Lydia's Secret (The Secret Series Book 1) Read Online Free

eyebrows.
    Lydia attempted a small smile. “Baltha was my grandmother’s cat. Jacie was pretty upset when the cat died, so Grandma told her Baltha went to live on the North Star and would always be her guardian angel. Jacie’s a true believer and even has a stuffed animal named Fangton, since the cat had slept with one just like it.”
    She rose from the couch with Jeanie’s unnecessary help. “Where’s the letter?”
    Roman stood also.
    Jeanie was quick to respond. “It’s in her room. She just went to sleep, so you might want to wait a bit.”
    Lydia nodded. “I’ll just check on her.”
    “I’ll come with you.” Jeanie trailed behind her. “What happened tonight? Roman told me a little bit.”
    They reached Jacie’s room, and Lydia placed her palm against the closed door. “Someone jumped me on the way home. Mr. Castillo came to my rescue, but I took a pretty bad fall and hit my head on the ice.” She was amazed at the calm way she touched on those memories. All the panic and fear from earlier was almost gone. I must be tired.
    Jeanie shivered and hugged herself. “Nowhere is safe anymore. Did he want your purse or something?”
    “No. He wanted to...” She touched her neck where his tongue had licked the skin. A shudder ran through her. “You smell incredible.” The guy had said something else that she couldn’t remember. A wave of dizziness seized her.
    “Are you okay?”
    Lydia’s gaze sharpened as she shook off the memories. “Can we talk about this later?”
    Jeanie pierced her with a professional look she usually reserved for Jacie. “Yes, but I’m staying with you tonight.”
    Lydia’s mind immediately went to overtime cost. She could only afford insurance for one of them, and Jacie’s care took up all of their allotted hours. Her illness was more aggressive now, but they weren’t approved for more time yet. Every minute was needed for her daughter.
    “I’ll be fine. It wasn’t my head that caused the dizziness, just the memory of the attack. You need to go home. The roads are getting terrible.” One little conk on the noggin wouldn’t bring her down.
    “Lydia.”
    She calmly turned Jeanie toward the living room and gave her a gentle push. “I’ll be fine. A storm’s coming, and you need to hurry.” Lydia slipped into Jacie’s room, quietly closing the door behind her before the woman could protest.
    Lydia braced against the door for a moment, trying to get some kind of composure back. Where was the calm she’d somehow found between the alley and home?
    She inhaled a slow breath and let it go, mimicking the pain management techniques she and Jacie had learned together. Her daughter didn’t need to see her come unhinged.
    Jacie turned over in bed, and Lydia stepped slowly forward. The soft glow of the lamp reflected off Jacie’s little bald head, and Lydia’s heart flipped at the loss of her beautiful hair. She reached over and switched off the light. Jacie always kept it on if Lydia worked late.
    “Mom?” Her voice was thick with sleep.
    “Hey, honey.” Lydia sat on the edge of the bed. “How long have you been awake?”
    “Off and on...” She hesitated a little too long.
    “Were you listening to our conversation?”
    Jacie’s expression was as solemn as a six-year old’s could ever be. Wide blue eyes stared at Lydia without blinking. “I’m not supposed to listen to grownup conversations.”
    “That’s what they tell me.” Lydia leaned in really close so their noses almost touched. “You’re not fooling me for a minute.”
    Jacie lost the cherub innocence instantly and mischief danced in her eyes. Her smile pushed away the darkness, the weird dizziness. Everything.
    “Sorry I was late, kiddo.” Lydia dropped a light kiss on her nose.
    “Somebody hurt you? Did you get Band-Aids?”
    “Nope. No Band-Aids. No cool stickers either. Not even a lollipop.”
    Jacie made a face of disgust. “No lollipops?”
    “Nope. I got to see a police officer