Forever My Love: A Contenporary Romance (The Armstrongs Book 2) Read Free Page A

ago. Let it go, man!
    Ryan tried to take his own advice, but a part of him was still shaken up inside. Glancing at the clock that hung on the far wall, he realized he needed to get back to work. But try as he might, he just couldn’t concentrate on the small and miniscule detail work he had to do to finish up his current piece.
    After struggling in vain for another hour, he finally tossed his tools back in the drawer and decided to call it quits for the day.  He loved his work, but there were times when even he needed a break.
    Lately, he found himself mostly creating expensive, one-of-a-kind pieces of jewelry. He worked together with his clients on the designs and then made the pieces himself. But his true passion were bigger pieces that fit more into the visual art category, rather than the wearable art. He had created some statues, and while the reviews had been uplifting, his clients seemed to like his jewelry much better.
    Ryan continued to pursue the statues, but jewelry was his livelihood. Where he made his big money. More than enough to live well and even more than he'd ever be able to spend.
    Before leaving, he safely tucked away all the precious stones and unfinished pieces he'd been working on in the safe and then grabbed his gym bag and headed for the small bathroom in the back of his shop.
    He exchanged his business attire for gym short, t-shirt, and running shoes. Some vigorous exercise would get his brain back on the right track. Glancing once more at the clock, he grabbed his keys and headed out. This time of day, there was almost always a pick-up basketball game in progress at the park next to the lake.
    Smiling for the first time since the phone call from Kendra’s office, he rolled his shoulders and headed out. A blood pumping game of basketball should do the trick. He’d get a good workout in and then everything would be back to normal.  Everything would be just like it had been before that phone call!

Chapter 3
     
    The next day, Kendra took special care with her attire. While to her co-workers she appeared to be wearing her usual dress pants and matching suit jacket, only she knew that she'd taken extra time with her hair and make-up that morning.
    Kendra normally took pride in her appearance. Percy’s was the most prestigious auction house in the Chicago area, and the employees were required to always wear impeccable business clothing. There was no such thing as Jean Friday at Percy’s!
    She’d chosen her favorite outfit – a navy blue pants suit. The fabric was soft to the touch, and flowed with her body as she moved. The little bit of shine in the fabric complemented her slightly tanned skin perfectly. She wore a snow-white blouse under the jacket, and a matching lace bra and panty set beneath those pieces. If she'd have to face Ryan and the heartbreak he'd   caused her, she at least needed to feel sexy and very womanly.
    As usual, she was wearing flat shoes. It wasn't that she didn't like heels; she actually loved the way they made her legs look. But genetics had been overly generous with her in the height department. At 6’1” she'd grown used to being as tall as, or as it happened more times than not, taller than the men around her. Finding a man that she had to look up to was indeed a rare occasion.
    Kendra had decided years earlier to table her own likes in the shoe department. She didn’t want to tower over her clients any more than she naturally did. Through years of experience  she'd learned that most men didn’t respond well to women who were taller than they were. Something to do with that whole Me Man, You Woman mentality!
    Ryan’s workshop was located in the industrial zone of Chicago, rather than one of the upscale shops in the fashion district. He'd bought a tall building, an old factory hall, which he had painstakingly converted into a showroom and workshop. From the outside, the building looked huge! It had a definite factory feeling to it.
    She approached the front