Where Life Takes You Read Free

He leaned against the door frame. His gray eyes smiled at me. His damp hair meant he hadn’t arrived long ago, and he wore a pair of worn-out jeans and a black t-shirt—his lazy day uniform. In another world, I would’ve pulled on a pair of sweats and joined him for the rest of the week.
    “Hi, Dan.” Smiling at the sight, I walked into his open arms. The soapy fresh smell, combined with his musky natural scent, welcomed me. “You came back early.” He nodded, and kissed the top of my head.
    Dan pushed the front door open, and we walked into his penthouse . I took my heels off and left them inside the foyer closet, next to his fancy loafers. He linked our fingers together and pulled me to the kitchen, where a few Chinese cartons sat on the counter. He’d ordered my favorite—shrimp with cashew nuts. Dan snagged a beer for himself, and a cold bottle of water for me from the Sub-Zero.
    I loved his kitchen. We spent hours here, talking about everything, and nothing—never a dull moment with us. Life was better, easier, when we shared our time and hid inside our little bubble. For him, it was being away from work, and the press, and everyone who wanted a piece of Daniel E. Brightmore—or his money. For me… the bubble was tranquility, safety. Reality stayed far away from us.
    Dan talked business. The Belgium purchase, which helped with the European expansion of the Brightmore Empire’s food division. Before he continued the conversation, he stood up, walked towards the fridge, and pulled out a box. “For my princess.” He handed me a box full of Belgium chocolates. I stood up and jumped into his arms.
    “I adore you.” I kissed his cheek before he placed me back into the floor.
    “I know.” He answered cockily. Then, while we continued eating our dinner, Dan talked about Brightmore Limited and the merges he planned.
    The conglomerate consisted of freight companies, bakeries, IT solutions, investments, constructions, and more. Slowly, he conquered the world, and while doing so, traveled all over it—which made our time together precious to me. While away, we texted, called, and Skyped. Not an ideal relationship, but I knew brothers and sisters who only saw each other during the holidays.
    “Oh, great,” I moaned, after cracking my fortune cookie.
    I showed the empty treat to Dan. “Not even the kind Chinese people from the restaurant like me. How about happiness is around the corner? Or… you’re about to find love? They didn’t even bother giving me a fortune. I don’t like them. Next time, we order Thai.”
    “You hate Thai.” Dan’s body shook with laughter, and his cheeks turned red. He handed me his.
    Enjoy your cookie.
    “That’s it?” Frustrated, I dumped the paper into the recycling bin. “When did fortune cookies lose their wisdom? Stop laughing, Daniel!”
    He couldn’t, and he enveloped me in a hug. “I missed you.”
    I gave him a half smile and put everything away.
    Dan pulled a pint of my favorite ice cream—Ben & Jerry’s Cheesecake Brownie—out of the freezer. He hauled me toward the media room and sat me next to him. I hadn’t agreed to movie time, but a pint of cold, chocolaty bribery convinced me to stay.
    “I fed you.” He opened the container and handed me a spoon. “Now tell me what’s going on, little one.”
    I shook my head and claimed the remote off the coffee table. My brain refused to go through another therapy session, even if it included ice cream. Brooding about Lisa, the journal, Connor, and the crap our new assistant was giving me wouldn’t help me—and complaining about the new girl would get her fired. Right before Christmas.
    Evading his inquisition, I changed the subject. “Are we going to put up a Christmas tree this year?”
    We’d been so busy over the past month, we’d only had time for the poor Charlie Brown Christmas tree I’d put in my room. Dan’s place accommodated a ten-footer with no hassle, and his tree had become the center of the