Rebound Therapy (Rebound #1) Read Free

will if you want me to, though.”
    I realize that I’ve actually been enjoying his company. I let out the breath I didn’t notice I’d been holding waiting for his response. “No, I don’t want you to leave,” I say and realize it’s true.
    He flashes that grin again, all straight teeth and twinkling eyes. “Good.” He sits forward in his seat again and we continue chatting.
    After a while I look around, realizing I haven’t seen Amy in close to half an hour. “Where did Amy go?” I say aloud.
    Brian starts to look around, too. “I don’t know. She left to get a refill a while ago.”
    “I know. I thought she’d be back by now.” I stand up and finally see her at the bar.
    Brian stands as well and moves next to me. “There she is,” he says, spotting her at the same time I do.
    “Before you go retrieve her, can I ask what you’re doing next Friday?”
    I look at him in mild surprise. I don’t know why, but I really didn’t expect him to ask me out, especially after my dead fiancé revelation. “Working and then eating dinner on the couch with Netflix, probably.”
    “As appealing as that sounds, I was wondering if you’d like to have dinner with me.”
    He sees me hesitate a little.
    “Since the reason for coming here was to find a guy, you’ll avoid getting dragged somewhere else by Amy if you say yes.”
    I smile at him. He has a good point. “Okay, sure.”
    He hands me his phone and has me program my number in, then sends me a text. “Now you have my number, too,” he says. “I’ll be in touch this week so we can work out the details.”
    He leans in and gives me a light kiss on the cheek, then grins at me again before walking away.
    Holy crap, I have a date next weekend.
    I go join Amy at the bar.
    “What happened to Brian?” she asks.
    “I was wondering where you got to, so he left me to come sit with you.”
    Amy sighs and shoots me a look. “You scared him off, didn’t you.”
    “No, not at all. He asked me out next Friday.”
    “And I’m sure you shot him down. Really, Jenna, you have to at least try –“
    “I said yes,” I say over the beginnings of her lecture.
    Amy stops short and stares at me. “You said yes?”
    “I said yes.”
    “I’m shocked.”
    “I can see that. But he’s cute, and he made a persuasive argument.”
    “Which was?”
    “If I said no you’d drag me out somewhere else next Friday.”
    She lets out a short laugh. “He’s right, you know.”
    “Yeah, I do. That’s why I said yes.”
    “Alright. Mission accomplished, then.” She sets her wine glass on the counter. “Bye, Adam,” she calls to the bartender and we head back out to her car.

CHAPTER TWO

    The next week goes by quickly.
    It’s Friday again and I’m once more stepping out of the shower to get ready to go out. This time with Brian. Amy has invited herself over to help me get ready.
    I walk into my room with my towel wrapped around me and see the outfit Amy has picked lying on the bed.
    “No,” I say.
    “What? Why not? It’s a great dress!”
    “I know. It is. I wore that dress when Tom proposed. I bought it special for that night because I knew he had a romantic evening planned. I haven’t worn it since he died. I can’t wear it tonight.”
    The look of protest on Amy’s face softens. “Okay.” She doesn’t say anything else about the dress she had picked out, just quietly puts it away and picks something else. She knows what talking about Tom does to me. Sometimes she’ll talk more, but tonight I have a date. A date she wants to go well.
    She turns back around with another choice. It’s a black knee length tank dress of knit fabric with ruching on one side. The different times I went out with Tom wearing that dress flash through my mind, but I don’t mention it. Every date worthy piece of clothing I own has memories attached to it. Unless I want to go in my work clothes or sweats, there’s no point in saying anything. Going naked on a first date is probably