Read Online Evil In Carnations by Kate Collins - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Kate Collins
Ads: Link
frilly lace apron and my freckles. His ideal woman, it seemed, was a nude freckled chef. I barely made it through all nine minutes without calling for a wine refill.
I also met a forty-year-old bank teller named Kipp who lived with his mother, had never been married, and said Mom would approve of my wholesome looks. He suggested a perfect date would be at home, with his mother cooking dinner, after which the three of us could play Scrabble. Next to Kipp’s name I wrote: Missing a game piece.
The last three guys were pleasant, well mannered, but not right for Nikki. My bets were on Aidan. I couldn’t wait to compare notes with Nikki.
“I found the perfect guy for you,” I said to Nikki when we met in the ladies’ room to freshen up before the mixer.
“I did, too! I’ll bet it’s the same guy, but you go first.”
“Okay. It’s Aidan.”
“Aidan?” She gazed at me as though I’d just stepped off a bus from Jupiter. “He was okay.”
“Come on, Nikki, he was way better than okay. He was a nine and a half out of ten. Did he tell you what happened to him on the way here?”
She pulled out her lip gloss and leaned toward the mirror over the sink to apply it. “No.”
“Did he explain why he was sneezing?”
“No.”
“Then what did you talk about?”
“He mostly asked me questions. He was very interested in my job at the hospital.”
“Probably because he’s in the medical profession, too, not to mention that he liked you! Nikki, you need to talk to him during the mixer. Aidan is perfect for you.”
“But I found one even better, Ab. Actually, I’m surprised you didn’t choose him for me.”
“Who?”
“Jonas.”
“Jonas! With the French cuffs and the Ferrari?”
“Wasn’t he to die for? I mean, could he have been more drop-dead gorgeous, not to mention rich and successful and looking for a wife?”
“He made sure to point all that out to you, didn’t he?”
“Look what he gave me.” She showed me the white carnation she’d tucked in her bag.
“Big deal. He gave one to all his dates.”
Nikki scowled at me in the mirror as she dropped her lip gloss in her clutch bag. “I thought he was cool. In fact, I rated him an eleven out of ten.”
“Come on, Nikki. Jonas was so full of himself, I’m surprised he had room inside for a drink. He treated my nine minutes like kindergarten show-and-tell, flashing his Rolex and his Brioni suit. Trust me, Nik, this is not the guy for you. Avoid him like the plague.”
“I liked him,” she said firmly.
“Think about it, Nikki. This guy has it all—looks, a fancy car, his own business—yet he needs a speed-dating event to meet women.”
“What are you implying? That only losers come to speed-dating events?”
“No! It just seems like Jonas should have women falling all over him.”
“Maybe they do fall all over him,” she said as we left the ladies’ room, “but maybe he hasn’t found the right one yet. Personally, I thought he was gentlemanly, good-natured, and most important, very interested in me. In fact, he said I was like a breath of fresh air—”
“—on a spring morning. Don’t flatter yourself. He said that to me, too.”
“There he is,” she whispered excitedly.
“Look, there’s Aidan at the end of the bar,” I said, steering her in the opposite direction. “You really need to give him a chance.”
Nikki resisted, pushing me off to one side to say quietly, “I know why you don’t want me to go out with Jonas, and it’s not because you don’t think he’s right for me. It’s because you don’t think he’s right for you!”
“That makes no sense, Nikki. I’ve got a guy, remember?”
“It makes perfect sense. Answer this for me. Who does Jonas remind you of, and I don’t mean Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt.”
“Leo DiCaprio?”
Nikki scowled at me. “No.”
I glanced over my shoulder at the man in question. Perfectly groomed hair, smoothly shaved face, immaculately dressed down to the
I also met a forty-year-old bank teller named Kipp who lived with his mother, had never been married, and said Mom would approve of my wholesome looks. He suggested a perfect date would be at home, with his mother cooking dinner, after which the three of us could play Scrabble. Next to Kipp’s name I wrote: Missing a game piece.
The last three guys were pleasant, well mannered, but not right for Nikki. My bets were on Aidan. I couldn’t wait to compare notes with Nikki.
“I found the perfect guy for you,” I said to Nikki when we met in the ladies’ room to freshen up before the mixer.
“I did, too! I’ll bet it’s the same guy, but you go first.”
“Okay. It’s Aidan.”
“Aidan?” She gazed at me as though I’d just stepped off a bus from Jupiter. “He was okay.”
“Come on, Nikki, he was way better than okay. He was a nine and a half out of ten. Did he tell you what happened to him on the way here?”
She pulled out her lip gloss and leaned toward the mirror over the sink to apply it. “No.”
“Did he explain why he was sneezing?”
“No.”
“Then what did you talk about?”
“He mostly asked me questions. He was very interested in my job at the hospital.”
“Probably because he’s in the medical profession, too, not to mention that he liked you! Nikki, you need to talk to him during the mixer. Aidan is perfect for you.”
“But I found one even better, Ab. Actually, I’m surprised you didn’t choose him for me.”
“Who?”
“Jonas.”
“Jonas! With the French cuffs and the Ferrari?”
“Wasn’t he to die for? I mean, could he have been more drop-dead gorgeous, not to mention rich and successful and looking for a wife?”
“He made sure to point all that out to you, didn’t he?”
“Look what he gave me.” She showed me the white carnation she’d tucked in her bag.
“Big deal. He gave one to all his dates.”
Nikki scowled at me in the mirror as she dropped her lip gloss in her clutch bag. “I thought he was cool. In fact, I rated him an eleven out of ten.”
“Come on, Nikki. Jonas was so full of himself, I’m surprised he had room inside for a drink. He treated my nine minutes like kindergarten show-and-tell, flashing his Rolex and his Brioni suit. Trust me, Nik, this is not the guy for you. Avoid him like the plague.”
“I liked him,” she said firmly.
“Think about it, Nikki. This guy has it all—looks, a fancy car, his own business—yet he needs a speed-dating event to meet women.”
“What are you implying? That only losers come to speed-dating events?”
“No! It just seems like Jonas should have women falling all over him.”
“Maybe they do fall all over him,” she said as we left the ladies’ room, “but maybe he hasn’t found the right one yet. Personally, I thought he was gentlemanly, good-natured, and most important, very interested in me. In fact, he said I was like a breath of fresh air—”
“—on a spring morning. Don’t flatter yourself. He said that to me, too.”
“There he is,” she whispered excitedly.
“Look, there’s Aidan at the end of the bar,” I said, steering her in the opposite direction. “You really need to give him a chance.”
Nikki resisted, pushing me off to one side to say quietly, “I know why you don’t want me to go out with Jonas, and it’s not because you don’t think he’s right for me. It’s because you don’t think he’s right for you!”
“That makes no sense, Nikki. I’ve got a guy, remember?”
“It makes perfect sense. Answer this for me. Who does Jonas remind you of, and I don’t mean Johnny Depp or Brad Pitt.”
“Leo DiCaprio?”
Nikki scowled at me. “No.”
I glanced over my shoulder at the man in question. Perfectly groomed hair, smoothly shaved face, immaculately dressed down to the
Similar Books
