BROKEN ANGEL (Savage Cinderella Novella-#4)

BROKEN ANGEL-Chapter 1

I had nothing to draw from but the lonely existence I'd endured for nearly half my life, living alone in a dilapidated cabin, coming down from the mountains only to work on occasion for Mr. Hoffman, an old widowed storekeeper who traded food and books for my cleaning and shelf-stocking services. Or to see Abby, who would supply me with treasures like warm socks, coats and mittens in the winter, and fresh vegetables, cheeses and breads in the summer. We'd played together in the low meadow and she kept my secret, knowing if she told anyone, I would run away again and disappear forever. My heart gave a squeeze when I thought of my lost innocence and the harsh years I'd spent hiding from the world.

"I switched my major...again," said Abby, pulling me out of my gloomy recollections. "I'm going to fashion design school now." Her smile beamed with happiness, and her enthusiasm drew a genuine smile from my lips. She poured glasses of sweet tea from a pitcher as she settled us in the living room of her parents' house—the home she'd grown up in.

Worn from generations of McMurray family life, the old farmhouse was warm and inviting, despite its antique décor and my less-than-happy memory of the last time I'd been there. The mood was lifted when Abby set out a plate of delicious smelling cookies. "Just baked! I'm staying with Mama and Daddy for the summer. Then I'll move back to Charleston in the fall," she said.

"Where are your parents now?" I took a bite of warm, chewy chocolate chip cookie and groaned, eyes closed.

Abby laughed and helped herself to two cookies, one in each hand. "They left yesterday for an Alaskan cruise to celebrate their twenty-fifth anniversary." She sat down across from me on a wide cushy chair, curling her now bare feet up under her and waving a cookie under her nose.

"It's nice they still enjoy each other's company," I said awkwardly, wishing I could be so far away from my problems. "And I'm glad you've found something that makes you happy," I added with more enthusiasm. I'd had my doubts about my own choice of career, but when I thought about starting my new job as a police officer on the Atlanta P.D., warmth and excitement spread through me.

Despite my own experience, the police academy seemed the perfect fit. I wanted and needed something challenging to draw my focus, and I'd come to see I was meant to use my past to help others. Helping people gave me the sense of purpose I'd longed for. And now that I'd passed my firearms tests, there was nothing standing in my way.

"I'm psyched you came to see me, but what are you really doing here?" Her tone had changed from excited to serious and her deep brown eyes held my gaze.

"I have a couple of weeks before I start my job and I wanted to...needed to," I amended, "get away from my...situation." When she cocked an eyebrow, I sighed and went on. "I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed," I said, sipping the tea and watching Eliot fastidiously clean his front paws.

I went on to explain my dilemma about Justin and his friend, Cody, an uncomfortable conversation since Abby had briefly dated the former Marine turned FBI agent and was deeply disappointed when he broke things off with her, citing his work and travel schedule as an excuse to ditch the budding relationship. But that had been quite some time ago and Abby had clearly moved on, often texting me about the latest guy she was seeing and pointing out their strengths and weaknesses as if judging a pie contest. After her cheating fiancé Phillip broke her heart, and then Cody blew her off before the romance even took hold, she was wary of relationships. I couldn't blame her. Relationships seemed far more complicated than I ever imagined.

"So, Cody has...feelings for you." She said it as a statement rather than a question, and she didn't sound surprised. My ears turned warm. I sipped the cold tea, nodding. "And Justin knows?" She reached for another cookie and took a bite, contemplating all that went with this revelation. "Let me guess," she said, sucking melted chocolate from her thumb and arching a slim golden brow. "You aren't sure how you feel about either of them, right?" When I nodded again ruefully, she pursed her lips and gave me a knowing look. "You love them both, don't you?"