Yesterday's Tomorrows Read Online Free Page A

over her current financial situation.
    I stole another glance at Madelyn Stone, looking even more lost and lonely in my oversized truck. Something made me consider it wasn't as simple as I liked to believe. She didn't look big enough to hurt a fly, much less another person. In fact, she looked more like she needed someone to look after her. She barely reached my shoulder, was lost in clothes too big for her, and with her wide eyes, she looked more like a character out of a Dickens novel. She drew on my natural inclination to protect and defend those that I cared about.
    Part of me wanted to feel sorry for her. Except, how could I care about someone I'd only met this morning? Fuck, I didn't even know anything about her except what I'd learned in the past twenty minutes, so why was I even bothering to try to figure her out and make sure she was okay?
    But when I looked closer into her eyes, beneath the swirls of browns and greens, beneath the layers of pride, uncertainty, and resolve, I saw a vulnerability that she wasn't able to manage to hide. It tugged on a part of me that I thought was long dead and buried. And dead and buried was where it needed to stay.
    All of these conflicting thoughts grew into one monstrous headache. Grateful she wasn't the chatty type, I followed the directions on my GPS and several minutes later pulled into a parking lot on the edge of downtown. She broke out of her quiet daze and leaned forward to stare at the tan brick building.
    It was a much older building than the one I lived in and very nondescript as far as architecture went. It reminded me of the Lego buildings my seven-year-old nephew liked to build - a tall, straight rectangle with rectangular windows evenly spaced, double rectangular doors on the front, and a sign out in the grass identifying the name of the complex that was shaped, of course, like a rectangle. At least, the parking lot was clean, and the grounds were neatly kept.
    "This is where I'll be staying?"
    I scowled at the confusion in her tone. Who the hell did she think she was? "What? It doesn't live up to your expectations?"
    Her eyes widened before turning into dark slits. "No, actually, it doesn't! If you'd taken me to a homeless shelter, it wouldn't have surprised me." She crossed her arms. "This is far nicer than anything I expected. I'm sure you think that someone like me doesn't warrant this second chance, but I didn't seek this out, buddy." She poked her finger at my chest. "For whatever reason, Mr. McCloskey feels differently, and whatever else I am, I'm a hard worker, and I won't let Mr. M regret giving me this chance."
    "Humph. I guess we'll see." I opened my door and got out, irritated at how she had a knack for turning me into a bad guy. Relieved she was only my problem for a few more minutes, I opened the back door to my truck and grabbed an envelope that I'd been instructed to bring along, leaving her to climb out on her own. My mother would have been appalled. I guess I was zero for two on my manners today.
    She crossed her arms as I came around the truck. "Thank you for the ride, Mr. Andrews, especially as I'm certain you had better and more important things to do this morning than spend it with someone like me. Oh, I also appreciate you defending me to Mrs. Regis." Without waiting for a response, she turned and cut across the grass toward the front door. I could have sworn I heard her mumble something about my ass and my elbow, which didn’t make any sense to me, but I couldn’t help but grin. Her sass amused me, and I hadn’t had anything to smile about in a long time.
    I started to call after her, but my ‘ass’ that she referenced decided to lean back against my truck instead. Ignoring the light drizzle, I crossed my arms and watched and waited. Despite the baggy, unattractive cheap jeans she was wearing, I could still see the gentle sway of her hips. I had a feeling that if she wore clothes that fit, she'd have a figure worth showing off.
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