Candy Crush by Tami Lund Page B

especially given
his current status with the government. He’s the only person who
knows where I am.
    “I managed to sell most of my stuff, and I
was just waiting for an opportunity to get away. I still hadn’t
figured out where I was going yet. And then the stars aligned and I
had the perfect opportunity to escape. Miguel’s grandmother had a
stroke and everyone jumped up and rushed to the hospital. I
couldn’t believe my luck. Miguel was so upset that he completely
forgot about me. I was literally left all alone in his house, which
had never, ever happened before.
    “I put all of my personal belongings and
Butter in my car and I drove away. I stopped at my storage unit,
rented a u-haul from them, loaded everything I had left into it –
that was the scariest part, because I was still so close that I
felt like Miguel would drive up at any moment. Then I drove to
Little Rock and checked into a hotel using cash. I holed up for a
few days, playing on the computer, trying to decide where to go.
The ad for the candy store popped up one day, and it seemed
perfect: small town, other end of the country, instant form of
revenue. The perfect place to start over. And here I am.”
    ***
    She relaxed against Brandon and closed her
eyes. She felt waves of relief wash over her. She had never told
anyone else the entire story before, and somehow, she felt better
having shared it with Brandon. It felt good to not have to be vague
with him anymore.
    Now, the only problem she had was, deciding
the next step in their relationship. Keeping it platonic seemed
logical, because there was no risk of emotions getting involved.
Now that he knew all about her past, she didn’t particularly want
him to walk out of her life. And with his track record, if they
slept together, he’d certainly walk out of her life at some point
shortly thereafter.
    Brandon continued to stroke her hair and
commented, “You’re thinking again.”
    Gabriella straightened up and turned to face
him. “Yes, I am. I’m thinking that sleeping with you is a bad
idea.”
    Brandon groaned. “How is it that you manage
to constantly come to that same conclusion?”
    “Think about it, Brandon” –
    “I do. Constantly. I can hardly think of
anything else.”
    “I meant, think about the ramifications.
What happens afterward?”
    “We do it again?” he suggested
hopefully.
    “And then?”
    “Again?”
    Gabriella made an exasperated sound. “And
then when we’re both sated and we’ve had our fill, then what?”
    “Okay, first and foremost, I do not
anticipate we will have our fill of each other any time
soon. Second, I see where you’re going with this and I don’t
understand why you have to go there. You said yourself you weren’t
interested in marriage when Miguel proposed, or whatever the hell
you want to call what he did.”
    “I wasn’t interested in marrying Miguel . I didn’t say I didn’t want to get married ever. ”
    “Oh.”
    Gabriella watched as Brandon’s expression
shut down right before her eyes. Well, she thought irritably, if
she ever wanted to push him away, she simply had to utter the word marriage . She abruptly stood up.
    “I’m going to bed.” When she was at the foot
of the stairs, Brandon called out to her. She turned to look at
him.
    “Thank you for telling me, Gabriella. Your
secrets are safe with me.” He said it so softly, she could barely
hear him. When he didn’t say anything else, she turned and walked
up the stairs, Butter on her heels.
    Whether for better or worse, she knew
without a doubt that their relationship, whatever it had been, was
now inexplicably changed.
     

CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
    Gabriella woke up shortly after seven on
Friday morning and lay in bed, taking in the unnaturally quiet
state of the house. She wondered where Brandon was, and then she
remembered he said he had to go to Detroit today. He hadn’t
mentioned what time he was leaving, but he did say it was about an
hour and a half drive. If his