When Love Breaks Read Online Free Page A

and lean against the cold, hallway wall, feeling defeated as tears, once again, prick my eyes. I knew this job would be hard. I just didn’t think it’d be this hard.

LOGAN
    S hit . I was too hard on her. Why am I such an asshole? She was just doing her job, like she said. I close my eyes and silently castigate myself for chasing another one off. Only this time, I feel guilty for it. I touch my chest where her warm hands just were and oddly, my skin has never felt so cold. Her touch was an automatic response to her training, yet it seemed different, sincere, kind. I rub my forehead in frustration. I feel bad that she has to put up with me but then, I doubt I’ll see her after today. Good. She doesn’t need the hassle, and I don’t need her help. But, even as I think it, I know it’s bullshit.
    I throw my shirt back on and wheel myself out of my bedroom toward the kitchen. She’s still here, but not for long, as she’s putting on her jacket.
    “I’ll need you to sign this, to say I was here, and that I did the tasks listed here.” She points to a line on the paper. Her face is sullen, and she doesn’t look me in the eye. I feel terrible for yelling at her. None the less, I take the pen from her hand and scribble my name. Our fingers touch briefly as I hand it back to her, and it’s as if an electrical pulse travels up my arm. I pull back immediately. Silence overtakes the room, and my need to fill it is unlike me.
    “Thank you, for…um…breakfast, and…everything else.” My words come out awkwardly, as though I’m a nervous teenager talking to a pretty girl who’s way out of my league.
    “You’re welcome,” she says softly, still not looking directly at me.
    I want to see her eyes one more time.
    “Hey,” I say sharply, and it works. She looks up. “Have a good rest of the day.”
    The confusion on her face is evident. I’m sure she’s wondering why I would summon her attention to say something so random and so…normal. Hell, I’m wondering the same thing. She nods and turns to walk out the door. I want to say something else… anything , to make her turn back around, but I don’t, and my heart sinks as the door latches behind her.

2
    LOGAN
    “Y ou did what? ” Michael shouts at me while clenching his fists.
    “I dismissed her. I don’t need a babysitter, Michael.”
    “Like hell you don’t! You can barely manage to get in and out of the damn bed without falling onto the floor! You need help, Logan. You do. The sooner you admit that, the better. I’m calling the agency back and asking them to send her again tomorrow. Hopefully, she’ll come, or you’ll be on aide number nine.” His voice is strained. He’s serious—not that I care.
    “Fuck you! If you tell them I still need someone, I’ll just have them sit on their ass all day and do nothing. Won’t that be a great use of money?”
    Michael’s face is turning a menacing shade of red as he scoffs at me, then he stomps off to his room, slamming the door behind him. I roll my eyes and flip him off. Deep down, I know he’s right, though I’d never, in a million years, tell him that.
    My thoughts then involuntarily drift to Elora. Will they send her again? Probably not. Surely, by now, she’s told them she never wants to step foot in this house again. Hell, who could blame her? I’ve done nothing but give her a hard time since she walked in. If she’s smart, she’ll never agree to come back. But, somewhere inside me, hope springs. What is it about her that feels different? She’s beautiful. Actually, she’s more than beautiful, but she’s kind too. She’s observant and seems to anticipate my needs before I know what they are. Hell, she even cooked my favorite meal without even knowing it. I bow my head. I can’t get too excited about this girl, after all, what would I possibly have to offer her?
    Michael struts back into the kitchen and begins to heat up leftovers from yesterday. Thank God she made so much.
    “Well,