Body Chemistry Read Online Free Page B

She hung up the phone, pushing away her concern. Madeline probably had a busy day. She always got back to her; she didn’t need to pester her with messages.
    Brenda grabbed her mail and sat down at her desk to sort through it. Junk, junk, junk. As each item left her hand it fell into the wastebasket beside her. Then one piece caught her attention. She opened it. It was a handwritten note, on expensive parchment paper, lined with finely woven lace in a gold-lined envelope. It was addressed to Brenda Katherine Everton. Perhaps it was Sonya’s wedding invitation, although Sonya had no way of knowing her full name.
    She shrugged, then she began to read it, curious.
    You have been personally selected to join The Black Stockings Society, an elite, members-only club that will change your life and help you find the man of your dreams. Guaranteed.
     
    Brenda frowned, flipping the invitation over, confused. What was it? She continued reading.
    Dumped? Bored? Tired of Being Single? Ready to live dangerously? Then this is the club for you. Guaranteed Results! Submit your application today.
     
    Nonsense. She noticed the nominal fee and specific instructions that she had to submit the application within seven days or she’d lose the opportunity of a lifetime.
    Ridiculous. She didn’t need this kind of distraction. Someone probably sent it to her as a joke. She had enough to think about and didn’t need any pressure to join some stupid society. She tossed the invitation in the wastebasket along with all the other junk.
    Brenda ended up eating another TV dinner that evening. Madeline never returned her call. It didn’t bother her, she figured Madeline had forgotten. It wasn’t unlike her friend to forget appointments, especially if she was trying to solve a problem or was busy with a project. That night Brenda went to bed thinking of one thing: how to solve her cash flow crisis.
    She woke up to a male’s voice in her bedroom. It was low, smooth like melted butter on warm biscuits, beautiful and familiar, with an amusing Canadian accent.
    Dominic. Her eyes flew open. Her gaze darted around the room, then she realized she was alone, but the voice was still there. She turned to the radio. His voice came toward her as though he were beside her. He was being interviewed on one of the early morning radio shows she loved to listen to.
    Brenda slammed the alarm off. It had been a long time since she had woken up to his voice and she didn’t need to be reminded of how nice it was to hear. She spent that morning boiling several pots of water, to wash her face and hair, which was in desperate need of a good shampoo. She decided to skip blow drying and put her hair in two large braids instead. It was the weekend and she didn’t have to worry about anyone important seeing her, not that she was ever interested in making a fashion statement.
    Brenda went outside and retrieved her morning paper, before having her morning coffee and a large banana nut muffin. She only received the daily newspaper on weekends, because she was usually too busy to read it during the week. She sat down at her kitchen table and opened the paper. She nearly choked when she saw the headline: Renowned scientist Dr. Madeline Cartwright found dead from apparent suicide.
     
    Rain wasn’t unusual in Seattle, so no one let it bother them as they stood around the grave site under a canopy, trying not to get wet. Brenda looked around and was surprised by the small crowd. Madeline had known so many people. Had her life diminished to this? All the faces were a blur. Brenda usually paid attention to detail but this time she couldn’t. The coffin loomed large in her mind. This couldn’t be real. Madeline was only forty-two. She had so much more to do. Why had it ended this way?
    Brenda wondered if she should have gone over to Madeline’s house the last time they spoke. Was she reaching out; did Brenda not hear her cry? She had thought she was her friend. Why hadn’t she called