Read Shadows for Free Online Page B

coffee? Oh, Theron I hope you plan on keeping her, because
I'm not sure I can let her go. You never bring girls you date to
meet me." Turning, she heads for the front door. "Well, I must be
off. The new gardener is coming by and I need to make sure I have
the right sunglasses on."
    "Gram, how old is this new
gardener?"
    "Oh, I don't know. I suppose it was on his
application. He's old enough to vote and old enough to drink, which
makes him old enough to cut the grass in cut off shorts." Looking
at me she raises her eyebrows suggestively. I giggle. I think I
love her.
    "So, why the sunglasses?" I look at Theron. He
rolls his eyes as he takes a drink of his coffee. Now, I have to
know.
    "Well, honey, how else am I supposed to hide
where I'm looking? I might be seventy one, but I feel thirty. Eye
candy is eye candy. It's made to be seen and so I shall see it
through my very dark sunglasses. I don’t want him to feel like a
piece of meat. I just want to work him like one." Laughing she
walks out the door. My mouth is hanging open once again. Yep, I
adore that woman.
    Theron softly laughs shaking his head, "You
had to ask. I'm sorry. She doesn’t have a sense of boundaries and
will tell you every thought that enters her head, no matter how
inappropriate."
    "Oh, I don't mind. She seems wonderful." I
relax on the barstool taking another sip of my coffee. She
definitely has a way of looking at things. "So Bianchi? Your dad's
side or your mom's?"
    "My dad's. My mom passed away when I was
fourteen from cancer. Her last name was Anderson before she married
my dad."
    "Oh, I'm so sorry." Insert foot into mouth.
Feeling like an ass, I look straight into my coffee. I can't meet
his eyes. "So you're Italian?"
    "Yes, half. My mother was American. I'm not
exactly sure what, but I think European decent would best describe
it."
    "Theron Bianchi…how long have you lived here?
Your gram looks like she's quite comfortable here."
    "Actually it's Theron Rowe. When my
grandfather died, my gram went back to her maiden name. She claims
she wanted to find her roots. I think it's because she wanted to
put distance between her and my father. This house was her summer
home, but now it's her main residence."
    My eyebrows shoot up. "As in Rowe
Incorporated?" I know that corporation. They buy smaller
businesses, take what they want, and liquidate the rest after only
a few years of ownership. Theron doesn’t respond to me. He looks
hurt by my question and turns to walk away.
    "Theron, wait. Please, don't go…I really don't
want to be alone." It's a plea. He knows it and I know it, however,
it's a truthful plea. The idea of being alone makes the walls of
room close in on me. I set my coffee down and try to scoot off the
barstool. Of course, my gracefulness betrays me, and I fall flat on
my ass. I'm so embarrassed, I must be at least ten shades of red.
Tears sting my eyes, but I don't cry. Instead, I start hysterically
laughing. I have no idea why, but it feels good. I must be losing
my mind. Opening my eyes, I find Theron standing over me with the
most confused look I have ever seen on a person.
    "Beautiful, are you okay? Are you even
breathing?" Those questions do not help and I only laugh harder. I
don’t care if he thinks I've gone mad. Then I let out a snort.
Immediately covering my face with my hands, I take some deep
breaths. I cannot believe I did that in front of him.
    "If you are done, I'd like to help you up from
the floor now."
    Taking my hands in his, he pulls me up. I
attempt to straighten out my shirt and tuck my now crazy locks
behind my ear. His hands move to the sides of my shoulders. He's
just standing there staring at me. We are inches apart. I can feel
his breath. He smells amazing. It's a kind of citrus and woodsy
smell, but underneath that is fresh linen. One last tear hits my
lip and I use my tongue to wipe it away.
    Looking into Theron's eyes, I can clearly see
his intentions. He moves his hands to the side of my face, holding
me