Change Of Plans (New Adult BBW Romance) Read Free Page A

female and she
wasn’t into that kind of thing, so this was uncharted territory for her.
    Smiling, she walked up to the maître de,
who stood behind a wooden stand looking very much like a French butler in his
stiff, three-piece suit, his salt and pepper hair slicked back from a fine
boned face sporting a waxed mustache. He looked down his long, beak-like nose
at her, and she wondered if it were possible for him to look any snootier.
    “Do you have a reservation, Madam?”
    “Yes, it’s under my… associate’s name, B.
Strong.” Callie’s cheeks grew hot as she realized that sounded a little silly,
but what could she say? He wasn’t her date. “I’m Callie Richardson.”
    The maître de lost a little of his snooty
look as recognition flashed in his eyes. He pushed his silver-rimmed glasses up
his nose as he placed his forefinger to a name written in his reservation book,
and then nodded. “Yes, he’s waiting for you now. Please, come this way.”
    Bemused, Callie followed the maître de
into the restaurant, which boasted pillars and high ceilings adorned with
golden crown molding that arched over a large dining room area. Nearly every
round, linen-covered table was occupied with patrons enjoying fancy lunches
amongst the fine, neoclassical architecture, and the maître de expertly led her
through the maze of tables to one in the center of the room.  Seated at
the table was a man dressed in a slate-grey designer suit, his head bent down
as he tapped away on his cell phone, blue-black hair hanging forward so that
she couldn’t see his face. Even seated, she could tell he was a tall and lean,
with broad shoulders, and there was something familiar about him… something she
couldn’t quite place.
    “Mr. Armstrong, your guest has arrived.”
    Mr. Armstrong? No, it can’t be , she
thought, her breath catching in her throat, but the man’s head came up, and as
his ice blue eyes locked with hers, she had no doubt.
    This man wasn’t B. Strong at all. He was
Brendan Armstrong, the lead singer of the Strong Arm Giants.
    Who just happened to be her ex-boyfriend.

Chapter
Four
     
      “Callie!” Brendan’s full lips curved into
a cheeky grin as he leaned back, tucking his phone into the front pocket of his
dinner jacket. “It’s been awhile.”
    “Yeah. No kidding.” Only three and a
half years , she thought, but her mouth felt as dry as dust and she couldn’t
form the words. She gaped like a fish at Brendan as he stood up, coming around
the table to pull out a chair for her.
    “Come on, sit down and have a drink.” He
waited until she’d lowered herself carefully into the mahogany chair and he’d
pushed her in, then reached for the opened bottle of Pinot Grigio that was
standing in the middle of the table. “How about a glass of wine? They’ve got
some pretty good vintage here.” He had to lean over her shoulder to grab the
bottle, and his spicy masculine scent washed over her, a scent that had once
been as familiar to her as her own.
    “No, thank you.” She scowled, barely
refraining from pushing him away. She was pretty sure the bastard was doing it
on purpose, leaning close so she could smell him, feel his warmth, and know
what she was missing. No way was she buying it. “I don’t drink during working
hours.”
    “Looks like you haven’t changed much,
then.” He replaced the bottle, then returned to his seat and nudged the menu
toward her. “No worries, they have a decent selection of non-alcoholic
beverages. Take a look.”
    Callie didn’t touch the menu. “Why did
you bring me here, Brendan?” She fought to keep the tremor from her voice, but
she couldn’t quite stop it from reaching her hands, and she tucked them neatly
into her lap so he wouldn’t see.
    Brendan arched a black brow. “So that you
could sign me, of course.” He glanced to the black portfolio case Callie had
placed on top of the table. “Isn’t that what you brought that for?”
    “That contract is for B. Strong,