The Manning Brides Read Free Page A

on buying the popcorn and the chocolate-covered raisins.
    He was just thinking how nice it was to be with a woman who wasn’t constantly worrying about her weight when she leaned over and whispered, “You ate more than your share of the raisins.”
    “Do you want me to buy more?”
    “No. Just remember you owe me.”
    It took him several minutes to realize he had no reason to be grinning the way he was, especially since the film was actually quite serious.
    “We don’t do this often enough,” Rich said as they left the cinema two hours later. He meant it, too. He’d been at loose ends for a couple of months but hadn’t thought about contacting Jamie. Now he wondered why.
    “No, we don’t,” she agreed, buttoning her coat. She wore jeans and a pale pink sweater. The color looked good on her. He was about to say as much when he remembered the reason for his impromptu visit.
    “How about a cup of coffee?” he suggested, linking his arm with hers. There was a coffee shop in the same complex as the theater, and he steered them in that direction.
    He waited until they were seated and looking over their menus before he brought up the subject of Bill. “There’s someone at work I’d like you to meet.”
    Jamie didn’t raise her eyes from the menu. “Who?”
    “Bill Hastings. You’ll like him.”
    “Is he tall, dark and handsome?”
    “Yes. No and no.”
    “Sounds like my kind of man,” she joked, setting aside the menu. The waitress filled their mugs with coffee and Jamie stirred in a liberal measure of cream. “From everything I’ve heard, it’s best to avoid the handsome ones.”
    “Oh?” He could guess what was coming. He wasn’t conceited, but Rich knew he was easy on the eyes—a fact that hadn’t gone unnoticed from the time he was in his early teens. Rich had never lacked for female attention, some he’d sought and some he hadn’t.
    “Yes,” she said. “The handsome ones can’t be trusted.”
    “Who says?” Rich demanded, feigning outrage.
    “Everyone,” Jamie returned without a pause. “They’re too impressed with themselves. Or so I hear.”
    Rich chuckled and, motioning for the waitress, ordered a chef’s salad. He felt like having a decent meal for the first time in weeks. He didn’t even complain when Jamie stole his olives, claiming it was the least he could do for hogging the chocolate-covered raisins.

    Tuesday morning, Bill marched into Rich’s office, pulled out a chair and plunked himself down. His face was creased with a heavy frown. “It didn’t work.”
    Rich tried to figure out which project Bill was referring to and came up blank. They were both part of an engineering team working on a Boeing defense contract. Rich had volunteered for this job, knowing it would entail plenty of overtime hours. The challenge was something he needed at this point in his career—and his life.
    “What do you mean?” he asked Bill.
    “She turned me down flat.”
    Bill couldn’t possibly be talking about Jamie. He’d paved the way for him! He’d managed to casually drop his name into the conversation at least three times. Enough to pique her curiosity, but not so often that she’d suspect he was setting them up.
    “She turned you down?” Rich echoed, still unable to believe it. “Obviously you didn’t try all that hard.”
    “If I’d tried any harder, I would’ve been arrested,” Bill muttered.
    “What the hell did you say to her?”
    “Nothing. I called her Saturday afternoon, just like you suggested. I mentioned your name right off and told her we worked together and have for several years. I wanted her to feel comfortable talking to me.” He hesitated as though he was still trying to understand what had gone wrong.
    “Then what happened?” Rich could feel himself losing patience. He’d risked his brother’s wrath by giving up those tickets and he wasn’t about to let Bill off so easily.
    “That’s just it. Nothing happened. We must’ve talked for ten or