The Doctor's Runaway Fiancée Read Free Page A

a sixteen-year-old, Andrew shoved his hands into his pockets and willed his heart rate to slow.
    It didn’t help that she had on the same perfume she’d worn when they were together: a slightly citrusy scent that made him think of orange groves and lovemaking. His pillow had retained the scent for days after she left him.
    The hurt that had taken root in his heart since he got her text—a damn text —telling him the engagement was off and she was leaving was still there. But right now that hurt was mixed with an unholy anger that seared his veins.
    â€œI best go back inside.” She spun around and might have escaped through the door, if his reflexes hadn’t been so good.
    His hand shot out, closing around her bare arm like a vise. “Don’t walk away. Not again.”
    Displaying surprising strength, Sylvie jerked her arm back.
    Andrew had been poised for battle until he saw tears pooling in those large violet eyes. Resisting a nearly overwhelming urge to wrap his arms around her, he stepped back and held up his hands.
    If she bolted, he wouldn’t stop her. That didn’t mean he wouldn’t get his answers; it just wouldn’t be this evening. He could wait.
    â€œI agree we need to talk.” She brushed back a strand of hair from her face with a hand that trembled slightly. “But this isn’t the time or place. This is a celebration of Noah and Josie’s engagement. I don’t want anything to spoil the evening for them.”
    Andrew couldn’t help thinking of the last party he and Sylvie had attended. It had been held at his parents’ home in Boston. Though not a formal engagement party, it had been a family celebration to introduce her to Andrew’s extended family. It had been elegant and tasteful, and Sylvie had hated every minute of the gathering. Andrew suddenly recalled that she’d offered to make a cake for the event, but his mother had demurred that it would offend the caterer.
    Both he and Sylvie had known the real reason. His mother was worried about the kind of cake Sylvie would make. He’d let Sylvie down that night, Andrew realized. At the time, it hadn’t seemed a big thing.
    But this wasn’t about recriminations and who had dealt the other the biggest slight; this was about achieving closure. “I’m available later.”
    The second the words left his lips, he realized it had been a lame thing to say. And when her lips quirked in a slight smile, Andrew realized something else. Her smile still carried quite a punch.
    â€œTomorrow?” she asked.
    He nodded. “Lunch.”
    It struck him just how blasted civilized they were being.
    She gave a nod.
    He pulled out his phone. “Give me your number.”
    Sylvie glanced back toward the house and shifted from one foot to the other. “I’ll call you.” She paused. “Unless you’ve changed your number.”
    â€œNo change.” His eyes met hers. “You changed yours.”
    Sylvie lifted one thin shoulder but offered no excuse. When he cocked his head expectantly, she recited her new number while he keyed it in and then read it back to her.
    While the tightness around her eyes revealed her stress, when she spoke, her voice was casual and offhand. “Appears you and I are reconnected.”
    They’d been very connected once until she’d abruptly severed the tie he’d been convinced would last forever. She’d done it with a single text. A handful of typed words that said she didn’t love him, couldn’t marry him and didn’t want to see him again.
    Yes, they’d once been connected. Not anymore.
    * * *
    Sylvie wrapped her mouth around a juicy hamburger with avocado relish and peppered bacon and wondered if she could possibly be dreaming. She’d had vivid dreams in the past, all involving Andrew.
    Not a single dream had concerned food or a barbecue. Most slipped in during the night hours and were of a