
“What’s it about?”
“It’s not anything you’d be interested in.” He was thinking that the messy divorce would just depress me, like it did him, and he didn’t want to talk about it with me. He hated these kinds of divorce cases where no one could agree on anything, and it ended up going to trial. It was just stupid.
I took a step back. If I hadn’t been able to hear his thoughts, I would have been offended. I would have thought he didn’t think I was smart enough to understand his work, and it would have hurt me deeply. Now I knew he was trying to protect me.
I shook my head and sighed. I didn’t need that kind of protection. What I needed was communication. I needed to be included in his world, and I wanted to include him in mine. This was the perfect opportunity to tell him. It was now or never.
My heart started to pound, but I stood a little taller and looked him straight in the eyes. “I don’t need you to protect me, Chris. I know you see bad things. Some divorces are horrible, but don’t you think that maybe if you talked about some of this stuff you wouldn’t get depressed about it? Why do you think you have to shut me out?”
The pencil in his mouth fell, bouncing to the floor. He made no move to pick it up. His eyebrows arched into his forehead, and the color drained from his face. “You…you…how long…when??”
END OF SAMPLE. Click here to purchase a copy of Fast Money: A Shelby Nichols Adventure, or continue to the next page to learn more about Colleen Helme and her books.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
A long career as a wife and mother while juggling several part-time jobs gave Colleen the ambition to dream of being a published author, where she could put her imagination to good use. Now instead of making up stories to tell her children, she writes books they love to read. Hopefully you will too. She is the author of three romantic fantasy novels, Songbird, Flame of Destiny and The Relic. Her Shelby Nichols Adventures include Carrots, Fast Money, Lie or Die, Secrets That Kill, Trapped by Revenge, Deep in Death and more to come!
Connect with Colleen
www.colleenhelme.com
www.facebook.com/ColleenHelmeAuthor
www.shelbynicholsconsulting.com
Colleen Helme, Carrots: A Shelby Nichols Adventure
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