Read Online Homecoming by Susan X Meagher - Free Book Online Page A

her fingers. “I like checks. I’d call this robin’s egg blue. It looks great with your eyes.”
    “Thanks. I find myself buying a lot of blue shirts and sweaters. I wonder if I’m vain enough to try to match my eyes?”
    “Probably. I chose this place because I’m in the mood for a real cocktail. How about you?”
    “I can do a cocktail. I usually drink beer, but I’m versatile.”
    “You look it,” Lizzie said, giving her a quick glance.
    They were the first patrons of the quiet cocktail bar. Lots of warm brown leather and dark-stained oak surrounded them. “Always a good sign to be first,” Jill teased. “Shows your dedication.”
    The bartender swept his hand in an “anywhere you like” sign, and Lizzie went all the way to the back. As she put her purse down, she said, “I like to be able to see who’s coming in.”
    A waitress arrived after they’d spent a minute studying the cocktail list, and Jill went with a vodka base, while Lizzie chose bourbon.
    “Ooo, dark spirits,” Jill said when the server departed. “A real drink.”
    “Yeah, I like bourbon and rye. I’m not much for Scotch, though.”
    “You were drinking vodka at Mark’s party. I thought that would be your drink.”
    “Lisa bought vodka, so I made do.” She tried to flip her hair over her shoulder, probably forgetting it wasn’t long enough to do that now. “Hey, did Scott talk to you today?”
    She didn’t look upset, or even concerned, so Jill told the partial truth. “Yeah. He said you’d decided not to see each other any more. Are you cool with that?”
    “Yeah.” She made a face, one Jill couldn’t easily interpret. “I was disappointed, but not surprised.”
    Blinking, Jill said, “I got the impression you were the one who didn’t want to see him any more.”
    Lizzie looked at her sharply. “He said that?”
    Jill thought for a minute. “No, I guess he didn’t. I just assumed…”
    “Why?”
    “Because he seemed disappointed. Or something. It was kinda hard to tell. He didn’t want to talk about it.”
    Now Lizzie let out a laugh, a good one. She let her head fall back a few inches, showing white, even teeth. “I bet he didn’t.” Their drinks were delivered and they toasted, then took a sip. “Mine’s good,” Lizzie said. “Yours?”
    “Also good.” Jill put it down and waited for Lizzie to continue speaking. But she didn’t. She just smiled, coyly.
    “Are you going to tell me why Scott wouldn’t want to talk about it?” She slapped herself on the forehead. “I will never, ever set people up again.”
    Laughing, Lizzie gave her a playful tap on the arm. “Don’t let this scare you off. Scott’s a nice guy. I could easily see most women liking him a lot. Go ahead and set him up if you run into another single woman.”
    “I probably won’t get the chance. He’s the finance department’s version of George Clooney. Lots of women, most of them not lasting long.”
    “Clooney’s married now. You’re going to have to come up with a new guy.”
    “Scott claims he’s ready to settle down too,” Jill said, testing the water. “But maybe not.”
    Lizzie brought her glass to her lips and took a healthy sip. Then she set the glass on the table and said, “Do you want to know what happened? I’m not embarrassed to talk about it.”
    Wincing, Jill said, “I don’t know. Do I?”
    Lizzie laughed at her. Not with her. At her. “Are you always so skittish?”
    “No, not really,” she admitted. “It’s just weird when you have friends who’ve dated. I’m definitely getting out of the matchmaking business. Too stressful.”
    “Just sit there quietly, and I’ll tell you what happened.” She took a breath. “Scott likes to move to the bedroom sooner than I do,” she admitted. “I read a book once that said you should never sleep with anyone you wouldn’t want to be.”
    “Wouldn’t want to be? I don’t get it. Why would you want to be Scott?”
    “No, no,” she said, frowning