2 Crushed Read Online Free

I
likened her to a Guernsey cow rather than a sexy movie star. What’s with women
anyway?”
    Billie cupped his scruffy chin in
her hand as if he was still the little brother and not half a head taller than
she. “Some women like to be admired for attributes other than big breasts and
blonde hair. You might try looking below the surface.”
    He shrugged and pulled away. “That
takes time,” he said, moving toward the living room. “I didn’t get the
impression she gave guys like myself the opportunity to dig deeper. Is it just
me or does she seem a bit stuck up to you too?”
    Billie followed and plopped down on
a leather sofa across from the recliner he stretched out in. “She has her
reasons. I wouldn’t call it stuck up; more like reserved. You would be too if
everywhere you went men gaped and made lewd comments or catcalls.”
    “Beauty is such a curse.” He wasn’t
usually so snide but he was tired and failed to keep it in. “And I didn’t do
any of those things,” he argued, crossing his arms.
    “I didn’t say you did. But I’m sure
that’s what Margaret heard. She’s been trying to live down her past for so
long, she thinks everyone else is just as obsessed with it.”
    “At least Davy doesn’t seem
traumatized by her attitude.” Adam yawned widely and rubbed a hand over his
face.
    “You met Davy?” His sister smiled,
her whole face emanating warmth at mention of the kid. She apparently had
fallen for more than one Parker male. “I don’t think anything could traumatize
that boy. He’s the most secure child I’ve ever known. Margaret is a good
mother. Davy is proof of that. She’s not as confident as she wants people to believe
and she comes off as brusque, often inhospitable, but underneath I think she
just needs a friend.”
    “A friend, huh?”
    “Yeah, a friend.”
    Her steady gaze was disconcerting
and Adam couldn’t help but look away. Friendship with a woman was seldom
long-lived. If he liked them well enough to be friends, something physical was
usually brewing on one side or the other. Platonic was not a word he could
envision using in regard to the woman next door. He just wished there was some
way to start over with Margaret Parker.
    “So?” His sister’s question brought
him back to the conversation at hand.
    “So, what?”
    “So what are you really doing here?
Besides ticking off my neighbor.”
    “Isn’t it obvious?” He pulled his
jean pockets inside out, revealing a ball of lent and twenty-six cents. “I need
a job.”
    “You studied business and
accounting,” she said, frowning. “We need field workers right now. It’s harvest
time.”
    “I could try that—but someone
told me your accountant is spending time in Sing Sing.”
    A smile lit up her eyes and she
chuckled. “I was kind of hoping she got put out on Alcatraz.”
    “Good accountants are hard to find
these days.”
    She pressed her lips together and
looked away. “You don’t have to tell me.”
    “Hey, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to
bring up bad memories.”
    “It’s okay.” She slid her fingers
over the smooth leather sofa, a shadow of pain in her eyes. “At least the bad
memories are out in the open now. Believe me, they’re much easier to deal with
than nightmares.”
    “Are you doing the books yourself?”
    “Right now I’m doing a bit of
everything, but not mastering anything. Maybe new blood is a good idea. I could
use the help.”
    “Terrific. When do I start?”
    “Is tomorrow too soon?”
    He grinned. “That gives me just
enough time to press my three-piece suit.”
    “Lucky for you, we’re a little more
laid back around here. Suits are optional.”
    “Whew! That’s a relief. Cause I
didn’t actually bring a suit.”
    She snorted. “I didn’t actually
believe you did.”

 
    *****

 
    Margaret set a plate of cheese and
crackers on the floor beside her son where he hunched over a complicated Lego
structure. He’d been working on it for the past four