Page 65 of Until Daddy

Cry? Wasn’t she already cried out?

“I have to get the program stuff ready for this weekend.”

“It can wait. Now, bundle up and go home.” Margaret hooked her arm through hers and all but dragged her to the doors. Not that she put up much of a fight.

Carissa felt more dead than alive at the moment anyway.

Chapter 18

“Igot your mail!” Mr. Buschmann called down the stairwell to Carissa.

“Thanks, Mr. Buschmann.” She jogged up the flight of stairs to meet him and get the envelopes from his hand.

“Looks like Mr. Croft might be back, eh?” He gave her the most sympathetic smile she’d ever seen from him. She hadn’t seen Jamison in weeks, not since he’d been at the shelter.

“What?” She flipped through the envelopes and found one addressed to her from Jamison. Her heart picked up speed while her stomach fell into her shoes.

“Be gentle on him now, men do stupid things when they’re in love.” He gave her a toothy grin.

“I never would have taken you for a romantic.”

“Ah, I’m not. But I liked that fella.” His sour expression returned, but she could see through it now.

“Thanks, Mr. Buschmann. I liked him too.”

She ran down the stairs and into her apartment. Dropping the mail on her couch, she stripped off her running jacket. Spring was starting to warm up the chill outside. March had come and with it, the sun.

She eyed the envelope sitting on top of the pile.

Jamison.

He’d been at the shelter a few times, working with Margaret on changes and remodeling stuff, but she’d stayed out of their way. Even when Margaret tried to pull her in for a conversation on the clinic, she’d bowed out. The staff nurse had it handled. She wasn’t needed.

Jade invited her to dinner, but after Carissa wrangled the confession that Jamison would be in attendance as well, she cried off. There was no need to see what she couldn’t have.

He’d moved on already. Probably already had a new girlfriend.

That’s how these relationships work out, she reminded herself. They didn’t last. Even if daddies are supposed to give unconditional love, they high tail it and run when it gets tough. Jamison had. He’d decided she wasn’t worth the fight. And he’d left. Not that she would give him all the blame. She never gave him much encouragement that they’d last past their expiration date.

But she was done wallowing in her own self-pity. She needed a change, too. She hadn’t been to Dark Lace since he brought her there last. Just because he owned it didn’t mean she couldn’t still enjoy herself there.

It was Friday night. A perfect time for that change!

Chucking the running gear, she jumped in the shower and pulled out the shortest skirt she could find in her closet. She was going to get back in the saddle.

After spending an hour on her hair and make-up, and another half hour on finding the perfect shirt to go with her skirt, she opened her underwear drawer to find some panties.

The white cotton panties were exactly where they’d been since he bought them.Good Girlblared up at her from the top of the pile. She traced the words with her fingertips. She didn’t have the courage to throw them away just yet, but she’d stopped wearing them.

Her thongs didn’t feel the same as they used to. They felt wrong, but she wouldn’t put on those panties. She needed to get rid of them.

She grabbed a purple pair of bikini underwear and finished dressing. On the way out the door, the mail caught her eye again.

“Fine,” she said to the furniture and grabbed his letter, ripping it open.

She pulled out the folded stationery and opened it up. Two tickets fell out into her hands.

ThePinkconcert.

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