Read Purling Road - the Complete Second Season: Episodes 1-10 for Free Online

out.
    “And I need you to promise me something else.”
    He waited.
    “Promise you won’t be angry at me.”
    He rocked back, grinning. “What on earth did you girls do last night?”
    She was glad he appeared lighthearted but didn’t have much faith he’d stay that way.
    “A secret? You swear?”
    “I swear.” He went to her and held her shoulders. “Why do you look so scared?”
    She lifted her eyes. “We went to a club about ten miles from here.”
    The grin slid from his face.
    “It’s not…what you’re thinking. It’s a legitimate club, not a…broken down shack or something.”
    “Legitimate?” he asked, eyebrows hitched. “How can something illegal be legitimate?”
    She frowned. “You said you wouldn’t be angry.”
    “I’m not angry, I’m concerned. Places like that aren’t safe for women alone.”
    “If you’d seen it—”
    “I probably have,” he said, interrupting her.
    She stiffened. “This place was different. Walking in, it was almost like walking back into our old life.”
    Aryl’s eyebrow cocked. “Then maybe I haven’t seen it.”
    “There was drinking and dancing and beautiful clothes…” Her eyes went to some far off place, remembering.
    “Is that good or bad you got to experience that again?” he asked cautiously.
    “I don’t know,” she said with a sigh, fingering the hem of the dress she planned wearing that day.
    “Do you want to talk about it?” he asked. He’d waited for this, for her to need something, a chance to prove he was capable of being there for her when she needed him.
    “Not about that. It’s about Arianna.”
    “I’m sure she was right at home,” Aryl said and laughed. Claire didn’t.
    “She went wild.” No sense in beating around the bush.
    Aryl tried to gauge how serious she was. He didn’t like the pained look on her face.
    “She scared me, Aryl.”
    He sat on the bed and gestured for her to join him.
    “Tell me what happened.” 
     
    ***
     
    Arianna moved through the crowd hoping for an open table. She poured and drank another drink as she walked. Ava and Claire pushed through the crowd, struggling to keep up with her.
    She found a small table near the band and claimed it.
    “Isn’t this fun!” she yelled over the band.
    “What?” Ava yelled back. It was so loud her ears hurt. Claire leaned across the table. “Let’s go back to the bar!”
    “Why!? This is where the party is!” Arianna laughed and refilled everyone’s glass.
    “You should slow down!” Ava yelled as Arianna polished off the drink with a hard tilt.
    “Oh, no. I’m making up for lost time!”
    Ava leaned close, but still needed to raise her voice to be heard. “We know where this place is now. We can come back. You don’t have to cram everything into one night.”
    Arianna’s look answered, her smile devilish, her eyes sparkling.
    “We should dance!”
    Ava looked out at the sea of people. Everyone was having a good time, and she found herself in that familiar place, watching others having the time of their lives while she sat on the sidelines, nervous and shy. She swallowed hard. That wasn’t who she was now. She wasn’t scared and mousy anymore. She was starting to find her place in the world and that place wasn’t nearly as frightening as she’d once thought. She was allowed to have fun. She grabbed both her friend’s hands.
    “All right then. Let’s dance.”
    Claire tried to relax even as something nagged. She tried to be a good friend and pushed the worry aside to enjoy the evening with her friends.
    An hour went by and they hardly noticed. Out of breath and grinning, they went to find their table again. Arianna’s eyes blazed. “Someone drank our bourbon!” she said, holding up the bottle that was nearly empty.
    “That someone was you, Arianna. You ran back to the table a half dozen times, remember?”
    She frowned. “I’ll just go get some more.”
    “No, I think we’ve all had quite enough,” Claire said. She had stopped