Second Nature Read Free Page A

away from a problem wasn’t the answer. I was angry and hurt
and probably shouldn’t have been behind the wheel of a car. But
damn if I wasn’t sick of being responsible. I threw the car into
drive and took off with no clear idea where I was going. I didn’t
have any hangouts besides work or home. I had no friends. And I’d
just kicked the only guy in the world who had ever meant anything
to me out of my life. Where do you go from there?
    Deciding the answer wasn’t driving around
Greensboro, I headed to my favorite place indoors, a bookstore. I
had a Kindle and loved it, but there was nothing like walking into
a store and having that smell hit you. I loved to walk along the
aisles trailing a finger along the spines imagining all of the
fascinating places the books could take me. The cashier smiled as I
walked in. He had seen me in here many times before and had to know
I would spend a long time walking the aisles before choosing. I was
losing myself in my selections when someone came up behind me.
    “Oh, Liz Schulte? Have you read her books
before?”
    Surprised to see the cashier approaching me,
I turned towards him. His hand was in his pocket, jingling
something. A glaring light surrounded him, like someone silhouetted
by the sun, and it left me gaping. Never before had I seen anything
like it. I didn’t need the unique recognition we Otherworlders
possessed to know he was an angel. Since I’d never seen a real
angel before, I looked him over good. How had I never noticed him
in all my previous trips?
    He had unruly dark hair and was unshaven,
giving him a roguish air. His eyes were a unique grey-green I could
drown in. Standing next to him, I felt short, which didn’t happen
often since I was tall for a girl. His body was all hard muscle
popping out beneath his baggy green polo and khakis. He was
breathtaking, and I didn’t feel a twinge.
    It was so unfair! I was permanently tied to
a man heart and soul who didn’t want me. I frowned, and the clerk’s
eyes widened, and he started to back away. “No, it’s not you. I’m
sorry.” Before I knew what was happening, my troubles spewed out of
me and landed at his feet in a rancid puddle of self-pity. “I’m
just so overwhelmed with my life. My parents died recently, and I’m
still grieving their loss. I think I just dumped the man I thought
I would spend the rest of my life with, and I’m alone in a place I
still can’t think of as home. Oh my god, you probably don’t care,
and I should be going.” Flushing, I put the book in my hand down
and turned towards the door, my head down in embarrassment.
    I had no idea why I suddenly felt the need
to spill my guts to a stranger. I’d never been what you might call
a sharer. Usually, I kept everything to myself until I kind of
exploded. I certainly didn’t spout off about my troubles to random
guys, no matter how fine a specimen they might be.
    His voice stopped me as I neared the end of
the aisle. “Wait!”
    I looked over my shoulder at him warily. He
jogged down the aisle toward me, his expression so open and kind I
couldn’t help but turn and give him a second chance.
    “It’s not your fault—I’m just not very good
at turning off the mojo. I’m still somewhat new to this whole angel
thing. But something tells me a Gaia as young as you can appreciate
that.”
    I smiled and nodded, but held my tongue,
afraid of what else might spill out.
    “I’m Dylan,” he said, holding out his
hand.
    I eyed it a moment, then scoffed at myself.
“Amelia.” I shook the offered hand. “But you can call me Lia.”
    “If I promise to keep the angel vibes to a
minimum, will you stay and talk? I don’t get off until seven, and
frankly, it’s dead in here. I’ve seen you here so often, yet I’ve
never seen you look this sad before. You look like you could use a
friend.”
    My eyes were hot and wet as my vision swam
with tears. He had no idea how much I needed someone, but could I
trust him? The Otherworld was not