Meant to Be Read Online Free

minutes.” Pissed, Joe slammed the kitchen door harder than he should have, which meant Patty would have his ass for one more thing when she got him alone.
    Lucas’s fiancée was worse than Joe expected. He’d take a bimbo over a liar any day.

    If it hadn’t been for Joe’s cold welcome, Beth would have felt immediately at home in the Dempsey house. The open floor plan, with the dining room and living room occupying the same space, reflected both the Dempsey parents. Sturdybuilt-in bookshelves lined the back wall, standing tall like the patriarch of the family, Tom. But the decor was all Patty: warm and inviting, full of color, and oozing charm.
    When they sat down for dinner, Beth occupied the chair next to Lucas, which put her directly across from Joe. When her fiancé’s brother wasn’t pretending she didn’t exist, he was staring at her as if trying to brand a scarlet letter across her forehead.
    “Lucas says you work at the law firm, Elizabeth,” Patty said. “What kind of cases do you handle?”
    “I don’t—” Beth started, but Lucas cut her off.
    “Elizabeth works in research and is terrific at her job.” He threw an arm around her shoulders, pulling her toward him. “But I’m working on convincing her to step out and start working directly with clients.”
    “What does doing research involve?” Tom asked. “Is that where you do all the work and the other lawyers take credit for it in court?”
    Lucas had described his dad as a big guy, an apt description if by
big
he meant roughly the size of a city bus. Tom towered over Beth by at least a foot, which put him around six foot five. His eyes were a lighter shade of blue than Joe’s, but the strong jaw and thick, wavy hair were the same. She had no problem seeing why Lucas’s mom had fallen for the sweet-natured giant. He winked and Beth assumed that meant he was joking, but she answered anyway.
    “I don’t mind not getting the credit. It’s all for the good of the firm.”
    “That explains it,” Joe said, contributing to the conversation for the first time since they’d sat down. “This is thatopposites attract thing.” He kept his eyes on his plate as if talking to his knife and fork.
    “Funny, Joe,” Lucas said, but no one was laughing. “Elizabeth and I have a lot in common.”
    Joe leaned back and finished chewing the bite he’d taken before speaking again. Beth felt a cloud of tension stretch thinly over the gathering. “Like what?”
    No one had ever asked that before. At least not to Beth’s knowledge. Lucas looked at her, his mouth moving but nothing coming out. She longed to help him but nothing came to her mind either.
    How could that be? Of course they had things in common.
    “The law,” Lucas answered finally. “And the law firm. And Elizabeth likes the same music I do.” She didn’t really, but never wanted to hurt his feelings and admit the fact. “And we both prefer white wine.”
    Beth preferred red. Another little fact she’d never admitted. Lucas always ordered her drinks on the rare occasions they went out. His hours didn’t provide much opportunity for date nights.
    But to be fair, Lucas had never asked her preference on either topic. He’d just assumed. And she let him. Because that’s what she did. Letting him believe these things seemed like a harmless way to make him happy.
    “There’s our love of the city,” he added. That one was up in the air. She didn’t want to return to her hole-in-the-wall small town, but Richmond was busy, loud, and anonymous. She didn’t have many friends there outside of Lucas and a few other coworkers. Though they were more acquaintances. She’d neverbeen good at making girlfriends, and always felt like the one on the fringe who couldn’t quite make it in the circle.
    “And best of all, we want the same things.” Lucas flashed Beth the charming smile that always made her feel so special. Of course they wanted the same things. Lucas wanted to be a successful