Cynthianna Scrambled Eggs (pdf)

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because I was paid to be brought into it in the first
place. It—it just doesn’t make any sense.”
“Since when do feelings have to make sense?” Liza
cried. “Look, Shar’s a dear, sweet person and all, but
she’s a bit hormonal lately and she’s got some really
odd ideas of what it means for a man to be a father.”
“Odd ideas? Like a father should be made of flesh
and blood instead of a test tube?”
“Cute. What I meant is that her odd ideas have
something to do with her growing up without a
daddy. She tried to make the ‘ideal family’ for herself
for years with Jeffrey, but then she discovered just
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Cynthianna
because you have a white picket fence and two cars in
the
garage,
you
aren’t
necessarily
guaranteed
happiness.”
Images
from
his
own
white
picket-fenced
childhood came flooding back to Zack. He was a very
lucky person to have two such loving parents.
Sharlene had said so.
“Give her a little more time,” Liza advised. “She’ll
realize she’s jeopardizing her chance to have the real
thing, and she’ll come running back to you. You’ll
see.”
Zack laid his head on his desk blotter. “I sure hope
so. At least she’s keeping you company in that huge
condo of yours.”
“It’s not that big a place. Keith’s exaggerating.”
“Keith exaggerates about a lot of things. You
probably realize what all he does exaggerate about by
now. Try not to act disappointed.”
Liza coughed. “Ahem. Excuse me? I don’t know
what you’re talking about. Keith and I are friends, just
friends. I couldn’t reach those bottles on the top shelf
after Joel moved out, and Keith’s been more than
helpful…”
Despite the ache rending his heart in two, Zack
couldn’t help but smile at the sight of Keith acting
genuinely happy for the first time in his life.
“I’m glad you two enjoy helping each other. You’ve
inspired him to sign up for summer classes, by the
way. He actually wants to graduate now.”
“Good. With his skills, I’m sure he can go all the
way—to the top of his field, that is.”
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Scrambled Eggs
Zack suppressed a snort. “Sure he can. Thanks for
listening, Liza.”
“You’re welcome. You going to be all right?”
“Yeah, I guess so. I’ve got to get back to work now,
or else I’ll be tempted to disappoint another infertile
couple somewhere. Let me know the second Sharlene
changes her mind and wants to come home.”
“I will.”
“And be sure to tell her ‘Mystery Dad’ misses her.”
“Mystery wha-? Oh, yeah, will do. ‘Bye.”
Zack hung up and strolled to the front of the store.
Empty at almost six o’clock. Business was off. The
piles of bills on his desk were beginning to mount up.
The one woman in the whole world whom he cared
about more than life itself had dumped him. What
else could go wrong?
The door buzzer interrupted his sad reverie.
“Hello,
Zack,”
Diana
Markham
purred,
promenading into the shop like a queen taking her
throne. “I’m so glad to see you made it safely home
from your little excursion.”
Wonderful. Just the person I wanted to see.
“Yeah, I made it back,” he said flatly. “Did I miss
much in class?”
“Well,” she began slowly, leaning across the
counter so her cleavage was clearly visible in the
neckline of her scoop-necked sweater, “you’re several
projects behind now. We’ve simply got to find some
way for you to make them up this week, or else I’m
afraid I’ll have to fail you.”
Zack gulped. “Can’t I take an ‘incomplete’ and
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Cynthianna
make it up in summer school?”
“School policy states that incompletes are left
entirely to the discretion of the professor. You know
very well I’m not the type of instructor who believes
in passing everyone just to be nice.”
Her dark eyes burned into his, leaving no doubt as
to her meaning. “You have to earn your grade in my
class.”
Zack immediately broke out in a cold sweat. It was
all too clear to him now. He watched her in horror as
Diana meandered about the store, touching and
picking up items as if she meant to drop and break
one at any moment.
“Remember what I said at the beginning of the
term?” she drawled, bouncing an Ipod between her
palms like a rubber ball. “I hold all the cards. You
either fold or you play, or else I’m forced to call in
your hand.”
She dropped the electronic device on the counter
with a sickening thud, grinning. Her actions had
produced the desired effect in him. “So, what’s it
going to be? Are you still playing?”
Zack swallowed hard. What did he have to lose
now? He’d lost Sharlene’s trust already and, in all
likelihood, he was going to lose the store to his [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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