Afraid to Love Read Online Free Page B

Sasha,” I said and rolled my eyes.
    “Sorry, if I offended you,” Mark said, “I just wanted to make sure you got your phone back.”
    “No, thank you,” I sighed, “I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble.”
    “It's not a problem,” he smiled.
    “I was just on my way to the coffee shop,” I lied, “would you like to join me?”
    “Sure,” Mark grinned.
    His blue eyes lit up as he sprinted around the car and slid into the passenger's seat. He was grinning like a fool. I had to fight the urge to shake my head and tell him he hadn't won that many brownie points.
    On the drive downtown, I told Mark that I had left work early because I had a disagreement with a coworker. It wasn't a lie, but I wasn't about to tell him what that wretched woman said. He wouldn't understand it anyway.
    “I'm a writer and my curiosity always gets me into trouble, but I'm going to ask you anyway,” he chuckled. “What was it about?”
    “Nothing you'd understand,” I said as I pulled into the parking garage.
    “Try me,” he said and arched a blond brow.
    “Fine,” I sighed as I found a parking spot.
    I told him what the other nurse had said and he listened quietly.
    “Maybe they're not talking about you at all,” he said.
    I nearly missed a step, because it wasn't what I had expected him to say.
    “Maybe they're talking about personal issues with people they know well,” he shrugged, “or they're talking about a cute doctor. Women who work at hospitals love to gossip, I would know. My mother and her friends from the hospital were always clucking about one thing or another.”
    “Believe me,” I assured him, “I know they were talking about me.”
    “You're a pretty woman,” he nodded, “and I'm sure you're a great person, but one should never assume they're the center of everyone's universe.”
    “That's sort of a rude thing to say,” I said stopping in my tracks.
    “Maybe, but it's true,” Mark said with a grin, “and if they are talking about you, how do you know it's bad? Maybe they're jealous of you for being prettier or something.”
    “Where do you come up with these ideas?” I asked him, shaking my head.
    “I'm a writer,” he said, “it's my job to think of every scene from every possible angle.”
    “This isn't a book,” I sighed, “This is real life.”
    “Maybe, but I like my books to be as real as possible. It's how to get real people to read them,” he retorted with a laugh.
    “You sure do have a comeback for everything,” I laughed.
    It annoyed me that he waved away my concerns, but his bluntness entertained me.
    “A writer is always armed with words,” he said as he winked at me.
    Mark held the door open for me and I couldn't bite back my snide remark.
    “Aren't you the gentleman?” I laughed.
    “My mother would haunt me until my dying days and beyond if I was anything else,” he laughed.
    I ordered a cherry cola and Mark ordered some fancy coffee. He offered to cover the tab, but I declined. He had already gone out of his way to return my phone, so I owed him something, but a coffee was all I was willing to give.
    Being in the coffee shop reminded me that I needed to talk to the manager. Today Justin wasn't working so it was the perfect opportunity. I asked the cashier for the manager and the young girl quickly obliged.
    “Hello,” a middle age white man said as he appeared from behind the counter.
    “Hi, I wanted to speak with you about one of your cashiers. The young man working on Monday afternoon. I believe his name was Justin,” I said.
    “Justin has problems,” the manager chuckled, “his girlfriend dumped him about a week ago and every time he's on the clock she shows up with a gaggle of her friends. They don't cause any trouble so I can't tell them to leave, but it does put Justin in a mood.”
    “He was rude to me,” I said and crossed my arms. “Everyone had issues and his teenage drama didn't excuse his behavior.”
    “I'll talk to him about it, thanks for