Read Online Forgiving Patience by Jennifer Simpkins - Free Book Online Page A

out. Well,
screw you, Jake.”
    With that she closed herself into the
sanctuary of her car. After opening the console, she took out the keys she had
placed there, and started the car. She backed out of her parking spot and left
Jake standing in the gravel lot.
    Three dates? Sex? What is he, some
genie granting her three wishes? Hot damn, I’m the lucky girl who gets to spend
three very long dates and probably some great sex with the wonderful and
talented Jake Lawrence. I don’t think so.

 
    * * * *

 
    “Oh, Anna, it’s about time you got
here.” Em was dragging—hugging her, into the house. Her model-perfect friend,
eyes growing wide, was giddy at the sight of the friend she didn’t get to see
often enough. Anna had never seen her happier, and that was saying a lot
because Em had a contagious smile and was a total optimist. Her long blond hair
looked like silk, the sides swept up in a butterfly clip, complementing her
bronze skin. To top off the look, she had pink manicured nails and a flawless
face. The perky woman quickly had her parked in a stylish leather
chair—situated on a zebra print rug—looking ready to get down to business. Anna
just hoped it was about the wedding, running a marathon, or even ending world
hunger, anything other than who she had seen since crossing the Patience city
limits.
    “What, I don’t get a tour of the new
house?” she asked, trying to bypass the Jake conversation. Em had always been a
big J-Anna fan. More than once, she had tried smoothing over the blowup that
had happened a decade ago, but Anna didn’t want to hear it. She’d moved on with
her life and didn’t want to be reminded of the hurt he’d caused to her already
vulnerable heart. After a few unsuccessful tries, Em gave up on the issue. Anna
was thankful.
    She had a bad feeling about Em’s giddy attitude. “Nice rug.” Bringing up the subject of
the unusual print for a living room might’ve been her only chance to delay the
subject she had been dreading since yesterday. She knew that Em and Tommy had
worked overtime for a year just so they could buy the Cape Cod house. Talking
about it should be her saving grace. It was like talking about a new baby with
a proud mother. She knew Em couldn’t resist the opportunity to brag about her
accomplishments.
    Anna became intrigued by the unusual
prints. Em was daring and bold when it came to décor. She brought everything
together and made it look strangely beautiful. If she ever got to open her
coffee shop, she would love to ask Em to help decorate it. She had always
envisioned it as being bold and colorful. A welcoming place to come and spend
an hour or two writing or just sipping coffee with a friend. One day her dream
would come true.
    “It took me two months to talk Tommy
into allowing it in the house. It’s pretty rocking, isn’t it? Now, stop
stalling, we have some girl talk I’m dying to catch up on. So spill.” Her
gossipy friend meant well, but she worked in a hair salon and thrived on the
ins and outs of everybody else’s business.
    Acting like she had no idea what Em
was talking about, Anna simply asked, “Spill what?”
    “Don’t give me that. You know damn
well what I’m talking about. You lived in this town once. You know how the
gossip mill runs. It might look small and move slow, but when something juicy
happens the phone lines start humming. I’m just mad you’ve made me wait till…”
Em glanced at her watch, frowning at the time, “…almost three o’clock.”
    “And me coming back is juicy?”
    “What you came home to find in your
driveway is juicy. You and Jake dancing at my party is juicy. You coming home
is just way overdue and long expected. I’ve been talking about it for weeks.
So, what took you so long today?”
    “Sorry, I didn’t sleep much last
night.”
    Anna didn’t want to tell her friend
that insomnia was an every night thing—that sleeping until noon was common—and
that she worked better when the sun set for