AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Chapter One
Chrissie took one last look at herself in the mirror. Not too bad. Red always looked good on her, and the dress she had picked out for tonight was just stunning. Chrissie was pleased that her friends had urged her to buy it a while back.
They were right. It would make her feel confident. Although Chrissie would ignore the fact Rita and the others were talking about it being the reason she ended up with a guy. That was not happening.
She really needed to get them to stop trying to find a guy for her whenever they went out. Chrissie was fine as she was. Things were great, and she had a great job straight out of university. She had no time to think about looking for a relationship, especially after dealing with her last boyfriend. The guy didn’t know what the word ‘no’ actually meant, and when he tried to take it too far, Chrissie knew they were done. She wasn’t about to be with someone who didn’t listen to her.
A year may have passed, but her values hadn’t. Just because she was getting a little older didn’t mean she was going to change her way of thinking. Rita might call her mad, but Chrissie didn’t care. If she went out, she was going to have fun. And that could be done without alcohol or men fawning over her.
Also, she didn’t have to avoid any awkward questions from her father. Jared Frost liked to know everything about what his daughter was up to, which was really annoying. He tried to stop, but old habits die hard. Chrissie was glad she didn’t have a guy around; she didn’t think anyone her age would cope with the intense interrogation they would get from her dad.
Her phone bleeped on the desk. A quick look told her that Rita was on her way to the house. They would be heading back to her house, and then they would be walking into town from there. Chrissie was looking forward to this night out; the football pre-season was always intense, and things were going to pick up soon. This would probably be the last time she went out for a while until things calmed down.
Working for a football was amazing, but it did have its drawbacks.
Chrissie headed downstairs and started looking around for her shoes. Where were they? Surely, she had left them in the cupboard where all of the shoes and coats were kept? Or had she had a brain-fart and left them in her room?
“What you looking for?”
Chrissie looked around to see her dad coming out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a towel.
“My stiletto boots. I thought they were in the closet.”
“They should be. I can’t think where they would be, otherwise.” Jared arched an eyebrow. “Maybe if you turned the light on, you’d be able to find them?”
Chrissie stuck her tongue out at him, but she turned on the light. And she saw her boots leaning against the wall at the back. Snagging them up, she went to the stairs.
“How long are you going to be out?” Jared asked.
“I don’t know. Depends on how everything goes.” Chrissie stuck her feet into the boots. “You know Rita lives close to the center of town, so it’ll be simple enough to go back to hers and crash.”
“And you’ve got your mace, haven’t you?”
“I have.” Chrissie sighed. “Dad, could you take it easy? I can take care of myself, and I’m not an idiot. You don’t have to worry about me all the time.”
“I know, honey.” Jared looked a little sheepish. “I just worry whenever you go out the front door. Things can happen, you know.”
Chrissie could understand. Given how they had lost her mother and sister, it was understandable that Jared was nervous about Chrissie leaving on her own. Even though it had been several years, but the fear was still there. Not that Jared would be willing to admit it, though.
While it was annoying to have him check on her every five minutes, Chrissie didn’t have it in her to be too cross. Zipping up her boots, Chrissie stood up and approached him.
“I’m going to be okay, Dad. Rita won’t let anything happen to me, anyway.” She hugged him. “You just put your feet up and have fun spending the evening alone. You don’t get to do that often.”
“I suppose not.” Jared’s mouth twitched. “Maybe I’ll check out the re-runs of those baseball games I’ve been meaning to watch for weeks.”
Chrissie laughed.
“At least you don’t have to worry about me complaining about how loud you are.”
“I’m not that loud!”
“You’re not a good spectator, Dad. Especially when you’re the only one watching.” Chrissie kissed his cheek. “I’ll text you when I’m on my way home. See you tomorrow.”
“Bye, Chrissie.” Jared hesitated. “Stay safe.”
Chrissie picked up her purse and left the house just as a bright red car pulled up at the bottom of the drive. She could see Rita waving from the driver’s seat, and she made her way down the slight slope. For a moment, she wondered why on earth she had put on such awkward boots. They were great for her legs and for standing around him, but walking was a pain.
Too late to go and change.
