The Summer Wedding: Groom Wanted / The Man You'll Marry. Debbie Macomber
Чтение книги онлайн.
Читать онлайн книгу The Summer Wedding: Groom Wanted / The Man You'll Marry - Debbie Macomber страница 21
Название: The Summer Wedding: Groom Wanted / The Man You'll Marry
Автор: Debbie Macomber
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Современные любовные романы
isbn: 9781474032544
isbn:
Jordan wouldn’t, either.
Dinner was a strained affair, although Jordan made several efforts to lighten the mood. As he drove her home, Jill sensed that he wanted to say something more. Whatever it was, he left unsaid.
“Have a safe trip,” she told him when he escorted her to her door. Her heart was pounding, not with excitement, but with trepidation, wondering if he planned to kiss her again.
“I’ll call you when I get back,” he told her. And that was all.
* * *
“I have a special fondness for this place,” Shelly said as she slipped into a chair opposite Jill. They were meeting for lunch at Patrick’s, a restaurant in the mall where Jill’s branch of PayRite was located. Typically, she was ten minutes late. Marriage to Mark, who was habitually prompt, hadn’t improved Shelly’s tardiness. Jill often wondered how they managed to keep their love so strong when they were so different.
Patrick’s had played a minor role in Shelly’s romance with Mark. Jill recalled the Saturday she’d met her there for lunch, and how amused she’d been at Shelly’s crazy story of receiving the infamous wedding dress.
The way Jill felt now—frantic, frightened, confused—was exactly the way Shelly had felt then.
“So tell me everything,” Shelly said breathlessly.
“Jordan stopped by. We had dinner. He left this morning on a business trip,” she explained dispassionately. “There isn’t much to tell.”
Shelly’s hand closed around her water glass, her eyes connecting with Jill’s. “Do you remember when I first met Mark?”
“I’m not likely to forget,” Jill said, smiling despite her present mood.
“Anytime you or my mother or anyone else asked me about Mark, I always said there wasn’t anything to tell. Remember?”
“Yes.” Jill thought of how Shelly’s face would become expressionless, her tone abrupt, whenever anyone mentioned Mark’s name.
“Well, when I told you nothing was happening, I was stretching the truth,” Shelly continued. “There was plenty going on, but nothing I felt I could share. Even with you.” She raised her eyebrows. “You, my friend, have the same look I did then. A lot has taken place between you and Jordan. So much that you’re frightened out of your wits. Trust me, I know.”
“He kissed me again,” Jill admitted.
“It was better than before?”
“Worse!”
Shelly apparently found Jill’s answer humorous. She tried to hide her smile behind the menu, then lowered it to say, “Don’t count on your feelings becoming any less complicated. They won’t.”
“He’s going to be away for a few days. Thank goodness, because it gives me time to think.”
“Oh, Jill,” Shelly said with a sympathetic sigh, “I wish there was something I could say to help you. Why are you fighting this so hard?” She grinned sheepishly. “I fought it, too. Be smart, just accept it. Love isn’t really all that terrifying once you let go of your doubts.”
“Instead of talking about Jordan, why don’t we order lunch?” Jill suggested a little curtly. “I’m starved.”
“Me, too.”
The waitress arrived at their table a moment later, and Jill ordered the split-pea soup and a turkey sandwich.
“Wait a minute,” Shelly interrupted, motioning toward the waitress. She turned to Jill. “You don’t even like split-pea soup. You never order it.” She gave Jill an odd look, then turned back to the waitress. “She’ll have the clam chowder.”
“Shelly!”
The waitress wrote down the order quickly, as though she feared an argument was about to erupt.
“You’re more upset than I realized,” Shelly said when they were alone. “Ordering split-pea soup—I can’t believe it.”
“It’s soup, Shelly, not nuclear waste.” Her friend definitely had a tendency to overreact. It drove Jill crazy, but it was the very thing that made Shelly so endearing.
“I’m going to call Jordan Wilcox myself,” Shelly announced suddenly.
“You’re going to what?
Конец ознакомительного фрагмента.
Текст предоставлен ООО «ЛитРес».
Прочитайте эту книгу целиком, купив полную легальную версию на ЛитРес.
Безопасно оплатить книгу можно банковской картой Visa, MasterCard, Maestro, со счета мобильного телефона, с платежного терминала, в салоне МТС или Связной, через PayPal, WebMoney, Яндекс.Деньги, QIWI Кошелек, бонусными картами или другим удобным Вам способом.