Freight Trained Read Online Free Page B

enough.  'Nuff said.  She retreated back into her shell.  She'd actually started growing comfortable around Cole, had opened up a little, and had interacted more than her usual when meeting a new person.
    He did his thing in the attic, reporting he didn't see any critters up there, either, but stated it was possible it could be mice because he did see their droppings, he just didn't know how old it was. 
    And through it all, she silently nodded, led him to the door, quietly thanked him for his time, then carefully shut the door behind him before leaning back against it, eyes closed, head bowed, strangely and utterly upset.  How she could be devastated over something that never was, would forever remain a mystery to her, but that's how she felt, crushed.  Crushed that the first man to catch her eye, the first man to give her tingles, the first man that made her want to burst out of her shell and explore the new and fascinating world of lust, didn't feel all those things back.  Yeah, that was definitely crush worthy.              

     

     

Chapter Four
    Abby was a bundle of nerves.  She had her first face-to-face meeting with the school principal in a few hours.  While back in L.A., she'd had a phone interview with Principal Thomas, and the school board had hired her sight-unseen, but what if they hated her after they met her?  Would they renege on their job offer?  Could a person be fired before they started? 
    She was working herself into a tizzy, and that was never a good thing.  She needed to relax.  She went to the kitchen and made herself a cup of tea.  As she sipped, she looked around admiring her handy work, everything sparkled.  She hadn't set one foot out of her house all day yesterday, not even into her own backyard (she would admit, only to herself, fear of running into Cole had spurred that decision) and had not only finished cleaning but had unpacked everything as well. 
    As usual since the Cole incident, she felt her cheeks heat and her heart pound whenever thoughts of Cole entered her head, which unfortunately for the longevity of her heart, happened quite a lot.  She must have reenacted their encounter at least a hundred times, tweaking and altering her actions until she did and said everything perfectly.  So instead of walking away, leaving her alone with his embarrassing rejection, he falls to his knees, declaring his love, sweeping her off to live happily ever after. 
    Abby snorted, almost choking on a mouthful of tea.  Only in her dreams would something like that ever happen.  She needed to stop dreaming and obsessing about Cole, get her head out of the clouds, and focus on real life issues.  Speaking of which, she looked at the clock on the microwave, she needed to get ready for her interview.   
    She rinsed out her teacup then headed to her bedroom to change into her teacher persona.  She had a certain standard she maintained, pencil skirts no more than an inch above her knees, button up blouses, and stiletto heel, platform pumps.  It was a boost to her confidence when she dressed in what she liked to call, adult clothes.  She always wore her waist-length hair piled into a sophisticated twist that had taken her months to perfect and applied a light dusting of make-up — a little mascara, some shiny, lip-gloss, and two small dabs of perfume behind each ear.  Embarrassingly enough, she'd even perfected her teacher face , so she could hide her shyness behind a veil of self-confidence.
    An hour later she walked out her front door, locking it behind her.  She probably didn't need to do that here but if growing up in L.A. taught her anything, it was safety first.  She started her car then stood outside, waiting for the air conditioner to cool the interior.  The last thing she wanted was to arrive for her first meeting a sweaty mess.
    She wondered what the meeting would entail.  Hopefully, they'd give her a guideline to follow.  School started in less than two