I Still Do Read Online Free Page A

at the bar. That he hadn’t actually brought one back to his now-empty abode was beside the point.
    â€œI’m busy,” he reiterated, then kissed the baby on the top of her head and handed her back. Todd had already lost interest in Uncle-Will-as-tree and was sitting on the floor, accepting a picture book that the librarian was handing him.
    The librarian. Emily.
    â€œI’m very busy,” he told Jamie, sending a sidelong look at his wife and sharpening his voice so his sister would get the hint. He had very busy business with Emily.
    Jamie got the hint, all right. She glanced at Emily and her eyes widened, too. “Oh. Oh. ” Her hand shot out. “Hi. I’m this guy’s sister. Jamie. Jamie Scott. That’s Todd, and the baby is Polly.”
    Emily shook Jamie’s hand. “Nice to meet you. I’m Emily Garner. I’m Will’s…”
    Oh, hell. She wouldn’t—she couldn’t—his family would never let him hear the end of it if they found out what he’d done in Vegas. “She’s my friend,” he blurted out, with another meaningful look, this time shot at the librarian. “My old friend Emily from camp.”
    Jamie’s eyes went even wider. “ Emily from camp? ”
    Too late, Will remembered that he might have—a time or two—told Jamie about her. She was the next oldest after him, and they’d been close as teenagers. Later, he’d taken on a more parental role with her, but still, he’d confided in her on occasion. About Emily.
    â€œThis is perfect,” Jamie gushed, bringing the hairs on the back of Will’s neck to attention. “Say you’ll come tomorrow night! It’s just a little get together. I live only a couple of blocks away.”
    Will hastened to play wet blanket. “Emily just moved here not long ago—”
    â€œAll the more reason for her to meet some people, don’t you think?” She turned away from Will. “What do you say, Emily? You’ve just got to come. You’re going to come, right? Say yes.”
    â€œUm, well, um, okay,” she said, looking a bit flattened by the steamroller that was his sister Jamie. “I suppose I actually wouldn’t mind…”
    â€œThen it’s all set. Tomorrow night. Six o’clock. 632 Orange. Or shall we get Will to pick you up?”
    Emily glanced over at him. “I can find it. And I think Will said he was working.”
    Jamie grinned. “We’ll just see about that.” She linked her arm with Will’s. “C’mon brother. I need your help.”
    He pulled back. “I’m not done here.”
    She yanked harder. “It’s Polly’s car seat. I don’t think it’s strapped in correctly.”
    His eyes narrowed.
    Jamie’s big brown ones were as difficult to refuse as the long-lashed peepers the baby had trained his way. Manipulators, the both of them. “Fine,” he grumbled.
    The dimples in Jamie’s cheeks dug deep. “Thanks. It will just take a minute.”
    It took fifteen. The car seat check was quick, but then he had to manfully pretend to resist her attempts to get him to agree to dinner at her house the next night.
    Of course he was going to be there. There was never any doubt he’d let his wife run amok amongst his relatives, even though he was pretty certain Emily had gotten the hint not to spill those beans.
    And there was still all their unfinished business—though it had to wait until the next day, because when he went back into the library he was told that Emily had left for an off-site meeting that would keep her from her desk past closing time.
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    It was easy for Emily to locate 632 Orange, a pleasant, rambling house with a lush lawn and a porch swing, but finding a nearby parking space proved to be difficult. She had to carry the Bundt cake she’d baked more than a block, which gave her stomach plenty of time