The Dream Thief by Kari Kilgore (books for 10th graders txt) 📕

I mean, thirty. He's not a Builder himself, but he has a good, steady job. He's very smart and handsome. I wonder if either of you would be interested in meeting him?"

Loretta realized it wasn't just the secrecy and awkwardness of having had sex with Karl just the night before that bothered her at that moment.

Mrs. Gilmore knowing very well what Loretta did for a living and wanting to match her with her son was disturbing. Every bit as much as her keeping where Karl's good, steady job happened to be to herself.

"I'm afraid I must decline," she said. "Though that is a generous offer. This sort of work does make it difficult to date, with all that privacy we were just talking about. I simply wouldn't be comfortable dating the relative of a client. Bess, though, she's only learning about this business."

Bess winked at Loretta.

"Our mother has partners in mind for both of us," Bess said. "Back in Yon where we came from. If we dated here before we agreed to at least try her matchmaking, she'd be heartbroken. I hope you understand."

Mrs. Gilmore sighed. "Oh, I do indeed. I worry for my son, working so much and living alone like he does. I only want to see him happy. But I suppose he'll have to make that decision when the time comes. I like your mother's strategy of matching you up herself. No one could know you better."

"You have a point there." Loretta kept her feelings about her own mother to herself. "I'm glad the item is to your liking, Mrs. Gilmore. May we begin the search for something else special for you?"

"Only if you call me Klia," Mrs. Gilmore said, reaching into a small wooden drawer to pull out a purse. The wall beside her desk had a section that wasn't shelves but more of the drawers, most of them small. Loretta suspected these were the address drawers that helped Karl lead them to Mr. Norwood. "Please make sure the correct amount is there."

Bess sorted quickly through the coin, then nodded as she dropped it into Loretta's purse.

"Thank you very much, Klia," Loretta said. "It is a delight working with you."

"You're quite welcome, Loretta, and Bess. Now, I do have something in mind for your next search."

Chapter 49

Karl walked away from his supervisor's office, knowing his burning face was not hiding a damned thing in the brightly lit administration corridor. He could only hope he didn't run into someone who was paying attention. He could only hope anyone he passed was being as damn careless as he'd become over the past few weeks.

The hell of it was he couldn't find a single thing to disagree with Ms. Curtis about.

He had been sleepwalking through the days, half-sleep deprived and half worrying too much over the complicated mess that was his life. A couple of doctors had had to try several times to get his attention, something that had never happened to Karl before. And just because his behavior hadn't endangered a patient or one of his coworkers, he knew if he kept trying to lead this insane dual life it would only be a matter of time.

Whether he, or more accurately his cock, wanted to or not, it was time to change his arrangement with Loretta. Now was not the time to worry about whether more than one of his unruly organs was going to resist the change. His heart, for example.

His brain was already bubbling over with a list of justifications for keeping things as they were, an internal argument he couldn't afford to pay attention to.

He turned the corner into the cafeteria and tried to force himself not to wince. That was something else that had never happened before: flinching away when he saw his best friend in this crazy place. George was sitting at a table close to the doors, a sure sign he wanted to talk to Karl about something.

George stood and gestured toward the empty tables by the windows. All Karl could do was nod and turn to get his lunch. He couldn't exactly refuse to talk to George after all he'd done for him lately.

"You look about the way I feel, buddy," George said when Karl joined him.

George didn't have anything in front of him except a glass of water. Karl wondered for a second if it was Crumblewater, if he shouldn't try to drown himself in the stuff in an effort to get his own head out of his ass.

"It's been a rotten day, Georgie. What's up?"

When Karl finally looked into his friend's eyes, all worries and thoughts of his own messed up situation evaporated.

"Don't jump to conclusions," he said. "At least not because of... It might not mean anything. Karl, the baby ’ster, the one that you saw?" Karl nodded, and his mind and body froze solid. "It died today. A couple of hours ago."

"What happened?"

"I wasn't there," George said. "I can't say for sure, but the guy who told me has never lied about anything. He said he was in there cleaning up like usual, and the ’ster woke up, like usual. Instead of burning itself but not making a sound, it started crying." George took a deep breath and stared out the window. "It cried, then it screamed. And when it... When it burned this time, it just kept burning. They tried blankets, water, nothing worked. It died, Karl."

Karl squeezed his eyes closed, holding his own breath, trying to find a way to get around hearing this, understanding it. By the time he realized it was hopeless and opened his eyes, he was thankful he hadn't touched a bite of the dubious pinkish casserole in front of him.

He clenched his jaws, trying not to dry heave. The cramping nausea was spreading to his ribs and down into his guts, threatening to take over his whole body.

"George, that means Rethia, she might be..."

"We don't know for sure it was linked to her.”

Karl remembered he'd never told George