Breathe into Me Read Online Free Page A

room burned into my back, and I knew my name would be on the rumor mill by morning. Maybe I should have been used to that by now, but the thought made my heart hurt.
    “We can go through the hotel. I’m parked around the side.”
    The thought of going out the back entrance again made me nervous, but I knew it was the right choice. There was no doubt in my mind that Macon was waiting outside the front door for us to leave that way. This bar could be rough, and while the bouncers inside wouldn’t let anyone fight, the parking lot wasn’t safe. Issues were frequently resolved out there, usually violently, and I didn’t want to take that risk tonight.
    Everett laid his hand on my elbow and I flinched away, moving quickly to the hotel door. I could feel eyes from all sides silently judging me.
There goes that tramp
. Even if I couldn’t hear them, I knew what they were thinking.
    Once we got outside Everett took the lead as we made a beeline for his vehicle. I saw no sign of Macon but didn’t breathe a sigh of relief until I was inside the car. It was a ratty old thing, not quite what I’d expected, but the interior was nice and the engine started up smoothly.
    “Where do you live?”
    My distrust reared up again, but I tamped it down. He needed to know where to drop me off at least. “Closer to the coast. I’ll show you when we get there.” Street signs were impossible to read in the dark anyway.
    He nodded and pulled out of the parking lot. As we pulled past the entrance to the bar, I saw Macon outside the door, craning his head to see inside. Bitterness churned in my gut at the thought of having to face him again, and I crouched low in my seat until we were past.
    “You okay?”
    I spared a quick glance at Everett, and then shook my head. “I just want to go home.”
    He just nodded and stayed silent as we headed south. The clock told me it wasn’t yet midnight. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d gone home so early on a Saturday night. I was beat though; between a long day and a night from hell, I wasn’t sure I wanted to wake up the next morning.
    There was no conversation other than directions, and for that I was grateful. Everett was little more than a stranger, but I desperately wanted to trust him and that scared me. It was so much easier to do things like get into a stranger’s car when I was drunk. Tonight, however, I was as sober and clear-eyed as I’d been in years, and was tired of making poor choices.
    My grandmother lived in a mobile home, and we’d been there since I was fifteen. Even after four years, I was still embarrassed to be living in a trailer park, so I had Everett stop at the entrance instead of driving to the house itself. As I opened the door and got out, I heard him ask, “Are you going to be okay?”
    I almost nodded, then took a deep breath and leaned down to face him. “Thanks for the ride.”
    He smiled, and in the light of his car I saw dimples that I’d missed in the bar. “Maybe I’ll see you around.”
    Oyster Cove was a small town, making it difficult to keep away from folks. I wasn’t even sure if I wanted to see him again and relive the night’s events, but I still gave him a wan smile before closing the door. He didn’t drive off until I’d already gone a few yards, as if waiting for me to turn around and ask for help.
    It amazed me that the thought to do so actually crossed my mind.
    My grandmother’s narrow trailer was at the first bend in the road, and I saw with some dismay that the light was still on inside. Sighing, I walked up the steps and unlocked the door, stepping inside.
    “So, where have you been off gallivanting tonight?” My grandmother Diana sat at the dining room table, glaring up at me as I set my purse on a small end table.
    “Work went late, then somebody asked me to be the DD tonight.” I wasn’t going to apologize to this woman.
    She sniffed, looking down her nose at me. “I can smell the alcohol on you. So irresponsible, you