Deep Longing (Bend to My Will #4) Read Free Page A

through the cupboards for immune boosters, finding some vitamin C packets and some herbal tablets that were supposed to head off illness.
    Vivienne took what she could with a huge glass of water. She had no appetite, so plopped onto the sofa with a blanket over her. When Lana got up, that was where she found her. “What’s the matter, Vivie? Are you sick?”
    “I think so. I just called Michele and left a message. There’s a chance I’m contagious, so I better not go in.”
    “And you look pale,” Lana said. “You shouldn’t work while you’re sick.”
    “You have no idea how much I need to get done,” Vivienne said. “I’ll see what I can accomplish on my laptop.”
    “You better just rest.”
    “That would be nice, but I can’t afford to.”
    Lana frowned. “Well, you better. You don’t want to get sicker.” She smiled. “And if you don’t get well fast, I won’t have anyone to go to aerobics with.”
    “Ah, the incentive I needed.” Vivienne laughed, which started her coughing. “I’ll be better in no time.”
    “Well, I have to shower and get to the restaurant,” Lana said. “I’m not a movie star yet. I still have to wait tables for a living.”
    Vivienne closed her eyes and fell asleep. When she woke up, Lana was gone, having sneaked out without waking her up. A glance at the clock told her that she’d slept longer than she thought. So much for getting some work done.
    There was no use booting up the laptop, since Vivienne felt weak as a kitten. The apartment was quiet and lonely. She missed her mother. It had been a while since they had talked, and Vivienne felt bad about being too busy to phone her.
    Now she really wanted to hear her voice. Vivienne dragged her body up from the sofa to retrieve her cell phone, then plopped back down. She recovered for a couple of minutes before dialing. Her mother might be working, but she hoped this was one of those times she’d find her at home.
    “Vivie, it’s so good to hear from you.” Irene Lake was a warmhearted person, and a good mother. Her kind, sensitive temperament had made the divorce especially hard on her, or that was Vivienne’s assessment.
    “Hi, Mom. I’m so sorry I haven’t called since I got back from France. I miss you.”
    “I know you’re busy, and I appreciate getting your emails. How are you, honey?”
    “Overall, good. But I’m home sick today, a cold or something.”
    “I can hear it in your voice. Be sure to go to the doctor if you need to. Don’t take any chances.”
    “Yes, Mom, I will.” Vivienne wished her mother was close enough to hug. “Are you still working at the café?”
    “Not as much. They cut hours, so I’m there less. But it’s just as well.”
    “Not really, Mom. I worry about you, being alone in that house all the time,” Vivienne said. “Do you go out?”
    “Maggie and I go to lunch once a week. But I’m okay. You don’t need to worry.”
    Her mother’s mention of her friend from church made Vivienne feel better. At least she was socializing with someone. “Do you see friends at church?”
    “Sure, honey. And I am getting more stable, really. The doctor changed my medication, and that seems to have helped.”
    Vivienne didn’t like thinking of her mother being depressed, but after the breakup she had been. Probably she still was, but didn’t want to burden her daughter. “I’m glad to hear that, Mom. You’d tell me if you needed anything, wouldn’t you?”
    “Of course I would.”
    Although she doubted it, Vivienne couldn’t argue. “I love you, Mom.”
    “I love you too, honey. And you just take care of yourself. You don’t sound good.”
    “I’m congested, but it’s not serious,” Vivienne said. “I’ll come visit you as soon as I can.” Even saying it, she wondered how to make that happen. She missed her mother. Vivienne would figure out a way to go see her.
    “Have you talked to your father?”
    It was just like her mother to be selfless. Joseph Lake had