Eternally Bound: Paranormal Romance Boxed Set Read Free Page A

with.
    “You’ve got that right. So I settled for Charlotte. It’s almost right in the middle of the Atlantic states. Close enough to New York to get in plenty of shopping and close enough to Florida to get plenty of sun. And, baby, the Miami strip is just waiting for me.”
    Delaine almost laughed at Pam’s screwy logic, but for her friend, it made perfect sense. Pam moving to North Carolina because it sat between New York and Florida fit her personality perfectly. Sun, fun, shopping and hair were her life.
    “You’ve been here six months. How long before you’re off to somewhere else, girlfriend?”
    “Well, I’ve always wanted to see the South of France. Hey,” Pam exclaimed, changing the subject. The woman was like a gnat, flying from one subject to another and never in a straight line. “My salon is right on the other side of the mall. You only live about fifteen minutes from here. Why don’t we meet here for breakfast again? Afterward, we can walk over to the shop and I’ll do your hair, just like old times. And while I’m hooking you up, you can tell me what you’re doing here without your husband.”
    Delaine grimaced. Other than her kids, she’d shared her situation with nobody but her boss Geri, and even that conversation hadn’t been too deep. At the time, Delaine just couldn’t handle getting into the morbid details. She hadn’t wanted to think about how her husband had abandoned their family for the most unbelievably dumb reasons. He’d claimed she wasn’t supportive around the house, but what wife would support a total nag? Especially when he’d nagged her and the kids around the clock. And god forbid there be a dish in the sink! Or a dryer sheet left on top of the clothes dryer. In all his selfish whining, he’d never thanked her for buying him whatever he wanted and standing by him in anything and everything he wanted to do. Not to mention the endless years of boring, uninspired sex. Funny, he was always the one with a headache. It was a wonder they’d ever had children.
    She’d been too ashamed to talk about it before, but now she felt stronger. Maybe she should talk to Pam and release the disappointment and hurt once and for all. Besides, she’d known Pam since the Stone Age. If anyone could be trusted with her private business, it was the woman sitting on the other side of the table.
    Delaine took a steadying breath and let the words tumble from her mouth.
    “Gary and I are divorced, Pam. We’ve been separated for more than a year and the dissolution was final last week.” She watched Pam closely, not realizing she held her breath until her chest started to ache. To Delaine’s surprise, Pam looked relieved.
    “Oh thank god! It’s about damn time,” Pam said, sticking a finger up in the air while doing a seated version of the happy dance. “I never told you this in all the years we’ve been friends because I didn’t want to speak against what made you happy, but I’ve never liked Gary. You gave and gave and gave to him, but he always made it seem like he was some kind of martyr for being married to you. It’s about time you cut that loser off your apron strings.”
    “He left us, Pam,” Delaine said, the heat in her voice directed at her no-good ex rather than Pam’s revelation that she’d never liked him. When Pam’s face fell, Delaine giggled at her friend’s incredulous expression. She obviously hadn’t been expecting to hear this. But Pam, being Pam, recovered from the shock quickly and was as pissed off as Delaine had ever seen her. But she didn’t miss the hint of sadness in the woman’s dark brown eyes.
    “After all you’ve done for him, he left you? Left your children? I don’t believe it! The bastard! That son of a …”
    Delaine quietly cut her off mid-rave.
    “Pam, it’s fine. I’ve moved on. It’s been tough being alone after so many years, but I’m fine. Really.”
    “I know exactly what you need. You need to get out and meet some new