Restoration of Love Read Online Free Page B

Tia’s blueberry pancakes. For everything else that Tia was, the girl could throw down in the kitchen.
         “Come on in,” Nikki said, giving in.
         Tia walked slowly through the door. Flour covered the beautiful black dress she had worn the night before. In her arms she carried a breakfast tray fit for a queen. It must have taken her an hour to make all this, Nikki thought as she inhaled the aroma of the breakfast Tia set before her.
         “Nikki,” Tia started, sitting on the bed beside Nikki and taking a slice of bacon off her plate. Suddenly, she felt a little queasy and put it back. “I know that you are mad at me, but please let me explain before you decide to end our friendship.” Nikki looked at Tia with a little smile and said, “Okay, ‘splain’ Lucy.”
         “Nikki, I know that I went a little overboard last night.” Then correcting herself when Nikki looked up from her plate, Tia said, “Okay, I went a lot overboard last night. But, I don’t do that often and certainly not when I’m out alone. I knew you were there and that you would take care of me and I just let myself go. If I embarrassed you, I am so sorry. Believe me, I know that you have already made up your mind about never going out with me again and I understand. But, I promise you it will never happen again. She extended her hand and pleaded, “Still friends?”
         “Girl, you’re lucky you can cook.”

CHAPTER NINE
     
         After Tia left, Nikki felt lazy after her big breakfast and decided that she would do something she hadn’t allowed herself to do in a very long time…spend the day in bed. She decided that today would be a Lifetime movie day. As she reached for the remote, the phone on her nightstand rang. She picked it up reluctantly, “Hello?”
         “Hey, yourself.” It was Carlos. “Is everything all right with your friend?”
         “Yes, and thank you for asking.”
         “I was wondering,” he went on,” If you’re not doing anything later, maybe we could have a late lunch.”
         Nikki frowned at the thought that he would be so presumptuous as to think she was not doing anything. Did she look like the type who would have nothing to do on a Saturday evening?
         “Before you say no,” Carlos said, interrupting her thoughts, “Just let me set the mood. I was thinking a nice, long ride down to Galveston Island. We could eat on the pier and then later walk it off on the beach under the moonlight.”
         Nikki smiled at the thought the two of them taking a romantic walk on the beach. Before she knew it, she was accepting his invitation. They finalized their plans and hung up. Nikki, suddenly remembering that she hadn’t been on a date in ages, jumped out of bed and ran to her closet looking for something to wear. Tia was right. Her clothes were old and matronly. She didn’t want to come off looking slutty to Carlos, but she didn’t want to look like his mother, either. She decided that she had better go shopping. She made up her mind that even if she were to have only one date with Carlos, she was going to get back in the groove of life. She had been hiding in her house long enough. Nikki was going to rejoin the world of the living.

CHAPTER TEN
     
         Nikki chose a white, knee length summer dress that showed off her curvaceous body in all the right places. She had washed her long hair earlier and braided it so that when she took it down, it fell in soft ringlets over her bare shoulders. Just as she was putting on her new rhinestone sandals, the doorbell rang.
         Nikki looked at the small white clock on the bathroom vanity. Carlos was right on time. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves as she took one last look in the mirror. “Okay girl, here goes nothing,” she said out loud as she headed toward the door.
         When Nikki opened the door, she wasn’t prepared for what she saw. Carlos literally took her breath away.