Read I Want Candy for Free Online

It’s obviously a big deal to you, and I’m sorry if I’m forgetting something major, so just tell me what you’re talking about.”
    Turner turned onto Wilamette, stunned. And angry, truth be told. “We’ll talk about it some other time.” He pulled the truck into Viv’s driveway, and he could’ve sworn that damned bleached-out stable boy was giving him a “what the fuck did you expect?” kind of look. “I really gotta get some sleep.”
    Candy removed her arm from the seat back and pulled away. As she moved, the sweet scent of perfume and female flesh flooded Turner’s nostrils. It occurred to him that maybe the best way to handle this was to not handle it at all. Maybe he should just stay away from Candy. Period. Not even try to maintain their friendship. Just forget about the kiss. Forget about the past. Forget about her . Maybe he should just decline any future invitations out to the lake and wait for her to get tired of her little hometown reunion experiment and hit the road, which probably wouldn’t take long.
    Maybe her friendship wasn’t even worth the effort—especially if one of the most painful moments of Turner’s life had meant so little to her that it had slipped her mind.
    He hopped out of the SUV and jogged around to the passenger side, knowing he couldn’t get Candy out of his vehicle fast enough. “Good night,” he said, holding the door open for her, avoiding eye contact. “Take care.”
    Candy was frowning as she swung her long legs to the side, bent one knee, and dropped a sandaled foot to the asphalt. She shook her head at him and walked away. “Good night, Turner,” she whispered.
    As he drove away, he saw Candy glance over her shoulder. She was still shaking her head.

 
     
    Chapter 4
     
    Cherokee Pines Assisted Living was a single-story, redbrick complex with razor-sharp landscaping, a grand semicircular drive, and a white-pillared portico framing the main entrance. A network of white-pebbled walkways led from the main building to the gardens, tennis courts, and swimming pool. The property was surrounded by towering old evergreens that had likely inspired its name.
    Candy blinked in surprise. She had no idea Jacinta’s retirement home was this posh. Then it hit her—her mother might have to move out when she realized her nest egg had been fried to a crisp.
    She parked the beat-up Chevy at the far corner of the parking lot, making sure it was hidden behind a line of senior citizen vans. She didn’t want anyone making note of the condition of her car. Or of its contents. That morning, as soon as Tater Wayne had it running again, Candy began loading all her crap back into the trunk and the backseat. She’d had no choice. When she’d walked in the house after that incredibly strange drive home with Turner, Viv was lying in wait. The conversation that followed had been the last straw.
    “You’re probably starving.” Viv started in on Candy the instant she stepped into the house. “There’s a plate in the oven for you. You shouldn’t go to bed hungry.”
    “Thanks, but I’m fine, Viv. The dinner was excellent. Good night.” Candy started up the stairs.
    “He’s always had a thing for you, you know,” she said, folding her arms over her chest. “Ever since you’uns were little.”
    “What?” Candy froze on the second step. She looked down at Viv.
    “Now, your daddy had some narrow-minded ideas, that was for sure, and I remember him complaining to me once about how you were being too friendly with a colored boy, which was just plain silliness considering how your daddy and Turner’s daddy had been friends back in the day, before he went and married Rosemary. Oh, it was a scandal at the time, let me tell you. A shock, really. Nobody knew what to think.”
    Candy turned around on the staircase so she could see Viv square on. “What is all this about, Viv?”
    “Why, it’s about you and Turner.” She smiled brightly. “You know I’ve always loved that boy