Reunion in October (The Calendar Girls Book 2) Read Online Free Page B

my dates for me.”
    Laughing, she pointed a finger at me. “You’re afraid I’ll embarrass you. That I’ll whip out naked baby pictures or tell him about the time you wrote your name on the dining room table in permanent Magic Marker.”
    Well, yeah, but more than that. “I’m afraid he’ll think you’re here for moral support because I’m afraid of him.”
    Understanding lit up her green eyes. “Ah. Handing over the power position to him.” She nodded slowly. “I could see where that might have you a little freaked.”
    “So you’ll leave before he gets here?” I pulled a tailored black denim jacket out of my closet.
    “Nope.” She folded her arms over her chest. “I still wanna see him.”
    “Oh, for God’s sake, it’s Josh. You’ve seen him before.”
    “Yeah, but not with you. I wanna see if you two mesh.”
    Before I could utter any retort, the doorbell rang. Toss me fish and call me Flipper. He was early. I jabbed an index finger in my sister’s direction. “If you say one stupid thing…”
    She held up her hands in surrender. “I’ll be good, I promise. You won’t even know I’m here.”
    I knew better, but didn’t waste time arguing. I strode to the front door, opened it a crack, and slipped outside onto the porch. “Hi.”
    “Wow.” Josh stood there, a beaming smile on his beautiful, scar-free face. “You look phenomenal.”
    “Thanks.” The night air was crisp with a hint of moisture that signaled a morning rain. I cracked the front door open again and reached for my purse slung on the doorknob behind me. Once I had the strap in hand, I pulled the bag free and closed the door again. “Let’s go.”
    “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”
    “Not now. The place is a mess.” Our hasty departure would steam Claudia, but too bad. A borrowed blouse didn’t give her the right to run roughshod over me or Josh.
    He gave me another head to toe visual sweep, then looked past me. “Sorry if I’m staring. You just… you look…” Switching his gaze from some spot behind my shoulder to my actual face, he said, “I’m speechless.”
    “You?” I teased.
    “Yeah, I know.” He wrapped an arm around my waist, and a pleasant shiver ran through me. “It only happens when I’m around an incredibly beautiful woman.”
    I refused to allow him to see how much his compliments affected me. “Aren’t you smooth?”
    He shook his head and led me down the steps to his car in the driveway, a black late-model Mustang. “Not smooth. Honest. If I didn’t think that about you, I wouldn’t say it.”
    “Do you always say what’s on your mind?”
    “Usually, yeah. Don’t you?”
    “No.” I pondered this for a moment, then clarified. “I think it’s the doctor in me. If I told all my patients what I really thought, it could get ugly. ‘Well, Mrs. S., if you stopped smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, you’d lose that cough you claim requires a stronger antibiotic.’ And, ‘Mr. G., your son’s concussion could have been prevented if he’d been wearing a bike helmet like I advised you last time you brought him here.’ I’d probably face disciplinary action on a regular basis.”
    “I can see where that might be a problem.” He opened my car door.
    Nice. When was the last time a guy had opened a car door for me? I honestly couldn’t remember. Probably Michael, early in our relationship, long before he slipped an engagement ring on my finger. After that occasion, he began to take a lot of things for granted—mainly me.
    “Hey.” Josh’s voice broke my hold on the past. “You with me here?”
    “Uh-huh.” I slid into the passenger seat and buckled up.
    After closing my door, he walked around to the driver’s side, buckled his seatbelt, and started the car.  As the engine roared to life, he looked at me again, his smile dazzling. “We’re gonna have a blast tonight, Frannie, I promise you.”
    And he delivered on that promise. I had an amazing time with him. We