casually waltz up to him and get him to ask Janine out without making a fool of myself by drooling once I was close enough to speak to him? From a distance, he forced thoughts of my brief sexual liaison with Darkwater to the surface. Up close, all the angst of the memories of our brief, ill-fated affair might overwhelm me. And I just might find myself spending more sleepless nights longing for what I could never have—a happy ever after with Darkwater. I could not go back to loving him. I couldn't because it hurt too much and I was tired of being hurt by him.
"Sher? Will you?" Janine asked.
"If I see him," I hedged.
"If you go to lunch at one, you will. If he isn't eating at Charlie's he'll be reading a paper at one of the tables in the food court."
I arched a brow.
"Don't look at me like I've been stalking him."
"Have you? You seem to have a handle on his movements already."
"No, I haven't, but I can look down from my office and see him. You will help me with him. Won't you?"
I nodded and then sighed inwardly. Why had I just agreed to do something for her that I didn't want to do? I'm the only child of elderly deceased parents with no close relatives in Philly. My friends are everything to me. Janine was a close friend, second only to Amber-Hunt Darkwater. Amber and I had seen Janine through several rounds of surgeries that had changed her from a full-figured, very average looking woman to a size five woman so stunning, sometimes it was hard to remember she was still the friend with whom I'd grown up.
For her part, she and Amber had sat with, comforted, and sobbed their hearts out with me when a sudden massive heart attack killed Don Jordan, two months before our wedding. Years before Don, she had taken her turn crying with me when the damned Darkwater had been oblivious to my existence.
So even though she now looked more like a supermodel than the friend I'd grown up with, mentally she was still like me; shy, full-figured, and only a breath away from being plain. She had my back and I had hers. I would keep my word but I promised myself this was the last time I'd play matchmaker for her.
My thoughts turned towards those brief but electric moments when I'd felt as if Janine's crush was staring not only into my eyes but peeling the protective layers I'd built around my heart back, exposing my deepest and most lustful thoughts and aching needs; needs that distressingly still seem to center around Darkwater.
At least until now. For the first time since my brief fling with Darkwater had ended as abruptly as it had started, I could imagine wanting to be intimate with another man. But why oh why did the man have to be Janine's crush?
Such nonsensical thinking made getting any work done a challenge that morning. However, I needed to concentrate and do my best work as there were rumors that layoffs were coming. Accordingly, I struggled to keep my mind on work.
Chapter Two
S herlyn
Before I knew it, Janine was on my cell screaming into my ear that she was at her window and could see him sitting in the food court.
Despite my reservations, I made a quick run to the ladies' room to make sure my hair was in place and my nose wasn't shiny. Then I took a deep breath and left the office.
I was nonplused to find Janine waiting when I stepped off the elevator into the lobby. "Janine, what are you doing here?"
"What do you mean what am I doing here? I'm going into the food court."
"Why?" I asked.
"How else are you going to point me out to him, Sher?"
"Oh. Right."
She frowned. "You look a little uncertain. Are you ready?"
Hell no, I wasn't ready but I nodded. We walked into the food court together. She sat at a table on the other side facing him while I moistened my lips and walked toward his table.
Almost as if he'd sensed my approach, he suddenly looked up from his paper and right at me.
I froze, my heart pounding so hard I imagined he must surely hear it beating.
He placed the paper on the table and arched his
"Sher? Will you?" Janine asked.
"If I see him," I hedged.
"If you go to lunch at one, you will. If he isn't eating at Charlie's he'll be reading a paper at one of the tables in the food court."
I arched a brow.
"Don't look at me like I've been stalking him."
"Have you? You seem to have a handle on his movements already."
"No, I haven't, but I can look down from my office and see him. You will help me with him. Won't you?"
I nodded and then sighed inwardly. Why had I just agreed to do something for her that I didn't want to do? I'm the only child of elderly deceased parents with no close relatives in Philly. My friends are everything to me. Janine was a close friend, second only to Amber-Hunt Darkwater. Amber and I had seen Janine through several rounds of surgeries that had changed her from a full-figured, very average looking woman to a size five woman so stunning, sometimes it was hard to remember she was still the friend with whom I'd grown up.
For her part, she and Amber had sat with, comforted, and sobbed their hearts out with me when a sudden massive heart attack killed Don Jordan, two months before our wedding. Years before Don, she had taken her turn crying with me when the damned Darkwater had been oblivious to my existence.
So even though she now looked more like a supermodel than the friend I'd grown up with, mentally she was still like me; shy, full-figured, and only a breath away from being plain. She had my back and I had hers. I would keep my word but I promised myself this was the last time I'd play matchmaker for her.
My thoughts turned towards those brief but electric moments when I'd felt as if Janine's crush was staring not only into my eyes but peeling the protective layers I'd built around my heart back, exposing my deepest and most lustful thoughts and aching needs; needs that distressingly still seem to center around Darkwater.
At least until now. For the first time since my brief fling with Darkwater had ended as abruptly as it had started, I could imagine wanting to be intimate with another man. But why oh why did the man have to be Janine's crush?
Such nonsensical thinking made getting any work done a challenge that morning. However, I needed to concentrate and do my best work as there were rumors that layoffs were coming. Accordingly, I struggled to keep my mind on work.
Chapter Two
S herlyn
Before I knew it, Janine was on my cell screaming into my ear that she was at her window and could see him sitting in the food court.
Despite my reservations, I made a quick run to the ladies' room to make sure my hair was in place and my nose wasn't shiny. Then I took a deep breath and left the office.
I was nonplused to find Janine waiting when I stepped off the elevator into the lobby. "Janine, what are you doing here?"
"What do you mean what am I doing here? I'm going into the food court."
"Why?" I asked.
"How else are you going to point me out to him, Sher?"
"Oh. Right."
She frowned. "You look a little uncertain. Are you ready?"
Hell no, I wasn't ready but I nodded. We walked into the food court together. She sat at a table on the other side facing him while I moistened my lips and walked toward his table.
Almost as if he'd sensed my approach, he suddenly looked up from his paper and right at me.
I froze, my heart pounding so hard I imagined he must surely hear it beating.
He placed the paper on the table and arched his
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