Out of Breath (Exposed Series Book 2) Read Online Free

intimate apartment. And health wise?”
    I shrugged. “I don’t know. A few days ago I felt well enough to
go gallivanting in South America with strangers and long bus journeys and
questionable medical care.”
    “I’m not saying I ever thought that was a good idea,” she said.
“And I’m not saying that I’m not thrilled to have more time with you.” Tina
swallowed. “Cause I am. But this sounds pretty complicated and you tend to-”
    “Run away from stuff?”
    “Your words, not mine.”
    “Don’t get me wrong, Tina. I was completely panicked when she
showed up at my place the other night.”
    “Understandable.”
    “But I think she needs me.” I licked my finger and dabbed at
some scone crumbs. “She was so grateful when I said she could stay.”
    “You barely know her.”
    I shrugged.
    “I’m just playing devil’s advocate here.” She took the lid off
her latte and took a sip. “This isn’t exactly going to make your life easier.”
    “I know that, but I’ve been making selfish decisions my whole
life. Maybe it’s time for a change.”
    “Is minding a troubled teenager really how you want to spend
your last…” She glanced down at the table and cleared her throat. “Your time?”
    “I don’t know. We had fun yesterday.”
    She rolled her eyes. “I’m so glad that you’ve thought this
through.” 
    I sighed.
    She tilted her head. “What do you want to come out of this?”
    “I don’t know. Something better?”
    “Something better.”
    “Well we had no relationship before yesterday.”
    Tina peeled the icing layer off the top of her carrot cake.
    “Come on. You have to admit that it’s strange that she showed up
the night before I was supposed to leave?”
    “Strange? Yes. A sign from the cosmos? No.”
    I took a sip of my drink and licked the sweet foam off my top
lip.
    Her eyes stopped sparkling for a second. “Look, it’s not that I don’t
like kids-”
    I laughed. “That’s a lie.”
    “Well you didn’t like them either until what? 24 hours ago?”
    “She’s not a kid. She’s a teenager.”
    Tina threw her hands up. “Oh joy. Even better.”
    I squinted at her. “Aren’t you even a bit curious to meet her?”
    Her eyes softened. “Maybe a little.” She looked around for a
moment and broke a piece of cake off with her manicured fingers. “I just don’t
want you to get hurt, Dawn. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
    “Why does anyone have to get hurt?”
    “Somebody always gets hurt.”
    “Even if that were true I’m going to die anyway.”
    She flinched.
    “How much worse could it get?”
    “I don’t know.” She twisted her wedding ring. “But do you really
want to find out?”
    “I think it will be worse for everyone if I back out now.”
    “Well there’s your answer.”
    “I guess I already knew what I wanted to do.”
    “Of course you did or you wouldn’t have asked for my opinion.”
She shook her head. “Honestly, I don’t even know why you run stuff by me. You
always end up doing what you want anyway.”
    I smiled. “Thanks for understanding. You’re the best.”
    “Dawn?”
    “Yeah?”
    “Does Carol know that you’re not just helping out to be polite?
Does she know what this means to you? To have family around right now?”
    I looked down at the table and ran my fingers along the fake
wood grain. “I don’t think so.”
    “You need to tell her.”
    “I don’t want her to worry.”
    “Not good enough.”
    “I’ll tell her,” I said. “I know I need to tell her.”
    “And one other thing,” she said, checking the absurdly small face
of her thin gold watch.
    “Shoot.”
    “Don’t put all your eggs in the Kate basket.”
    “What are you talking about?”
    “What I mean is that I know it’s exciting to spend time with her
and be there for her. But she has her own life, and you need to respect that.”
    “I know.”
    “I just thought I’d mention it because you seem to have
forgotten that you closed your practice