Touch of Love Read Free Page B

Well, my ride’s here.’ He smiled at her, and his voice was warm when he added, ‘I guess it’s goodbye then. Thanks again for letting me use your phone.’ He was already leaving when he turned back hesitantly. ‘Say, if you’d like, we could have breakfast together? Just as a thank-you for your help. I just need to grab some clean clothes, and then I’m good to go.’
    She was tempted to say yes —more than she thought she should be. But for that reason exactly, she needed to say no.
    ‘I can’t .’ She shook her head, disappointed to see him nod. Well, that was easy, after all. He probably didn’t even mean it. Probably just being polite.
    ‘Well, I’ll see you around,’ she finished lamely, aware of his friend’s eyes burning holes in her back. ‘Good luck with everything.’ That was a safe way to end things, she hoped.
    ‘Same to you .’ He hesitated for a split second before reaching out and touching her hot cheek. ‘And just for the record, I think that your fiancé is an ass.’
    He walked to the waiting car, leaving her to stand frozen, her lips stretched into a noncommittal smile. She realized she was still smiling even after the car had left, her face muscles screaming in protest at her negligence. For one insane second, she wanted to run after him, shouting that she’d changed her mind and wanted to have breakfast with him after all. She didn’t, not because it would be totally humiliating if he didn’t hear her, but because he might hear her and actually stop. And she couldn’t afford that.

TWO
    ‘You mean you had a totally hot guy ask you out and you said no? With Brad being such a jerk and all?’ Indignant and puffing with fury, all five-foot-one of Jess Travis shook with disbelief.
    Serve s me right, Elly thought self-deprecatingly. Next time, I’ll keep my mouth shut. Her best friend’s warrior-like attitude wherever men were concerned should have tipped her off to keep the facts to herself.
    ‘He didn’t really ask me out,’ she grumbled evasively, aware of the tinge of regret coloring her voice. ‘ Just a thank-you gesture, that’s all.’
    ‘Yeah, and my name is Scarlett Johansson, sweetie.’ Blue eyes watched her with hawkish intensity, and Jess’s red curls bounced up and down like tiny springs. ‘Just for your future info, guys don’t ask you out because they feel grateful. They have their moms, sisters, and aunts for that. If they ask you out, it means they like what they see and probably hope to get into your pants.’
    Elly had to make her shut up. A few of the other guests were already looking in their direction, their discreet glances making her skin crawl with embarrassment.
    ‘Let’s drop it, all right?’ She attempted to change the subject, hoping Jess would play along. ‘What’s done is done. No need to analyze it. I said no, and that’s it. Brad might have behaved like an idiot, but he is my fiancé. We talked it out, and he apologized.’ He’d even bought her flowers.
    Jess’s attention was momentarily diverted by the choice of cakes and ice cream for dessert. Having lunch together had been their weekly tradition ever since they’d both started working downtown. This time, they’d picked a little Italian trattoria. Its delicious scents wafting down the street had made it an easy choice.
    Brad had surprised her with the roses after their fight. He had given her flowers exactly four times in the two years they’d been together. She remembered each occasion. She liked to think that his reluctance to make what he called empty gestures meant he cared even more. Not that she would confess her reasoning for his sparse generosity to Jess, of course. She would call Elly a delusional dummy.
    ‘ Oh my God, let me guess,’ Jess exclaimed, her lovely face scrunched into an expression of exaggerated sweetness. ‘Brad admitted he was wrong and then swept you off your feet with… oh, I don’t know, being nice for a change.’
    Maybe this lunch wasn’t