A Lover's Mask Read Free Page A

don’t want to talk about it. It’s petty.”
    â€œAnd I’m worried about you.”
    â€œAw Mick, come on. You know how we do. Don’t start getting sappy on me now. You always tease me and I love it.”
    â€œYeah, but there comes a time when a joke isn’t funny anymore and I am sorry.”
    â€œAccepted,” County replied, praying that was the end of it. “It’s all right Mick. I’m good.
    Far from convinced, Mick decided to stop pressing. “Just come to me if you need to.”
    â€œI promise,” County said, crossing her fingers as she uttered the lie.
    â€œNow, about my baby shower.” Mick switched conversations and sat a little straighter on the lounge.
    â€œYou’re scandalous,” County criticized. “Planning your own damn shower. Other people are suppose to do that for you, you know?”
    Mick rolled her eyes. “Please, I want this done my way since this will be my only child and therefore my only shower.”
    â€œYour only child?” County parroted, more than a little stunned. “Does Quest know this?”
    â€œPlease County,” Mick whispered, her tone solemn, “you know I’ll be lucky to even do a halfway decent job with this baby. I don’t think it’d be wise to test the waters more than once, you know?”
    â€œMichaela, please don’t make a decision like this based on your own childhood.”
    Mick couldn’t manage a response.
    â€œSo when is this shower?” County asked, hoping to lighten the mood.
    â€œMarch, if I can move by then,” Mick said, curls falling across her eyes when she looked down at her ever-increasing tummy. “I’ll be six months by then.”
    â€œHa! Six months and the size of a baby whale,” County teased.
    â€œAnyway, just make sure your butt is out here two weeks early. I wanna spend some time with you. Just us.”
    â€œAw Mick, girl, do you really need me out there that long?” County whined.
    â€œPlease,” Mick said. “You have a million-dollar, independent publishing house that practically runs itself, so don’t even try it. Besides, I miss you.”
    County raked her fingers across her short cut and smiled. “I miss you too.”
    â€œSo?”
    â€œSo I’ll be there in Seattle two weeks early.”
    â€œGood. Now I’m hanging up before you find another reason to back out. I love you.”
    â€œLove you too,” County returned, sending Mick a kiss through the receiver before clicking off the phone.
    Leaning back in the vanilla suede chair behind her glass desk, she closed her eyes and tried to block out how much she really missed her dear friend . I could really use your advice now, Mick, she admitted silently. Alas, Mick was finally happy with a man who cherished her. Now they were going to have a child together. The last thing County wanted was to give her worries. Besides, County was sure that what she was going through was only a phase. She’d be thirty-four next year and it was just the chiming of her biological clock. Yeah, that had to be it.
    Moderately satisfied by the assumption, County sighed and nodded. Tugging on the cuffs of her gray tweed suit coat, she sat straight and prepared to tackle another day’s chores at the office. She was settling in to read another proposal from the conglomerate that had been salivating to buy her publishing house, when a knock sounded on her office door.
    â€œHey,” County greeted, watching her head editor Spivey Freeman and Jenean Rays head of the fact checking department arrive with serious expressions.
    Groaning, County let her head fall back against her chair. “Not now guys,” she pleaded, knowing what they wanted to discuss: the unfinished Ramsey novel.
    â€œCounty, we’ve been more than patient,” Spivey argued, his high brow worn with frown lines.
    â€œThat’s right Contessa. You’ve gotta