Read New Point for Free Online

kicked the door off its hinges.
    “For me it’s a major shift in attitude,” I explain to my psychologist.
    Though his faces soften slightly, he masks whatever he’s thinking. “That’s a start, but it doesn’t mean your journey to recovery is complete.”
    I want to pout like a petulant child, but I don’t. Instead I acquiesce. “I’ll call Dr. Wilson tomorrow.”
    The session ends a few minutes later, and I retreat into the kitchen. Fighting the urge to seek out Miles from the deck, I force myself to combine vegetables and chicken into a salad.
    Dr. Greene may not be easily convinced, but I’m a believer –recovery is so close I can spot it in the horizon. And with that comes a little piece of serenity in my normally tense emotional armor.

T hey say third time’s the charm. In this instance, the idiom was completely accurate.
    He caught me unaware again.
    This time I’m balancing on top of a two-step ladder, shelving autobiographies when he startles me.
    “We have to stop meeting like this.”
    No yelp escapes my lips, no shriek, no gasp. Instead, a thrill jolts through me. I finish sliding My Life into its appropriate slot. After telling Dr. Greene about my interest in Miles, it’s less daunting.
    “You’re the one who insists on catching me unaware,” I tell him nonchalantly as I shift toward him.
    He looks good enough to eat. Again. This time he’s wearing khaki cargo shorts and a well-worn gray t-shirt. Idly I wonder if he knows how his casual attire sends me for a loop every time we meet. Probably. Those chocolate brown eyes look like they don’t miss a thing.
    I accept his upturned palm to escort me off the ladder. The moment his warm skin makes contact with mine, a fizzle of energy sparks inside of me. The sensation elicits just enough reaction for me to recall this physical response –it’s attraction. My eyes fly up to his face and freeze.
    “What’s lurking beyond those muddy hazel eyes?” Miles murmurs almost to himself, all the while searching my face. His deep brown gaze penetrates my defenses.
    I suppress the urge to shudder, and my palms grow slick with sweat. Does he see beneath my carefully constructed exterior? I give myself one second—one tiny moment to flick my eyes closed. But when I do, I’m confronted by piercing blue eyes, full of fury and pain. Will I ever escape those eyes? Will I eventually stop seeing him wherever I go?
    When I open my eyes, Miles is still staring at me quizzically. I answer his question silently. Ugliness I’ll never share with you.
    Not even Blake knows the real reason I left home, because I don’t want him worrying any more about my mental health than he already does. Anonymity brought me to New Point. Here I’m nothing more than the new librarian, not a victim or a hero. The toxic events at Clarkes Elementary School will stay where they belong, away from this place. I can finish my recovery with Dr. Wilson, but that doesn’t mean the new people I meet need to know about my past.
    As if he senses my anxiety, Miles releases my hand, effectively severing the surge of emotion linking us. “Duke can’t stop talking about you.”
    “He’s a very sweet kid. You know Alexa, she’s pretty timid, and he stuck by her side when she was unsure of herself.”
    He’s smiling at me now, his whole face lit up with a grin.
    Damn, he’s good looking. I force myself to breathe normally, even though that fizzle of energy grows stronger.
    “Duke’s learned young–there are certain women who are irresistible.”
    Somehow I don’t think he’s talking about Alexa.
    Over the past nine months I must have forgotten how to flirt because when I tell myself it’s time to respond, nothing comes out.
    Luckily Miles doesn’t suffer from the same affliction. “How’s the library treating you, city girl?”
    “No complaints to speak of.” I appraise him curiously. “City girl?”
    He shrugs casually but his eyes twinkle with amusement. “That’s what you