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Pamela L. Todd
Now You See Me Invisible. A ghost. No one sees her. No one knows her. Until him. For the last seven years, Jo has been a ghost in her own life. No friends. No permanent address. No long-term job. And that is exactly the way she wants it…until a typing error lands her on Nate’s doorstep in the city of Edinburgh, answering his ad for a roommate. Tall and rugged, Nate is a distraction Jo can’t afford, but his touch brings Jo back to life and every encounter leaves her craving more. As they grow closer and intimacy creeps its way around them, Nate knows there are things Jo isn’t telling him. The less he knows about Jo and her past, the safer he is.
The light was gray and dim when I slipped outside, clutching my coffee mug. The sun was slowly burning off the haze and it would be another hot August day. But right now I was thankful for the chill that made my mind alert. After a nightmare, I always craved the outdoors. For some people they felt safer inside, with their locked doors and windows, hiding under the bed covers, hoping the boogeyman didn’t think to look under them. But the only place I ever felt truly safe was in an open area. Somewhere to run. Somewhere to flee to. I pulled the oversized cardigan tighter around my shoulders and sipped the rich, strong coffee. Movement on the wall surrounding Nate’s patio pulled my focus, and a skinny ginger cat jumped down, keeping close to the wall but not taking its eyes off me. For a while we observed each other. The cat was wretched and pitiful, more than likely a stray. It was painfully skinny, though didn’t appear flea ridden or diseased in any way. I rolled my eyes. “Fine, here.” I tossed a piece of the buttery toast I had been forcing myself to eat. The cat jumped at my voice but leaped on the toast, licking the melted butter before nibbling on the bread. “You’ll never get rid of that thing now.” This time it was me who jumped at hearing a voice. Coffee sloshed over the edge of the mug and burned my leg. I stood up, wiping at the spill and feeling my cheeks scorch hotter than my leg. “Sorry, did I scare you?” Nate asked, sitting on the step a few higher than mine. “Startled, that’s all.” I managed a wobbly smile and sat back down, my shoulders 110 | btsemag.com
slumping when I saw the cat had disappeared. “I think I startled your new friend away.” “Mmm.” Nate waited a moment before speaking again. “Everything okay? You seem out of sorts this morning.” I shrugged. “I didn’t sleep very well.” He chuckled—the sound so low I felt it everywhere. “I know the feeling.” “Are Suze and Tilly awake yet?” “You’d know about it if they were. Did Tilly keep you up?” “No, I didn’t hear a thing.” “You know, I’m a little disappointed.” Nate leaned closer to me. “I thought you would sneak up to my room last night.” A laugh bubbled in my throat. For the first time that morning, my nightmare wasn’t the foremost thought in my mind. I twisted around to look at him, smiling at the boyish grin on his face. “Like I was at a friend’s house and her older brother was trying to corrupt my innocent ways?” His grin widened. “There was nothing innocent about what we did in the hall last night. And it’s my house.” Pamela has adored books since she can remember. There was no greater pleasure than discovering a new world to venture into, a new character to fall in love with… until she created her own and realised there was something even more magical. When she isn’t locked away at her computer, or scribbling in a notebook, Pamela can be found as her alter ego—namely wife to Matthew and mother to Todd. They also share their home with a schizophrenic cat and two greedy goldfish.
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