Charming for Mother's Day (A Calendar Girls Novella) Read Online Free Page B

didn’t happen to give you the Ford versus Porsche analogy, did I?”
                  And suddenly, he had completely cut me from the herd of other women he’d romanced and dumped. Unless he routinely insulted his girlfriends by comparing them to a Ford Pinto and himself to a Carrera 911.
                  Better to go on the attack than admit how much that one insult stung—even now. “Whatsamatter, Chef? Too good to ride public transportation with the unwashed common folk? Afraid you might catch the poverty virus?” I shivered again, partly for emphasis, but also because the wind kept slicing through my thin jacket.
                  He said nothing, and while, on the outside, I relished my victory, a secret section of my heart broke apart. I had hoped that, after all these years, he and I had both grown enough to make a working relationship possible. His silence condemned that idea and, disappointed but resolved, I started updating my resume in my head.
                  Twin lights appeared on the horizon, and the bus hummed into view. I left the sheltered alcove and, at the last minute, turned to glance once more at Colin over my shoulder. “Goodnight, Chef. See you tomorrow night.”
                  “Hold up.” In two long-legged strides, he stood beside me. “I’m coming.”
                  He was? I stifled my surprise beneath a blanket of sarcasm. “Great. Hope you have exact change. Jack doesn’t carry extra cash at this time of night.”
                  “Trust me. It won’t be a problem.”
                  Trust him. Ha. Never again in this lifetime.
                  The bus squealed to a halt, and the accordion doors unfolded. Burly Jack with his round face, white walrus mustache, and disappearing hairline smiled in welcome. “Good morning, Lucie. How was your night?”
                  Before I could give my usual reply, Colin’s hand slid against my back, and I flinched. His soft snicker cut through my surprise, and I realized he enjoyed my reaction. One deep inhale to stabilize myself and I climbed the steps with Colin too close behind me for comfort.
                  “Morning, Jack.” The greeting came out a little shaky, but I plowed on. “How’s the new grandson?”
                  “Fattening up nicely.”
                  “That’s good.” I reached the top step, my crisp dollar in hand, but Colin stopped me before I could insert the bill in the feeder.
                  “Allow me,” he said.
                  I sidestepped out of the way, and Colin thrust his hand toward the bus driver. “Jack. Hi. I’m Colin Murriere, the new owner of the Gull and Oar.”
    Jack’s moon face clouded with doubt. “And you’re taking the bus?”
    I snorted back a laugh.
    “Not by choice.” He pointed out the bus’s windshield. “That’s my car parked over there, near the bike shop. You see, I offered to give Lucie here a ride home. But she’s holding a ten-year-grudge and won’t even talk to me or allow me to apologize. Seems the only way I can keep trying to win her over is to get on the bus with her and talk to her in public, rather than privately.”
    My blood pressure pounded. Oh, he was devious. And I’d stepped right into his crap.
    Jack swiveled around his steering wheel to stare at me. “Is that true, Lucie? Are you giving your new boss a hard time?”
    I glanced around the bus for reinforcements. Only two other passengers sat in the rows of seats, and I knew them both: Joaquin, a busboy/dishwasher for The Lookout—another five-star restaurant in town, and Nadir, one of the overnight clerks at the local convenience store. Both watched the byplay between us with undisguised interest.
    “It’s a long story, Jack,” I finally confessed.
    Jack shook his head and sighed. “Go on then.” His lips stretched into