Read Online Breaking the Rules by Melinda Dozier - Free Book Online

there, waved and turned around. Everything would work out fine. She just had a nice day with the Calaways. That was all. She had to eat lunch and he offered. Plus, they were friends with Kelly and Tim. She sighed as she pulled her hat off. His touch that made her knees weak … that was just a friendly gesture. Nothing more.
    Oh, to hell with it! Who was she fooling? She was attracted to him. He was almost perfect. She would have to be a tree not to feel some type of connection to him. She would just have to get some control over her yearnings and pull herself together. Hard to do when he raced through her mind during her errands and all the way home.
    When she reached the door of her apartment, a phone message beeped. He wouldn’t …
    I’m 95 percent happier than I was yesterday. Thanks for today. Your friend, Colin
    A tiny flutter flickered in her chest. He
was
perfect. Sighing, she struggled with the four grocery bags and her key, and thought of how to answer back. When the idea finally came to her, she lounged on her open door and texted back.
    If you want to be happy, be. (Tolstoy) Thanks for lunch.
    Slamming the door behind her, she didn’t miss the irony. Maybe she should listen to her own advice.

Chapter 5
    When Hope walked through the door of Kelly’s house, men’s laughter sounded from the dining room. She knew it was poker night at Kelly’s, which meant Colin was there. She didn’t want to run into him, afraid of her feelings, but her friend wanted to show her the nursery and she couldn’t say no.
    â€œThey won’t bite, Hope. Loosen up.” Kelly threw her purse on the couch as they passed through the living room.
    Hope took a deep breath, knowing that when she turned the corner she would see Colin. A whole week had passed since their lunch on the playground, and if she wasn’t busy, if she had just a moment of rest, she would see his smiling face and hear his laughter in her mind. That’s why she stayed busy all week, not that she had to try. It was the beginning of October already, which meant she had a board meeting to prepare for, a Halloween dance to plan, parent meetings to schedule, and staff meetings to lead. She was up to her eyeballs in work, and she loved it.
    The men’s laughter grew and then it stopped as the women came into view. Tim said something in the background, but her focus lay only on Colin’s face. Their eyes locked and the moment froze in time.
    Kelly moved to Tim and kissed him. “I brought Hope in to show her the new comforter for the crib. Right, Hope?”
    Hope shook her head to clear it and tore her eyes from Colin. “Uh, yeah. I can’t wait to see the completed nursery.” She looked at Colin then back to her friend.
    Kelly smiled to the other two men at the table. “Hi, guys.”
    Colin leaned back in his chair. “Hey, Kelly.” His serious eyes examined her. “Hope.”
    â€œHi, Colin. Good to see you again.” She could barely speak. Why did this man have such an impact on her? She straightened her spine and decided to pretend she wasn’t affected by his stares. “Whatcha playing?” Oh geez, what a question. Yeah, way to pull herself together.
    Colin sat up and smirked. “Uh, poker.” He eyed the man next to him. “This is my brother Scott. Scott, meet Hope.”
    Scott held out his hand and gave the same Calaway smile. “So, you’re Hope? Nice to meet you.”
    What did that mean? Did Colin mention her before? Great. Now, his brother would think she was a dork, too.
Save yourself, Hope. Say something to get yourself out of this hole.
“Nice to meet you, too. I’d have guessed you were brothers. You both have those charming good looks that would knock a grandma off her motorized scooter.” She closed her eyes.
    This was why she normally planned what she said. Before any big speech, she spent hours going over her note cards, memorizing