Casual Encounter: The Complete Series Box Set Read Online Free

The skirt was black, the shirt a deep, rich purple that made my eyes look darker than usual. In a detached sort of way, I knew I looked good, but there was a difference between knowing it and knowing it.
    Mindy reached up and teased my curls back into place. “I still can't believe you cut off your hair.”
    I frowned. “I needed a change.”
    She wrapped her arms around me and put her cheek on my shoulder. “I know you did, and that's why it's so important you do this. You deserve to have it all, Bree.”
    I didn't say anything, but I let her hug me. I knew she meant well, but moving on wasn't going to be as easy as my friends seemed to think it should be. It wasn't like some casual encounter was going to mend my broken heart. I wasn't going to find a Prince Charming to erase seven years with love at first sight. I believed in real love, but I just wasn't sure it applied to me anymore.
     

Chapter 4
    I stood in the doorway and scanned the crowd at O'Mallys, searching for my date. Mindy had given me a basic physical description, but I didn't have a picture or anything like that.
    “Bree?”
    I turned my head toward a man sitting at the bar, waving at me. I made my way through the crowd to the empty seat next to the man I assumed was Steven.
    “Steven Danforth.” He held out a hand and I shook it. “You look even more beautiful in person.” He grinned, a dimple creasing one tanned cheek. “Mindy showed me a picture of you so I'd know what you looked like.”
    As I took a seat next to him, I wondered what picture she'd used.
    “So you and Mindy went to Myrtle Beach for spring break last year?”
    I groaned. I knew what picture she'd used and I was going to kill her. Adelle had paid for the three of us to spend a week at a beach house last year. The three of us had been on a private beach half the time, which meant I was fine wearing the skimpy bikini Adelle had bought, insisting I start on my wedding tan. I generally avoided having my picture taken, but it had been vacation, so I'd given in and taken a few. All three of us had framed pictures from that week and Mindy's were of the two of us in our bikinis.
    I nodded. “A friend of ours rented a beach house.” A wave of relief washed over me as the bartender approached. I really needed something to take the edge off. I ordered a Sea Breeze. I was a bit of a lightweight when it came to drinks, so I wanted something I could sip on all night rather than down in one gulp.
    “I'll take another Irish Car Bomb,” Steven said with another easy smile. As the bartender left to get our drinks, Steven angled himself toward me so it was obvious the two of us were here together. “You and Mindy work together?”
    “I teach English.” I tried to cross my legs and discovered that my skirt was too tight to do that. I had to settle for crossing just my ankles.
    “If you'd been my English teacher, I might've actually done my own homework.” His eyes sparkled, telling me he was joking. He leaned forward slightly so that our knees were touching. “Seriously though, how in the world do your students concentrate with someone as gorgeous as you teaching them?”
    I blushed. His compliments might've been on the clichéd side, but they were the first ones I'd gotten in what felt like a long time. Ronald and I had been in one of those long-term couple ruts where compliments were few and far between, so having someone tell me how beautiful he thought I was, no matter how cheesy the line, was nice. Still, the attention made me squirm.
    “What do you do?” I asked, almost blurting out the question to shift things away from me.
    He looked pleased that I asked, but didn't answer until he downed his entire drink in one go. Wow. Definitely not a lightweight. I sipped at my Sea Breeze, taking it slow. My nerves, however, kept me coming back for more as Steven began to talk.
    “I'm an advertising executive at Harman and Foreman.” He paused to speak to the bartender, “Bourbon this time.