3 Weeks 'Til Forever Read Free Page B

Janey?”
     
               
“You Mr. Hillyard ask too many questions. I’ve had a lovely afternoon and now,
I must get some work done.”
     
               
“Thank you for answering my question and you enjoy the rest of your afternoon.”
     
    Forehead
wrinkling, Janey responded, “But I didn’t answer your question,” and turned to
gather her belongings from her lounger.
     
               
Redmond reached down to grab her beach bag to hold it open for her to put her
belongings in, observing, “Ah, but you did. Any woman going to work after
spending time alone on a beach with another man has no man – at least no man worth having.”
     
    “If
you were my woman, not only would you not have been sitting on this beach
alone, you definitely would not be going to work after you had been
alone for a few hours.”
     
    “I’d
have other plans for you.”

Chapter
6: Coincidences
     
    As
Janey pulled her thick, wet hair into a curly pony tail on top of her head, she
reflected on what Redmond had said as she left him on the beach a few hours
earlier ...
     
    If
you were my woman, not only would you not have been sitting on this beach alone
. . . I’d have other plans for you.
     
    She
relished the phrase ‘my woman’ and blushed as she thought of what those plans
might include.
     
    “Janey
Belle Coltrane, this stranger is taking up too much space in your head. Get it
together girl!” she admonished herself in the mirror as she prepared for her
solo dinner out that night.
     
    Eating
out alone was not foreign to her at all, considering she was often in places
where she knew no one, so had no choice but to eat alone. She used to hate this
aspect of her business, but since her mom died, she’d come to not only enjoy
it, but look forward to it.
     
    She
used the time constructively, often reflecting on what was important to her
like what had brought her to this point, what she really wanted out of life and
how to be happy alone.
     
    This
last thought was one she spent a lot of time on at dinner because she spent a
lot of time observing people during her solo meals, and what she saw was a lot
of unhappy couples.
     
    Janey
was surprised – once she started to really pay attention – at just how much you
could tell about a couple by how they interacted with each other over a dinner
table.
     
    For
example, did the couple actually speak to each other?
     
    Did
they spontaneously touch each other over a meal?
     
    Were
their eyes constantly darting, only partially giving their mate their full
attention?
     
    Did
he hold the chair out for her when she sat down and/or, would he get up when
she left the table?
     
    Did
she acknowledge the gesture if he did?
     
    Did
they eat off each other’s plates?
     
    Did
they laugh and smile a lot (at all) during the 45 minutes to an hour most
dinners between couples lasted?
     
    Janey
had a degree in Sociology and had always been a keen observer of people. She
noticed every little thing and was amazed at how many unhappy couples there
were in this world.
     
    An
only child, she’d mastered the art of being alone. She quite enjoyed her own
company and after her boyfriend and her best friend’s betrayal, and her
mother’s death, she started to feel that she might indeed wind up this way –
even though it was the last thing she wanted.
     
    But
she vowed that she’d rather be alone than be stuck in an unhappy relationship.
She never wanted to be one of those couples she saw frequently during
her solo dinners – those who barely spoke to each other and looked miserable.
     
    If
that was what coupledom was, she decided she could skip it.
     
    .
. .
     
    As
Janey breezed out the foyer of the dimly lit restaurant, she looked for a
passing cab. One stopped and she hopped in, requesting “Mirabella Bay please.”
     
    The
driver responded, “As you wish miss.”
     
    Even
though she’d just heard it for the first time that afternoon, Janey would
recognize