Read A Rocky Path for Free Online Page B

iced
tea.”
    Jamie looked relieved as he said, “I’ll have
the same.”
    When the waiter had left, Jamie asked her,
“Did anyone tell you why I don’t drink? No, don’t lie to me, I
won’t be angry with anyone.”
    “Sam told me. I’m really sorry about what
happened. And I admire you for staying sober for so long. That
takes a lot of self control.”
    “I had no choice. I feel guilty every day for
what happened. I don’t want anything like that to ever happen
again.”
    They talked for a long time after they had
eaten their dinner. Emily really liked Jamie. He would be a great
guy to fall in love with, even though he was a few years younger
than she was. But, for some reason, it just wasn’t happening. Her
mind drifted back to Patrick and she had to put him back out of her
mind.
    When they got back to the house, Jamie said.
“Why don’t we take a walk?”
    They walked around the grounds and then sat
down on a bench by the pool in the garden. He put his arm around
her and they just sat for awhile. Then he bent his head toward her
to kiss her. On impulse, she pulled back a little.
    “I’m sorry. Maybe I presumed too much.”
    Emily sighed. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean
to…”
    “That’s ok.” He looked away from her.
    “No, it’s not ok.”
    She took his face in her hands and kissed him
softly on the lips. Then he took her in his arms and pulled her
closer to him. His kiss became deeper and she could feel his tongue
exploring her mouth. Then thoughts of Patrick came to her, and she
wanted it to be him holding her like this. She pulled back from
Jamie.
    “I’m sorry, Jamie. I don’t want to lead you
on, and I feel like that’s what I am doing.”
    He looked into her eyes. “Emily, you must
know that I’m in love with you. Can’t you see it? We have been
spending time together working out and really talking and getting
to know each other. Surely you must have known how I feel.”
    “I guess maybe I was beginning to see that.
Jamie, I really want to be your friend and spend time with you. But
I just don’t feel the same way you do. I wish I could, really I do.
But this isn’t something that I can control.”
    He stood up and ran his hand through his
hair. He looked about as miserable as a man could be, and Emily’s
heart went out to him, but she couldn’t deny her feelings. She
stood up, too.
    “Why did you even go out with me? If you saw
how I felt, why did you make it worse by making me think there
could be something between us?” He was angry now.
    “Please, Jamie, I just wanted to spend time
with you….”
    “Forget it! I don’t want to hear anymore.
Goodnight!”
    He stalked off, leaving her standing there
feeling miserable. She was afraid that she had lost a good friend.
How could she have been so stupid? She went back into the house and
walked upstairs feeling worse than she had in a long time.
     
    * * *
     
    That night she finished reading the letters.
They were so sensual and loving, that it thrilled her to read them.
She could tell that these two people really cared for each other,
but that they were, for some reason forbidden to see each other.
Maybe one was from aristocracy and the other from the lower class.
It could be that one was a member of the McCulloch family and the
other was possibly a maid. The last letter was a little disturbing
and different from the rest.
     
    Oh, my dearest, what have I done? Something
terrible has happened. I have to see you! I don’t know what I am
going to do. You have to help me. Meet me in the usual place. I
have done something I can’t undo!
    Your most faithful love.
     
    She was so intrigued that she planned to go
downstairs tomorrow and look for more clues.
    Later, in the night, she dreamed that she was
the writer of the letters and that Patrick was the one she was
writing to. She dreamed that he came to her in the night. When she
awakened the next morning from her dream, her pillow was wet with
tears. Somehow she knew that a