False Security Read Free Page B

little strong. Do you take it black?”
    “Yes.” She accepted the cup from
him, and sipped the coffee. “It’s good,” she said, and sat down at the table.
“Much better than Danielle’s coffee. She makes it so weak, and then loads it up
with cream and sugar.”
    Mark grabbed the handle of his
mug. The backs of his fingers grazed the hot ceramic, and the heat from the
coffee burned into his skin. He juggled the hot mug, and chose a chair adjacent
to her. The fragrant steam of the coffee wafted into his nostrils, and the
liquid warmed its way down his throat.
    “Why did you move to Kansas?” he
asked. “Do you have family in the area?”
    Rachel set her mug down on the
table. Tucking her hair behind her ears, she said, “I don’t have any family. My
parents both died when I was young and I have no brothers or sisters.”
    “I’m sorry to hear that.”
    “It was quite some time ago.
They were in a car accident. A drunk driver ran them off the road.”
    “That’s terrible,” Mark said.
“You don’t have any aunts, uncles, or grandparents?”
    “Both of my parents were only
children and my grandparents passed before I was born. The death of my parents
left me an orphan.”
    “Did you go live with a foster
family?”
    “I didn’t have much of a choice
since I didn’t have anyone else. Does your family live here?”
    “Greg and his wife, Anna, are
the only family I have. Mom died when I was ten and Dad had his heart attack a
year later. Greg was twenty-one when Dad died, so he assumed responsibility for
me. I was lucky to have him.”
    “Sounds like it. I was also ten
when my parents died, so I know how hard it is. Your parents didn’t have
family, either?”
    “They did and I imagine they’re
still alive somewhere, but I never knew them outside of a few scattered
photographs. I think both my parents were the proverbial black sheep.” Not
wanting to scare her off with the dark conversation, he changed the subject.
“What does your roommate do for a living?”
    “She waitresses at some
restaurant by the mall. Dos Amigos or something like that. All I know is she
brings home delicious enchiladas for me. She also volunteers part-time at the
shelter on her days off.”
    “I don’t mean to pry, but if you
volunteer at the shelter, and your roommate is a waitress who also does
volunteer work, how do you guys live?”
    Rachel shifted in her chair, and
Mark worried he pushed the conversation too far with the personal questions.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t ask you things like that.”
    “It’s okay,” Rachel said. She
moistened her lips. “My parents left me a trust fund, which allows me the
freedom to do volunteer work instead of sitting in a cubicle all day.”
    “Ah, so you were a rich kid,
huh?”
    Rachel laughed. “I guess so. I
don’t really think of it like that, though.”
    “If I grew up with someone else
making my coffee, I wouldn’t know how to make it, either,” Mark said. “I take
it you had maids, gardeners, and at least one cook.”
    “All of the above,” Rachel said.
“In a way it was bad because I never learned how to cook. Danielle can’t cook,
either, so unless she’s making boxed macaroni and cheese, our meals consist of
‘Welcome to Greasy Burger, can I take your order?’ It’s a far cry from having a
personal chef.”
    “Well, you are in the company of
a pretty good cook. Maybe I can remind you how wonderful real food can be.”
    Her smile grew, and her eyes
sparkled. “Maybe.”

  Chapter Three
    Rachel couldn’t
erase the smile from her face and butterflies danced in her stomach without
thought of ever stopping. Talking to Mark seemed so natural, and she found
herself unable to keep her eyes off him. She didn’t know which attribute drew
her in the most: the wisps of dark hair falling around his brow, the intensity
of his bluish-grey eyes, or his sensual, wide mouth. It all came together and
brought her insides to life.
    Though men had