Fated Love Read Online Free Page B

shouldered her backpack, straddled her bike, and headed off into the gathering night. The last thing she needed at this point was an involvement with anyone, especially her boss, and her very obviously
unavailable
boss at that.

    * * * * *
    "Jeez, could you have been any more rude?" Linda turned her six-year-old Volvo wagon onto Wissahickon Avenue and headed north out of Germantown into Mount Airy. The neighborhood along the way was comprised mostly of large three- and four-story stone homes, many of which dated back over a century. More than a few had been subdivided into apartments over the years, but a fair number of affordable single-family dwellings still remained. The northwestern section of the city had gradually become populated by an eclectic assortment of young professionals, artists, blue-collar workers, and a large percentage of the city's lesbian population.
    "What do you mean, rude?" Blushing, Honor realized that she sounded defensive and tried to subdue her tone. "Just because I wasn't falling all over her like some people I know?"
    "I most certainly was not falling all over her." Linda harrumphed. "I was simply being polite. And
welcoming.''
    "Oh, sure. If that bicycle had been a motorcycle, I think you would've climbed on behind her and ridden off into the sunset."
    Linda looked pensive. "I don't think I could have tonight. Robin and the kids should be getting home from soccer practice right about now, and it's my turn to cook dinner."
    Honor laughed. "Honestly, why are you so interested in her?"
    "Aren't you?" Linda pulled to the curb and parked. "You have to admit that she's really good looking, she seems pretty smart, and she's nice. And there's no good reason that I can think of that she ought to be working in our emergency room. So I'm curious."
    "My point exactly. There is no reason for her to be here. No
good
reason." Honor grabbed her briefcase and opened the car door. "So I'm reserving judgment."
    Linda made an exasperated sound as she climbed out, too. "About what? The good-looking part?" .
    "All right, I'll give you that much." Honor had to admit even to herself that no one would argue
that
point. Quinn Maguire was disturbingly good looking in an intense, Black Irish way. "As to how smart she is or exactly how well she's going to work out in this position, we'll see."
    "Okay, fine." Linda could tell when she 'd run into a stone wall. It was the kind of immovable object that could only be altered by chipping away one tiny flake at a time. "You want to round up your clan and come over for dinner?"
    "Did you say you were cooking?" Honor asked dubiously.
    "Ha ha. You bring the wine."
    "All right." Honor realized that an evening with friends sounded , like just what she needed to keep her mind off the disquieting arrival of Quinn Maguire into her carefully ordered world.

    Chapter Three
    Q uinn pushed her bike down the alley next to the three-story building and secured it to the drainpipe with her lock. Her apartment comprised one-half of the second floor and had both a front and back entrance. A wooden staircase with deck landings at each level extended from the rear of the house, and she climbed to the second floor, fit her key into the back door, and let herself into her new home. The door opened onto the kitchen, a long narrow room now nearly filled with boxes. Threading her way around the obstacles, she proceeded into the hallway that ran the length of the apartment. A bedroom and bath opened off one side, a small second bedroom that she intended to use as an office adjoined the kitchen on the other, and a large rectangular living room occupied the entire space at the front.
    Every room was filled with unopened boxes, scattered pieces of furniture, and a few suitcases. The movers had finished unloading everything late the previous evening, and Quinn had had no energy to open anything other than the trunk containing her sleeping bag, critical items of clothing, and bathroom gear. Her sleeping bag was