Loved by You Read Free Page B

sisters are both resistant to relationships.”
    She frowned. “You make us seem like we have issues.”
    “Everyone has issues, it’s just a matter of how they manifest.”
    “What are you, a psychologist?”
    “A psychiatrist, actually. I have a private practice specializing in performance anxiety.”
    Bijou gaped. “No way.”
    “Why not?” he asked with a curious tip of his head.
    “Therapists aren’t supposed to look like male strippers.”
    He laughed. “I’m going to take that as a compliment.”
    Bijou blushed. She never blushed. She hadn’t even blushed when she was a little girl.
    Then what he said caught her attention. “You’re a performance anxiety therapist?” she asked.
    “For athletes, mainly, but I also deal with actors and musicians.”
    “My mother didn’t have you come over to date KT, did she? She wanted to hire you to help her.”
    “But it’s flattering that you thought I could date your sister.”
    She tossed her towel aside. “Let’s talk therapy.”
    “Do you need help?”
    “Of course not, but KT does.” She slipped her arm through his. “Let’s get out of here and find a quiet place to talk.”
     
     
    Grounds for Thought was the logical place to take Will.
    In Los Angeles, Bijou had gone to the same café every day for three years, and they always looked at her like she was a stranger. She’d been frequenting Grounds for Thought for the two weeks since she’d been home, and she felt like she belonged.
    As they entered, she waved to Eve, who owned the bookstore café, and her friends Gwen and Lola. They all smiled and called out to her as she and Will headed to the counter.
    “Friends?” Will asked softly as they approached the register.
    “New friends.” She smiled brightly at them. “Hey ladies!”
    Lola leaned over and held her croissant up. “Did you come here to flaunt the fact that you’ve worked out and I’m eating a buttery pastry? Because I may have to kill you off in my next book.”
    Gwen frowned at her friend. “You write romance novels. There’s no murder.”
    “There’s always a first time.”
    Bijou grinned. Lola had a perfect body—whatever she was doing was working for her. “Would you feel better if I order a pastry, too?”
    “Yes.” Lola pointed at her but faced Gwen. “I love this woman. She gets it.”
    Laughing, Eve wiped the counter. “Lola has her priorities straight. What can I get you guys besides a treat?”
    Gwen prodded Lola with her elbow. “I love when she offers people a ‘treat.’“
    “I know. I’d totally tap that if I didn’t have Sam.” Lola smiled at Bijou. “Treat is Eve’s husband’s name. He’s hot.”
    Not as hot as Will. She glanced at him, hoping her face didn’t give away her thoughts. “Share a chocolate croissant with me?”
    “Yes.” He ordered a coffee for himself, and Bijou added an herbal tea for herself. Will paid for it despite her protests and then went to scope out a spot for them to sit.
    Lola leaned across Gwen to whisper, “Okay, quick. Who is he, and are you doing him?”
    “He’s someone I just met, and no, I’m not doing him.” She was tempted to go there, though, which was exactly why she wasn’t going to think about it. Much.
    “Bummer.” Lola craned her neck to look at Will. “He has a great butt.”
    “What happened to Sam?” Gwen asked with a quirk of her eyebrow as she lifted her tiny espresso cup.
    “Sam is my world. This is research.”
    Gwen laughed. Then she gasped and turned her big eyes onto Bijou. “Wait. You’re a musician, right?”
    “Right.”
    The woman leaned toward her, intense in a way that was unexpected given her bohemian appearance. “I chair the Purple Elephant, a foundation that gives kids a place to learn and create, and I have a girl who needs a piano teacher. Would you be interested in volunteering? It’d just be twice a week.”
    “I’ve never taught anyone anything, but I’d be glad to help.” Bijou pursed her lips as an