A Love for All Seasons Read Free Page B

mix some more?” her friend Jenny offered.
    â€œOh, no thanks, I’ll take care of it.” She turned to Jack, glad to have an excuse to get away from him. Being around him was simply too unsettling. Her stomach continued to behave like a contestant in an Olympics gymnastic competition, running and flipping all over the place. She couldn’t take much more of this. “Excuse me.”
    As she hurried toward the kitchen she said a silent prayer of thanks that the Kamikaze drink continued to be so popular among her guests. Mixing up a fresh batch gave her the perfect excuse to get away from Jack Devlin.
    She concentrated on his name as she carefully measured the three ingredients. Jack Devlin, Jack Devlin . Where had she seen him before? And what had transpired between them? It had to be something major, or else she wouldn’t be acting like such a fool. But why couldn’t she remember? And why didn’t he?
    She stirred the liquors and lime juice together in the tall martini pitcher. “Here, I’ll take that,” Pete Robinson said with a laugh.
    â€œReady for a refill, are you, Pete?” she said knowingly as she handed him the pitcher. She smiled as he immediately filled his glass.
    Alicia’s preference would have been to stay away from Jack Devlin until she identified their past history, but she knew that made for a poor hostess. Her friends brought him to her party because he didn’t know anyone in town. The least she could do was introduce him around.
    She found him standing with his plate near the buffet table, exchanging a few words of small talk with her old friend Derek Taylor. “Have you two met each other?” she inquired.
    â€œNot really,” Jack said. He wiped his right hand on a napkin and held it out. “Jack Devlin.”
    â€œDerek Taylor.”
    â€œJack’s a good friend of Pete and Rhonda,” Alicia explained as the two men shook hands. “He just moved to New York from Alabama.”
    Derek grinned. “A little faster paced than what you’re used to, huh?”
    Alicia tried not to glare at him. Derek was one of her closest friends, but she didn’t like the smugness in his tone that suggested Jack was some kind of country bumpkin. Birmingham was one of the largest cities in the Deep South, and only New York, L.A., and Chicago boasted of larger populations than Houston.
    But Jack didn’t seem to mind, nor did he elaborate on his background. “A little too fast for me, actually,” he admitted. “I work in midtown, but when it came time to find a place to live I decided to get a place up in Stamford.”
    Derek nodded. “Nice town.” He then turned to someone walking past and began a conversation with them.
    Alicia smiled at Jack, thankful for the drink in her hand and the calming effect of the alcohol. She had a nice warm feeling that started in her belly and branched out to the rest of her. “Have you met many people here?”
    â€œProbably not by name, but everyone’s very friendly.”
    â€œShame on Pete for leaving you on your own. Here, let me take you around.” She slipped her arm through his, telling herself he was just another friend of a friend, and that she had no need to feel nervous as she tried to make him comfortable. And thank heavens for the thick fabric of her sweater and for the blazer he wore. Her gesture seemed less personal with no skin-to-skin contact.
    She led him to the nearest person, who stood at the buffet fixing a plate. “Jenny Walters, this is—” she stopped momentarily to make sure she said his name correctly “—Jack Devlin.” She stood by as Jack and Jenny greeted each other.
    They moved on, and he said, “You know, you really don’t have to do this. But I must admit I like having you on my arm.”
    A wave of pleasure swept over her. Damn her memory for failing her. She felt certain that Jack Devlin was somehow