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.“Well,” said Phil, “your hands are big enough.”“Hey!” said Crawley, smacking him lightly on the cheek.“Don’t make fun of my boy hands—don’t turn around yet!”“What are you doing back there?” he asked suspiciously.“Nothing,” she said.Her hands came away from his eyes, and she climbed over the back of the sofa and plopped in his lap.Phil’s eyes went wide when he realized that while she still wore her heels and stockings, there was not another stitch of clothing on her body.Their chemistry was perfect, and yet they both paused before their hands had even begun to explore each other.“I’m sorry,” he said.“I just can’t stop thinking about how miserable Steve is.”“It’s all right,” she said, sliding off of his lap.“I know what you mean.It doesn’t seem right, us being happy when he’s so down in the dumps.”“I can’t believe Autumn did that to him.”“It just doesn’t seem like it’s true! When I talked to Autumn about Steve, there was never so much as a hint that it wasn’t for real.”“Well, I don’t know.” Phil remembered what Steve had said in the cab.“Maybe she’s just good at being fake?”“If I was Steve,” said Crawley, folding her legs under her and sitting up straighter on his couch, “I would drive up there and demand an explanation.”“I think he’s in enough legal trouble now.He got a call not to report to work on Monday.”“Oh, geez.You don’t think he’ll lose his job, do you?”“I don’t know.I’d like to grab Autumn and shake her for doing this to Steve, though.”“I’d like to punch her in the nose!” She giggled at his reaction.“Well, at least give her a piece of my mind.”“So let’s do it.” He sat up himself.“All right, tiger,” purred Crawley, sitting up on her knees.She crawled onto him, eyes shining with desire.“No! I mean, yes, but I meant let’s go see Autumn.”“Now?” Crawley asked, glancing up from where she had put her face in his lap.“No, definitely not now, but tomorrow…”“I’ve got church,” said Crawley, staring up from her decidedly unchurch-like activity, “but I’m sure the Lord will forgive me this once.”She stopped talking because her mouth was occupied, and he stopped talking because he was unable.Chapter 24CRAWLEY’S ECLIPSE ROLLED UP outside of Jonathon’s house just before noon.The sun was near its zenith, casting warm light over the well-manicured lawn.Bees buzzed lazily as they zigzagged through the air from flower to flower.The scene seemed too placid, too calm for the storm that was brewing in Phil’s gut.Phil was not a man who liked confrontation.A memory of himself squinting his eyes and shoving his finger in his ears while his parents argued in the next room rose to his mind unbidden.Shaking the image out of his head, he forced himself to bend his thoughts to the task at hand.Crawley seemed to sense his turmoil, giving his hand a quick squeeze before exiting the car.Things had been different since the night they spent in the hotel room.He no longer felt like her tagalong, but like a full partner in the relationship.That she was more experienced, had more money, and was more attractive than he was seemed irrelevant.Seizing hold of his newfound confidence, he steeled himself for what was likely to be an unpleasant conversation.He slipped his hand into hers, and their fingers intertwined.Crawley had suggested they only tell Autumn they wanted to catch up with her, maybe take her to lunch.Saving the big guns, so to speak, until they were in the restaurant.Phil was honestly worried what Autumn would do, even in public, if they sprang the true reason for their visit on her in an ambush.Crawley had insisted that Autumn would not speak to them otherwise, and he had relented, figuring that she knew more of the female mind than he did.His hand was shaking a bit as he knocked on the glass storm door.In a few moments it opened a crack, and Jonathon’s face appeared.After a few seconds, his gaze widened and a smile split his face.Eagerly, he shook both of their hands.“Ellie and Phil! I guess you guys came to see Autumn.”“Yeah,” said Phil, clearing his throat, “we, uh, we’re probably not expected…”“I’ll go rouse her.Come on in!”They followed Jonathon into the cozy interior.A college basketball game was on the big-screen TV, and the smell of something wonderful roasting wafted out of the kitchen.Jonathon bustled out of sight for a moment, and then returned with Autumn.The caustic young woman did not seem to be herself.Apparently, her brush with death had taken its toll, as she had not bothered to put on makeup of any kind.Her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, and she wore black sweats and an oversized shirt that probably had belonged to Steve at one point.Dark circles lurked beneath her eyes, which were dull and listless.She glared at the two of them, and Phil suddenly felt very much the intruder.“Did Steve put you up to this?” she asked in a voice thick with sleep [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
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.“Well,” said Phil, “your hands are big enough.”“Hey!” said Crawley, smacking him lightly on the cheek.“Don’t make fun of my boy hands—don’t turn around yet!”“What are you doing back there?” he asked suspiciously.“Nothing,” she said.Her hands came away from his eyes, and she climbed over the back of the sofa and plopped in his lap.Phil’s eyes went wide when he realized that while she still wore her heels and stockings, there was not another stitch of clothing on her body.Their chemistry was perfect, and yet they both paused before their hands had even begun to explore each other.“I’m sorry,” he said.“I just can’t stop thinking about how miserable Steve is.”“It’s all right,” she said, sliding off of his lap.“I know what you mean.It doesn’t seem right, us being happy when he’s so down in the dumps.”“I can’t believe Autumn did that to him.”“It just doesn’t seem like it’s true! When I talked to Autumn about Steve, there was never so much as a hint that it wasn’t for real.”“Well, I don’t know.” Phil remembered what Steve had said in the cab.“Maybe she’s just good at being fake?”“If I was Steve,” said Crawley, folding her legs under her and sitting up straighter on his couch, “I would drive up there and demand an explanation.”“I think he’s in enough legal trouble now.He got a call not to report to work on Monday.”“Oh, geez.You don’t think he’ll lose his job, do you?”“I don’t know.I’d like to grab Autumn and shake her for doing this to Steve, though.”“I’d like to punch her in the nose!” She giggled at his reaction.“Well, at least give her a piece of my mind.”“So let’s do it.” He sat up himself.“All right, tiger,” purred Crawley, sitting up on her knees.She crawled onto him, eyes shining with desire.“No! I mean, yes, but I meant let’s go see Autumn.”“Now?” Crawley asked, glancing up from where she had put her face in his lap.“No, definitely not now, but tomorrow…”“I’ve got church,” said Crawley, staring up from her decidedly unchurch-like activity, “but I’m sure the Lord will forgive me this once.”She stopped talking because her mouth was occupied, and he stopped talking because he was unable.Chapter 24CRAWLEY’S ECLIPSE ROLLED UP outside of Jonathon’s house just before noon.The sun was near its zenith, casting warm light over the well-manicured lawn.Bees buzzed lazily as they zigzagged through the air from flower to flower.The scene seemed too placid, too calm for the storm that was brewing in Phil’s gut.Phil was not a man who liked confrontation.A memory of himself squinting his eyes and shoving his finger in his ears while his parents argued in the next room rose to his mind unbidden.Shaking the image out of his head, he forced himself to bend his thoughts to the task at hand.Crawley seemed to sense his turmoil, giving his hand a quick squeeze before exiting the car.Things had been different since the night they spent in the hotel room.He no longer felt like her tagalong, but like a full partner in the relationship.That she was more experienced, had more money, and was more attractive than he was seemed irrelevant.Seizing hold of his newfound confidence, he steeled himself for what was likely to be an unpleasant conversation.He slipped his hand into hers, and their fingers intertwined.Crawley had suggested they only tell Autumn they wanted to catch up with her, maybe take her to lunch.Saving the big guns, so to speak, until they were in the restaurant.Phil was honestly worried what Autumn would do, even in public, if they sprang the true reason for their visit on her in an ambush.Crawley had insisted that Autumn would not speak to them otherwise, and he had relented, figuring that she knew more of the female mind than he did.His hand was shaking a bit as he knocked on the glass storm door.In a few moments it opened a crack, and Jonathon’s face appeared.After a few seconds, his gaze widened and a smile split his face.Eagerly, he shook both of their hands.“Ellie and Phil! I guess you guys came to see Autumn.”“Yeah,” said Phil, clearing his throat, “we, uh, we’re probably not expected…”“I’ll go rouse her.Come on in!”They followed Jonathon into the cozy interior.A college basketball game was on the big-screen TV, and the smell of something wonderful roasting wafted out of the kitchen.Jonathon bustled out of sight for a moment, and then returned with Autumn.The caustic young woman did not seem to be herself.Apparently, her brush with death had taken its toll, as she had not bothered to put on makeup of any kind.Her hair was pulled back into a simple ponytail, and she wore black sweats and an oversized shirt that probably had belonged to Steve at one point.Dark circles lurked beneath her eyes, which were dull and listless.She glared at the two of them, and Phil suddenly felt very much the intruder.“Did Steve put you up to this?” she asked in a voice thick with sleep [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]