Dream of Me: A Sweet Contemporary Romance Read Free

please, but it makes things easier if we don’t waste time searching for you every time you feel the urge to leave the house.”
    Aubrey met the bleakness of his eyes with a slight smile. “I’m sorry; I didn’t think about that.”
    “That’s what I thought.” He brushed past her, and a few minutes later she heard an engine start.
    As the black SUV backed out of the driveway, Aubrey entered the house and made her way to her room. “Phoebe Sommers, you have a lot to answer for,” she muttered under her breath. Personable! Yeah, right. Corbin was about as personable as a badger. She kicked off her shoes and stalked into the bathroom. Two weeks! That was how long she’d give this job. If things didn’t improve by then, she didn’t care what Phoebe said, she was moving on.
    A few minutes later, she was lowering herself into the oversized garden tub. The long soak in the warm water eased her tired muscles and improved her grumpy mood. Since she had no intention of leaving her room again that night, she put on a nightgown and sat down in front of the mirror. As she absently unbraided her hair, a faraway look appeared in her eyes. The reflection in the mirror changed to a little girl with pig tails barely able to reach the top of her mother’s dressing table.
    The assortment of brushes, makeup and perfume bottles arranged on the dark surface were a constant temptation. Would she ever be old enough to use such things? Her sister was already allowed to add color to her eyes and lips. Aubrey’s tiny hands reached to open a bottle of nail polish. Did she dare put it on?
    She slowly twisted the cap and stared at the pink polish dripping off the feathery brush. The sound of a slamming door and of her mother’s voice sent a wave of panic through her. She wasn’t supposed to be in here. In the rush to escape, she hurriedly tried to fit the brush back into its tiny opening. By this time, her fingers were shaking so badly she knocked the bottle off the table. She watched in horror as a huge blob of pink appeared on the white carpeting.
    That little adventure had resulted in her being grounded for two weeks.It was sad to think that the pink stain remained, but her mother would never again sit at the dressing table.
    * * * *
    Corbin scowled as he started up the stairs. When would he learn to avoid blind dates? The evening hadn’t been a total disaster, but neither could it be called a success. If he couldn’t manage to find a woman on his own, he needed to stay home.
    He smiled mockingly. Home – his place of sanctuary – was no more. She was here. Why had he allowed Phoebe to saddle him with one of her projects? What use did he have for someone with no practical experience? The worst part of it was he couldn’t get rid of her. How could he fire the sister of the woman who’d opened up so many opportunities for him?
    Corbin knocked more loudly than he intended on Aubrey’s door. He heard the sound of something hitting the floor followed by muttering. What was she doing in there?
    “Just a minute,” her voice called out.
    He rolled his eyes and tried to contain his impatience. The sudden opening of the door took him by surprise. His eyes noted the hastily tied robe as well as the tiny feet with their pink-tinted nails peeking out from beneath the hem.
    “Kind of early to be going to bed, isn’t it?”
    Aubrey’s brows went up. “Not for me. I’m more of a morning person.”
    “Well, what I have to say won’t keep you from your beauty sleep long. I forgot to tell you to print out what you finished today so I could look over it tonight. I won’t always ask you to do it that way, but sometimes I want to read a hardcopy instead of on my laptop.”
    “I can do it now; it will only take a few minutes.”
    Corbin’s glance dropped to her hair, which released from its daytime braid, fell in soft waves almost to her waist . In the light of the lamp, it glowed like a satiny sable cape against the lightness of her robe.