Tapestry of Trust Read Online Free Page A

headed for the break room.
    Inside, he spotted Brenda leaning against the counter looking bored. Her usual self. “Good morning.”
    “It’s still brewing. But, not decaf.”
    “Caffeine’s OK.” Charlie smothered another yawn. Not just OK. Absolutely necessary.
    “I thought you usually stopped for coffee.”
    “I didn’t have time today.” He clasped his hands and waited for the brew to finish.
    Brenda’s dark lashes splayed upward. “Overslept, huh? Out too late with Miss Erica, I bet.” She twisted her lips into an exaggerated kiss, doubling her already double chin.
    Charlie squinted to keep from rolling his eyes. “I didn’t see Erica. I just didn’t sleep well.” How about a little sympathy? He rubbed the back of his neck. “Has my first appointment arrived?”
    “Nope.” Brenda combed her fingers through her blonde mane, exposing the dark roots. “In fact, they’ve rescheduled.”
    “Excellent.” Charlie exhaled relief. He’d worked for days on the Fleming project and had gotten nowhere. Now he wouldn’t have to adlib a presentation. Thank you, Lord.
    For the last week, he’d felt worthless, frustrated, distracted. He had no idea why. No. That wasn’t true . He did know why. Isabelle.
    Numbing questions crowded his mind. What had she been doing these last six years? Why hadn’t she responded to his calls and letters, or at least given him a chance to explain? What drove her to just drop out of sight? Even more, to drop out of his life?
    His muscle in his jaw tightened. Questions only Isabelle could answer.
    “You know, you do look tired. Actually, you look terrible.”
    Charlie blinked as Brenda leaned closer, studying him. “Gee, thanks.”
    “No problem. Not everyone can look fresh and beautiful every day.” Brenda tossed her head back, a smug expression on her face.
    He couldn’t resist. “You know, maybe you should try a new hairstyle. Like a bob or something.” He immediately regretted the ribbing when he saw her eyes round like two burning coals.
    He shot up his hand. “Hey, just a thought.”
    “Well, Mr. Prince-of-Fashion, if your tie wasn’t on crooked, I might consider your advice.”
    OK, she won. Holding all comment, Charlie edged past Brenda to the coffeepot. Another day he would have laughed at the banter. Even shot back another witty riposte, although at the moment he found her quips more annoying than amusing. He poured his coffee, not bothering to add the sugar and cream. “I’ll be in my office.”
    Two steps inside his office, he stopped. On the corner of his desk he noticed the folder of research notes he’d forgotten to take to his grad school class the night before. His head throbbed. His empty stomach growled. And his parched throat burned. He’d spent forty-five minutes scouring his apartment looking for those notes. He looked into his cup of coffee, still streaming with heat. Today wasn’t shaping up any different than yesterday.
    Charlie rubbed between his eyes. Yep, his day was already sprinting downhill. How ironic that what started out as a good deed of returning a neighbor’s cat, ended up turning his life upside down. Seeing Isabelle again stirred something deep inside him. An awareness he hadn’t felt in…well, not in six years. Logically, he knew even though things had been great between them once, people change. He had to admit, he didn’t know Isabelle Crafton anymore. The tension he felt in the parking lot last Friday verified that. And those old scabby wounds needed to be healed.
    Like that would be easy.
    Shrugging off the disconcerting thoughts, Charlie stomped around his desk. He sank into the leather chair, and eyeballed his calendar. Deadlines. He hated them. Yanking open a drawer, he pulled out a bulging file, and chucked it onto the desk. Now if only his head would stop pounding. He grabbed a bottle of aspirin beside his computer, took two tablets, and swallowed them with a gulp of coffee.
    Time to get busy. He opened the file,