Read Drop Dead Gorgeous for Free Online Page B

She tried to smile. Her teeth felt brittle, her smile even more so. Ghost. Yeah, a ghost from the past. Haunting her.
    “No, no … ” she began and broke off. “Sorry, kids. The blackout scared me. Are you all right?”
    “Of course,” Tina assured her, smiling patiently.
    “Good … good. Did you two get your books?”
    “Mom, that blackout was no big deal, and the bookstore dealt with it just fine. They must have some kind of emergency system because it was only dark in the store for a half a second. Oh—and yeah!” Brendan said enthusiastically. “We both got books. Tina has a friend who was holding signed Michael Shaynes for us, first printing. Isn’t it great, look!”
    She looked, reminding herself that she was a parent, supposedly a good parent, and she needed to show interest in something that was so important to her son. She didn’t really see the cover, or the title, but she nodded, still smiling stupidly, trying to share Brendan’s pleasure with his acquisition. Then Brendan turned the book over, and she went into shock all over again. The author’s picture was on the back of the book.
    It was him. Him.
    Michael Shayne was Sean Black. Or Sean Black was Michael Shayne. Jesus.
    “Mom?” Brendan said worriedly.
    “You’re awfully white, Mrs. Corcoran,” Tina murmured, and she glanced at Brendan. “Are you sick? I can beep my mom—”
    “No, no, I’m fine,” Lori said. “Fine!” she added cheerfully. “Let me get you two home. It’s late. And, Tina, you’ve got a busy day coming up, huh? Cheerleading… school, all that stuff. Come on.”
    She turned and headed for the parking garage, aware that the kids were staring at one another, wondering about her mental health.
    She was glad she didn’t have far to go. Jan’s house was in the Gables as well, so it was easy to drop Tina off. Lori continued to feel as if she’d been doused with a pail of numbing ice water as she watched her son walk Tina to her door. Tina went inside, waved, and then locked up.
    Lori felt Brendan watching her as they drove. And once they got home, Brendan hovered around her, perplexed, convinced that something was wrong, no matter how she protested. She finally convinced him that she was just overly tired, and that he needed to get some sleep as well.
    She knew her son. He wasn’t convinced. He went to bed, but he went to bed worried.
    Well, what had she expected? She’d nearly passed out cold when she’d seen the new book by Michael Shayne and realized that her son’s favorite author was really Sean Black.
    Lori walked into the coolness of the tiled kitchen. She stood still for a moment, then walked to the refrigerator. Milk, orange juice, soda. And thank God. A bottle of chablis— Jan’s welcoming gift.
    She got a water glass from a cabinet and filled it with the white wine, slammed the refrigerator door shut, and walked back to the living room. She pressed the cold glass to her forehead.
    She should be glad. He’d been maligned, abused, and all but nailed to a cross. He deserved success.
    But he was here. Who in God’s name would have imagined he might ever come back here?
    Who in God’s name would have ever thought that he’d become a writer under the pseudonym of Michael Shayne? Or that the city of Miami would embrace him with such love and enthusiasm. But then, Miami had often been described as a whore of a city, falling in love with any entertainer, sports figure, or personality that happened to pass through.
    Sean Black.
    She hadn’t seen him in nearly fifteen years.
    Fifteen years! What difference could any of this make to her now?
    It made a difference because she’d never been able to forget. All of their lives had been changed forever.
    She’d been seventeen that day …
    God help her; she could remember it just as clearly as if it had been yesterday.
    She stood up, swallowing down her wine. She walked back into the kitchen, poured herself another glass, and swallowed it down like water. Wine