Deliciously Obedient Read Online Free Page B

said
archly, “the whole tenor of the company changed. And now there are
layoffs, questions about entire divisions—the whole Iceland
experiment is being shut down entirely.”
    A
flash of memory of Siggi lying on the ground outside the nightclub,
with the imprint of Jeremy’s knuckles smashed into his nose, made
Lydia start to giggle. Siggi would be in the unemployment line then,
right along with Lydia.
    “ What’s
so funny?”
    Lydia
plopped down on top of a pile of leaves on the ground and pulled her
knees up to her chest. “I’ll tell you more later. But nothing
about Mike?”
    “ Nothing
about him,” Krysta confirmed. “It’s a mystery. The tabloids
played with the story for a week or two, everyone at work was abuzz
and now it’s kind of like he was never there.”
    Her
heart pierced, Lydia just sat with that idea. It’s
like he was never there. Oh,
how she wished that were true. That what she’d had with him were
some simple dalliance that she could flush out of her mind quickly,
and brush off her body with a replacement touch from Jeremy. If it
were that simple, she wouldn’t be here right now, back home,
seeking sanctuary.
    “ What
about the video?” Krysta whispered. “That Diane chick. She
totally took the heat off you.”
    “ You
mean she took the blame.”
    “ I
don’t think blame was the word that woman would use. I think she took on the fame.”
    “ Did
it get her anywhere?”
    “ I
think she has a Playboy spread
coming up.”
    Lydia
shuddered. “From what Jeremy told me, that should be an interesting
one. He might turn it into the backing for a dartboard.”
    Krysta
laughed. “Give me an idea of what’s going on with you and
Jeremy.”
    Lydia
closed her eyes, a wave of warmth filling her at the thought of his
touch. Where
was he right now? Probably
drinking a blueberry beer with her dad, or having the finer art of
tree placement in campgrounds for perfect hammock setups being
explained diligently by Miles. By now they’d be on the thirtieth or
fortieth pairing of trees on the campground, and she could imagine
Jeremy’s fake interest fading quickly. Would
he keep going? Would he go the distance to get to know her dad? Or
would he just fade out like Mike, as if he’d never been there?
    “ You’re
hurting.” Krysta’s words came out with a clinical detachment, as
if she were watching a patient struggle with an ailment. Not a
question, not a sweeping declaration—just a statement about Lydia’s
current countenance.
    “ Yes.”
    The
two began to walk slowly down a well-worn path to the beach, out of
sync and pushing against each other occasionally, their movement so
slow it didn’t matter.
    “ And
Jeremy? Things fall apart?” Krysta asked.
    “ No,”
Lydia said, sighing. “He’s great.”
    “ Then
what’s wrong?”
    Lydia
snorted. “It’s not just some random hook-up. Mike sent him
there.” Mike . The word seemed wrong. Incongruous. Unnatural.
He was either Matt or Michael Bournham.
    “ You
started sleeping with your…”
    “ Bodyguard?”
    Peals
of laughter poured out of Krysta’s mouth. “I can’t imagine
calling Jeremy anyone’s bodyguard. Ever. The man couldn’t punch a
time clock.”
    “ Ha
ha.” Lydia paused, remembering that last week in Iceland. “He
took out a drunk Viking who was hitting on me in a club.”
    Krysta
halted, feet crunching a set of pine cones, the overwhelming blanket
of pine scent making Lydia so glad she was home. “Jeremy actually
fought someone? He seems so…pacifistic.”
    “ You
mean he seems like he wouldn’t hurt a fly.”
    “ Right.
That. What happened?”
    “ There
was this guy I worked with. Siggi. He was at a dance club Jeremy and
I went to and he wouldn’t stop hitting on me. Followed us outside.
And he said the wrong thing and Jeremy clocked him.” In many ways
that shot had been like a face punch to her, as if life were
metaphorically giving her one big, painful message. It signified the
end of her life