Carpathian 03 - Dark Gold

dizziness.
    
    "Look at all this stuff!" she cried joyfully, showing off her treasures.
    
    Joshua puffed out his chest. "I helped pick them out. Aidan and I went shopping. I showed him all the things you always picked up and put back. I could tell you wanted them, though. We had fun shopping for you. He said it was to be a big surprise."
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    She clutched a box of charcoal pencils to her, all at once finding it hard to breathe. "He did, did he? When did you do this?"
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    Joshua grinned at her. "A few days ago. While you were so sick. He picked out some new clothes, too. Look in your bedroom closet. You should have seen the saleswoman. She was looking at him like—"
    
    "I can imagine," Alexandria broke in dryly. She followed a skipping Joshua back into her bedroom.
    
    "He thought of everything. He said when a woman as beautiful and as good as you got so sick, a man should do whatever he could to make things better for you." Joshua threw open the double closet doors she had never touched, using only the bureau for her jeans and tops.
    
    In her entire life Alexandria had never owned enough clothes to fill a closet of this size, yet it was jammed with dresses, coats, skirts, slacks, and blouses. She bit her lower lip and touched a long black evening gown. It was by a top designer. She dropped her hand to her side. "Why did he do this?" she whispered aloud to Joshua, repeating in her head, Why did you do this ?
    
    It is only money , cara. I have nothing else to use to pay for my sins . He sounded alone and lost, ragged.
    
    She unexpectedly felt tears in her eyes. Everything in her wanted to run to him, comfort him, but his words from that morning continued to echo in her head, and she closed her mind firmly to his tricks. Become his slave. It would never happen.
    
    "Ah, sis, don't cry like a baby," Joshua admonished. "Aidan did it 'cuz he wanted to. You should see all the neat toys he bought me. You know, I asked Marie and Stefan about the puppy—how much work they thought it would be."
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    "Persistent little devil, aren't you?" She closed the closet doors firmly on the new clothes, determined never to wear them.
    
    "Aidan says persistence pays," Joshua quoted happily.
    
    Alexandria took a deep breath. "He should know." On second thought, she was going to wear Generated by ABC Amber LIT Conv erter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
    those dresses. Every last one of them. Wear them when she worked with Thomas Ivan. When she went out with Thomas Ivan. When she fell completely and madly in love with Thomas Ivan.
    
    For a moment she felt Aidan stirring in her mind, the kind of move a large jungle cat might make while stalking its prey—a mere ripple, and then it was gone, as if it had never been. Had she imagined it?
    
    "Quit thinking about him!" she snapped at herself, angry that her mind would not stay away from him.
    
    Joshua looked up at her, wide-eyed. "About who? The puppy? Why? Did you already find one?
    Is it a boy dog?"
    
    "There's definitely a boy hound dog somewhere around here," she replied grimly. Then, relenting, she ruffled Joshua's curls. "I'm kidding, Josh. And, no, I haven't found a puppy yet. I haven't even made up my mind yet. I want us to be sure we're happy here before we make such a permanent decision."
    
    "I'm happy here," Joshua said instantly, decisively.
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    She hugged him. "I'm glad you're happy, little buddy, but I'm not certain I am. It's much more difficult for adults to adjust to living together than it is for kids."
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    "But Marie and Stefan are so great, Alex, and Aidan is the best. He helps me with my homework. We talk all the time. He's cool. And he said—"
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    "I don't want to hear what he said just now, okay? I have work to do, honey, remember? We have to have money to eat."
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    "But Aidan has lots of money, and he said you wouldn't have to work if you didn't want to."
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    She let her breath out slowly, holding on to her temper. She was sick of hearing what Aidan had to say. She was sick of his being in her mind, taking over her every waking moment. "I like to work, Josh. Now find something to do quietly or scoot."
    
    He made a face but settled down quickly with her old set of colored pens and a sketch pad.
    They settled into the familiar routine easily. Occasionally she asked his opinion on an idea, and sometimes he showed her his drawings. Alexandria felt they were very good for a six-year-old.
    She corrected a line