Read After Dark: Chicago Fire (Science Fiction Anthalogies Book 2) for Free Online Page A

her.
Tara is wearing a tight black skirt, white top, high heels and has a beaming
smile as she enters the coffee shop.
    Jeremy often exchanges smiles with
Tara, knows that she is a cashier at local Waterman’s Downtown store, but sadly
fears that she even knows who he is. Tara too is a regular customer at the Old
Coffee Stop although she has not been a regular as long as Jeremy or Mrs.
Dooley. Tara grabs her take away coffee smiles at Jeremy and Mrs. Dooley as she
leaves and heads down the street. Jeremy watches out the window until Tara is
almost out of view and quickly says goodbye to Mrs. Dooley and heads out the
door seeing Tara some short distance ahead.
    Jeremy doesn’t really know why he is
following Tara although deep down there is an infatuation and he simply has a
desire to see her walk back to work. Then suddenly Jeremy is distracted.
‘Jeremy…..Jeremy’ he hears his name yelled loudly from over the road. It’s
Matthew Warren, Jeremy’s boss and he is excitedly crossing the road and heads
towards him. Jeremy turns to take one more glimpse of Tara and can’t believe
that she has vanished. Vanished, almost into thin air! He stops and stares down
the road in disbelief. Where did she go? He can’t believe it, there are no side
alleys or laneways and yet Tara clearly is not in sight. As he fixates on the
road she travelled, Matthew is now standing next to him and shakes his arm to
get Jeremy’s attention. ‘What’s wrong Jeremy? You look as though you have seen
a ghost’, Matthew laughs as he says it.
    ‘No, it’s OK’ adds Jeremy. ‘Anyway how
are you?’ he asks. ‘Well you see me every day so I suppose you would know if I
wasn’t OK’ Matthew again laughs as he finishes his sentence.  ‘Jeremy, walk
with me. My apartment is just down the road and it’s been a while since we have
caught up for a decent chat’, Matthew adds. As the two men walk Jeremy ponders
for a moment and thinks to himself that he has never been to Matthew’s
apartment. In fact whilst the two get on okay at work and Jeremy respects
Matthew as his boss, apart from a working relationship the two rarely catch up
and have never had a decent chat. The pair exchange pleasantries and idle
banter about nothing as they slowly walk to Matthew’s apartment.
    Once inside Jeremy’s eyes dart around
the small interior and sitting room, taking in the nick knacks that adorn the
room, and admiring the large screen television mounted on the wall whilst
Matthew makes coffee. Matthew is aged thirty five and is ten years older than
Jeremy, but the pair get on well so age has never seemed important. Jeremy
looks around admiring the furniture and equipment that adorn the small but neat
apartment. He doesn’t really want another coffee but Matthew insists and so he
sits patiently while his boss makes coffee in the kitchen area just off from
the sitting room. ‘You know Jeremy I haven’t really shared with anyone before,
but being a Manager within a reasonable sized firm can be frustrating you
know’, Matthew pipes up as he finishes pouring the cups and yelling loud enough
for Jeremy to hear. As he walks in and places the coffee on the small table in
the sitting room Jeremy feels obliged to answer and politely adds ‘Well…er, NO
I didn’t really know that.’ Jeremy feels he has to politely offer some words of
encouragement albeit that he doesn’t really know what Matthew’s career
aspirations are.
    Carter Gibson lawyers is an old and
established firm, and although Jeremy has been employed straight from
University and has been working as a lawyer for some two years he is still
pretty junior in what is a relatively large firm. Matthew his boss has always
been pleasant but is to a large degree guarded about his career aspirations, so
Jeremy is finding this sudden meet in the street, sit down and chat thing a
significant change to the relationship they enjoy. Jeremy enjoys the atmosphere
at Carter Gibson but there is a clear distinction