Read Separation for Free Online Page A

and the pool. She had wanted to scare him off.
    It didn't work. Tate may have been a succubus, but Nick truly was a nice, normal guy. He didn't abandon his friends, and he considered Tatum to be a pretty good friend.
    What is wrong with him?
    When Tate finally realized she would have to move because she couldn't stand living somewhere Ang had complete access to, Nick offered for her to live with him. She made it very clear that she was in no way interested in a relationship; romantic, sexual, or otherwise. Nick assured her that his intentions were noble and good, and that it was just a place for her to stay, as long as she liked.
    He wasn't home much during the weekdays. It was the off season and he spent most of his time at a cabin on Lake Ontario. But during the weekends he always came down to Boston, first thing in the morning on Saturdays. Tatum couldn't cook at all, but he taught her how to make French toast and omelets. Nick was a good old country boy, from Iowa. His momma had raised him right. He took Tate out to dinners, stayed in and watched movies with her, and most importantly, he never, ever, once asked her how she was doing. He never looked at her like she was crazy.
    An invaluable gift to Tate, at that point in her life.
     
    *
     
    “ You're doing it again. ”
    “Huh?” Tate snapped to attention. Ang was leaning close to her, looking into her face.
    “That thing, where you stare off into space. Are you thinking about him again?” he demanded. She frowned.
    “No.”
    “Tate. We talked about this,” Ang said, his voice full of warning.
    “Ang. Stop. You're not my dad,” she warned him right back.
    “But he's the one who -,”
    She reached over and singed his hand with her cigarette. Ang hissed and yanked his arm back, jumping out of her reach. She laughed and flicked the cigarette over the ledge before wiping her hands down the front of her skirt.
    “I wasn't thinking about him. Let's have a good night, just this once,” she pleaded, before grabbing his hand and leading him inside.
    “I can't stand all these yuppies,” Ang whispered under his breath as they made their way through a crush of people. Tate elbowed him.
    “They're not yuppies,” she mumbled back.
    “They all have more money than I'll ever have. In my opinion, that makes them yuppies.”
    “ Snob. ”
    “Why did you tell me to come to this thing?” he complained, pulling at the tie he was wearing. She stepped in front of him and batted his hands away.
    “I haven't seen you in a couple weeks, I thought it would be nice to hang out,” she replied, adjusting the Windsor knot for him.
    “What, so you can show off all your new friends? ” Ang said, his tone snide. Tate glared at him and yanked the knot up high. He made a choking sound.
    “ Shut up .”
    Nick had invited her to a party, some shindig that was being thrown for the whole team, in a fancy hotel suite. She hadn't really wanted to go, but even Nick was beginning to worry about her spending so much time at home. Tate had originally asked Sanders to go with her, but he didn't like parties. Or people. Or places. So she had figured what the hell, why not try to mend fences with Ang?
    It wasn't going too hot.
    “I gotta go soon anyway,” he told her as they made their way to a table full of food. She looked up at him.
    “Where? I told you this thing would be going for a while,” Tate reminded him, a little surprised. Ang shrugged.
    “I know, but I had other plans. Sorry, kitty cat,” he replied, rubbing his hand up and down her back.
    She frowned, but didn't argue. The same thing had happened the last couple times they had made an effort to hang out. Ang always had “other plans”; something he else had to do. It was frustrating. Hard to mend a friendship when one person was depressed, and the other was checked out all the time.
    “Hey! I was looking everywhere for you!”
    Tate felt a strong arm wrap around her shoulders, then she was pulled sideways into a solid