Red Carpet Romance Read Online Free Page A

bumps on it.
She pushed it closer to him, watching his progress. French food with Quinn Roberts, snug in his apartment. Some might
consider this a romantic date. What happens in two months? He loses his kid? He
doesn’t seem to care. I could never love a man who didn’t love his child.
    The corners of her mouth drooped. Love? Get real. He’s a movie star. You’re
nobody. Don’t even think about love. This is a job, nothing more. When she
refocused her eyes on the baby, he was fast asleep. She picked him up and carried
him into his room. After changing his diaper and snapping him into a sleeper,
she laid him down for the night. Susanna toed off her shoes, wiggled her toes,
then padded into the living room.
    “I hope you don’t mind I ordered for
both of us?”
    “Fine. As long as you didn’t order
calves brains.” She grimaced and shuddered.
    He chuckled. “No. Coquilles Saint Jacques , my favorite.
Scallops.”
    “Sounds great.” He’s nice, how could he be so cold? She entered the kitchen to set
the table.
    Quinn was right behind her, placing
her drink on the table with his. He opened the refrigerator. “Wine? Chablis?”
    “Lovely,” she said, tossing him a
shy smile. “Going to wash up.” Susanna retreated to her room and closed the
door. She washed her hands and face, re-applying light make-up and a touch of
lilac scent. Ripping her T-shirt over her head, she donned a fresh one in coral
and a pair of earrings made from tiny seashells. She was quiet as a mouse, with
one ear tuned in to the even breathing of the baby in his crib. When she returned
to the kitchen, she caught the tail end of Quinn’s phone conversation.
    “Right. I’ll have her call you.
Thanks, Mag. I know. Love you, too.” He looked up when she came in. His gaze
lingered on her chest. “Nice,” he murmured.
    “Love who? Oh, no questions, sorry,
I forgot.” She sat down, took a hefty draught, and finished her drink. Jealous, in one day? Calm down, sister.
    Quinn applied the corkscrew to the
wine bottle. “My sister, Maggie. She’s my secretary. I prefer to hire people I
trust.” Quinn pulled the notebook out of his back pocket and tore a piece of
paper out. He wrote something down and handed it to her. “This is her phone
number. She’s expecting your call. Tell her what you need to take care of
Junior. The audio thingy…”
    “You mean baby monitor?”
    “Yeah, yeah. That. Whatever. She’ll
order it and make sure it’s delivered here.”
    “Even a rocking chair?” She lifted
her eyebrows.
    “Even a rocking chair.”
    “Thank you.”
    He nodded. The buzzer rang. The food
had arrived. She poured the wine while Quinn answered the door. Hunger gnawed
at her stomach. Camping out at her sister’s apartment, sleeping on the couch,
and helping with her kids, meals had been slapdash at best. A steady diet of
chicken nuggets, scrambled eggs, and fast-food hamburgers made her queasy. She
survived on as little food as possible to keep her stomach from objecting. She
craved real food, grown-up food, a civilized meal.
    Quinn raised a large bag as he came
through the archway into the kitchen. Susanna’s mouth watered. He unwrapped the
food— Coquilles Saint Jacques , wild
rice, and haricot verts . Napoleons
for dessert. She tucked into her food, chewing slowly, closing her eyes to
savor every bite.
    “You look like you haven’t eaten in
years.” He popped a scallop into his mouth.
    “I haven’t eaten grown-up food in a
long time. Bunking in with Annie and her kids. We ate kid food all the time. If
I never see another chicken nugget…”
    He laughed. “Enjoy yourself. More?”
    She nodded enthusiastically. Quinn
spooned more of the creamy scallop dish onto her plate and poured more wine.
    “Dessert on the terrace?” He asked,
raising his glass.
    “The terrace?” God, he’s turning on the heat, and I’m melting.
    “You didn’t see that before? I guess
not. It’s on the other side of the living room.” He took two