Finally (Mature Men, #3) Read Online Free Page B

no longer...he agreed that you were pretty—"
    "But what, Sher?"
    I shrugged. "But he said he'd need some convincing to ask you out."
    She frowned. "How am I supposed to do that unless we go out?"
    I moistened my lips and made myself meet her gaze. "He asked me to go out with him and talk you up."
    "When?"
    "Tonight."
    "Are you going?"
    I nodded.
    "Wait a minute. What am I missing, Sher? You set out to help me catch his attention and end up with a date with him while I get a silent nod? How does that work for my benefit?"
    "I'm going to spend the night telling him what a great person you are." Even to my own ears, my reason for agreeing to see him that night sounded suspect.
    She stared at me.
    I stared back for a few seconds before looking away. "He's not exactly easy to talk to."
    "Why not?"
    I could hardly admit I'd found talking to him about her difficult because he kept flirting with me. I shrugged, shaking my head. "He just isn't."
    "What's his name?"
    "Shane."
    "Shane what?"
    I frowned. I'd been too busy flirting with him to ask. "He didn't say."
    "I like the sound of his name as much as I like him," she said.
    Lord didn't I know the feeling?
    "Do you think you can get him to ask me out?"
    "I'll do my best."
    She suddenly smiled and nodded. "Of course you will. You always do."
    "But this is the last time I'm doing this," I reminded her.
    She nodded. "That's okay because I think he's the one."
    I stared at her. "You do?"
    "Yes. I do."
    "I wouldn't get my hopes up too much," I warned.
    "Why not?"
    "Because he looks like the type who likes blondes."
    "Maybe I'll change his mind," she said. "Thanks for paving the way for me."
    Even as she squeezed my hand, I felt like a fraud and a traitor because I couldn't deny that I wanted him for myself and I had a feeling that nothing I could say would rev up his interest in her.
    * * *
    S hane Reddorn
    My grandfather taught my brothers and I that good things can happen when you least expect them but need them most. That's what happened when Sherlyn walked up and introduced herself to me. I was at a point in my life where I was bored, lonely, and starting to wonder if I'd ever meet a woman I could love for more than a year or two. At the same time, I was wary of getting involved with any woman whose interest extended beyond a very casual relationship.
    My almost immediate interest in Sherlyn surprised me because she didn't appear to be the kind of woman who engaged in casual affairs. Admittedly, her plus-size body and average looks wouldn't turn many male heads. In fact, despite her lovely dusky skin tone and beautiful eyes and lush lips, most men I knew would call her plain. And maybe she was, but after two failed marriages to beautiful women I'd quickly grown tired of, a lack of physical beauty was no longer a deal breaker for me.
    Granddad had always tried to instill in my brothers and me the fact that a mature man shouldn't judge a prospective mate on physical beauty alone. Growing up we had all privately thought he was nuts. We'd all married for beauty and all ended up divorced. Both my marriages had been short-lived and ended badly.
    After each divorce, I'd been thankful no kids were involved. However, watching my older brother John with his son and daughter, I knew I was missing a wonderful experience. At forty, I didn't have much time to waste if I was going to be a father. But my desire for fatherhood warred with my determination not to marry again in the near future.
    Still, seeing John fall for the very plain but sweet woman he was now eagerly looking forward to marrying, I'd finally decided that just maybe it was time to consider Granddad's wisdom. After all, he'd been married to and adoring our very average looking grandmother for roughly seventy years.
    I thought of Sherlyn. She had sparked my interest the moment our gazes met when she looked across the lobby at me that morning. I wasn't sure if I would have done anything to seek her out, but I'd certainly been pleased