Only Fools Here, Stay Read online

  But not today. Her gaze scanned the romance titles, took in their covers as her hands carefully pulled a book down here and there and she smiled at the beefcake covers.

  "Romance, huh?"

  Mary gave a small start as a hand, warm and gentle, touched her shoulder. She looked up, into the face of a young man with thick glasses. His face was gentle and he moved his hand away from her as if realizing he'd touched a breakable in a store full of pretties. He wore jeans and a black tee shirt displaying a dragon chasing a ball.

  She nodded. "I usually read horror. Can't remember when or why I stopped. Thought I'd give it another chance. Though I definitely want to try romance."

  "Anything in particular? Historical romance? Time Travel? Paranormal?"

  "No," Mary shook her head. "Just plain romance. Girl meets boy, falls in love, and lives happily ever after."

  He smiled. It was a nice smile, with not so perfect teeth. Endearing. "I understand. I have a few of those here somewhere. Want me to help?" He removed his glasses and wiped their lenses on the edge of his tee shirt. She peered into his eyes.

  Something about him felt familiar, comfortable, warm and safe. He looked to be in his late twenties, close to her age. He held no pretentious air of money, nor did he smell of expensive cologne. "Yes, I'd like that."

  He held out his hand. "Tom Cunningham."

  She slid her slender hand into his rough one. It felt like just opened sandpaper. "Mary Pryce."

  The clay fired. Set. Finished…

  Wakefulness came harder the further along the pregnancy. If she could, she'd sleep all day, but that just wasn't a possibility. She hated getting up and seeing herself in the mirror. Maybe she'd just avoid the mirror all together today.

  She felt ugly, unattractive, hideous, and she wanted to stay invisible.

  Noises from downstairs alarmed her. The kids were up and no one was watching them. Mary turned to push her husband, but he wasn't there. Maybe he was downstairs with the rug rats.

  Maybe. That would be nice.

  The door opened and she heard the semi-whispered voices of her children.

  "Daddy, I think she's still sleeping," that was Brittany, her middle child.

  "Is she gonna be mad?" That was June, her youngest.

  And her eldest announced his joyous knowledge of all things mommy. "Nah, she'll get all weepy. You just watch."

  "Eric," her husband said in a scolding tone.

  She felt a touch on her shoulder, a pressure on the bed around her.

  "Honey?"

  Mary opened her eyes, and found herself lost in the most beautiful pair of blue eyes she'd ever seen. The outer edges turned down, framed by long brown lashes, giving him an almost sad appearance. "You awake?"

  She smiled at him. Her husband. She loved it when he wore his contacts. She'd talked him into trying a pair last Christmas. "I'm awake," she rolled over to see her children standing in stair-step fashion beside the bed. "I was dreaming of the day we met, in the bookstore."

  "Really? That's been on my mind a lot too lately. But, we have a gift for you," he gave her a mischievous grin and wiggled his eyebrows up and down.

  "We're going to give you a sleep day," Eric announced.

  "A sleep day? What for?"

  Her youngest moved to the bed and tried to climb up, holding fast to the beige comforter. Her husband reached over her bloated form and helped his little girl up. Mary took the small thing in her arms as best she could and held her close. June held the pink dragon with green horns and wings close to her little body.

  She blinked her round, dark brown eyes and with all innocence, spoke in the lisp-like voice of children. "Because we love you, mommy."

  About the Author…

  Phaedra Weldon is the author of the Urban Fantasy series, Zoë Martinique Investigation, published by Berkley, available for Kindle. She most recently completed the soon-to-be released Eureka novel, Brain Box Blues. Look for it in stores Winter 2010 under the name Cris Ramsay.

  © Copyright 2010, all rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks is not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners.

  For more information about the author please her visit website at www.phaedraweldon.com

  Read about the further investigations of Zoë and her friends in Wraith, Out of the Dark, Spectre, Phantasm and Revenant, available in bookstores now, as well as Kindle and ebook formats