Read Online In the Arms of a Stranger by Kimberley Reeves - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Kimberley Reeves
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“It’s quite a change, but of course, I agree with Daddy.”
Bri relaxed against her chair. It wasn’t that they didn’t like it; they were simply taken back by the dramatic change in her appearance. After a few minutes, the conversation turned to business and the upcoming project. Once her parents stopped looking at her as if she was a stranger, Bri was able to convince herself she didn’t look so bad after all. It was at that precise moment Jake joined them. He didn’t get the benefit of seeing the entire ensemble, but what he did see was apparently all that was needed to offer his assessment of the new Brianne.
He shook his head with a laugh. “This is a joke right?”
Bri’s head shot up. “What do you mean?”
Jake rubbed his chin. “Come on, Bri, you have to admit…never mind, forget I said anything.”
“No, you started this, Malone. Finish what you were saying.”
Missing the warning glance Phillip shot him, Jake added insult to injury. “I’m just saying that with your hair pulled back and the prim and proper button down blouse, you look more like a Head Librarian than a Public Relations Director.”
Brianne’s face crumbled. Swallowing the enormous lump in her throat and fighting back a barrage of tears, she rose from her chair, excused herself in a strangled whisper then all but ran out of the restaurant. Chad tossed him a heated glare before jumping to his feet and following after her, leaving Jake standing there looking more than a little bewildered. Confused by her hasty departure, he turned to Phillip and Juliette.
“What did I say?”
Chapter 5
Phillip Carrington cleared his throat, st ealing a quick glance at his wife before asking Jake to have a seat. The corner of his mouth twitched with amusement as he waited for Jake to take his place at the table. After a few more attempts to hold it in, Phillip finally gave up the fight and started laughing so hard tears came to his eyes.
Juliette smiled indulgently but offered no explanation as to what Phillip found so hilarious while Jake, solely out of respect for the man, refrained from demanding to know why Brianne was so upset and just why her father thought it was something to laugh about. When his laughter finally subsided, Phillip mopped his damp eyes with a handkerchief before letting Jake in on the cause of his mirth.
“I like you, Jake, but I’m afraid you’ll have to smooth some ruffled feathers with my daughter.”
Jake grimaced. “I take it Bri was trying to impress us with the matronly outfit she had on.”
“Trying to please Chad is more like it,” Juliette said stiffly. “That girl wouldn’t have been caught dead wearing something like that before they got engaged.”
Phillip patted her hand. “Don’t upset yourself, honey, Bri will come to her senses soon.”
Jake couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It didn’t take a genius to figure out they could barely tolerate the man, although they’d done a good job of hiding their obvious disdain until now. He hesitated to jump in and voice his own opinion, but since they didn’t seem to have any reservations about talking openly in front of him, Jake decided it was the best opportunity he was going to get to satisfy his curiosity about Brianne’s fiancé.
“She’s different,” he ventured. “When Brianne gets around Chad, her whole personality changes.”
“That was bothersome enough,” Juliette confided, “but now with the hair and the clothes…” She looked imploringly at her husband. “Oh Phillip, you just have to do something before she marries that horrible man! She won’t even be our Bri at all if she spends much more time with him.”
He shook his head, a solemn expression stealing over his face. “You know how she is. The more we try to push her one way, the harder she’ll push in the other. Brianne has made up her mind to marry Chad and there’s nothing we can
Bri relaxed against her chair. It wasn’t that they didn’t like it; they were simply taken back by the dramatic change in her appearance. After a few minutes, the conversation turned to business and the upcoming project. Once her parents stopped looking at her as if she was a stranger, Bri was able to convince herself she didn’t look so bad after all. It was at that precise moment Jake joined them. He didn’t get the benefit of seeing the entire ensemble, but what he did see was apparently all that was needed to offer his assessment of the new Brianne.
He shook his head with a laugh. “This is a joke right?”
Bri’s head shot up. “What do you mean?”
Jake rubbed his chin. “Come on, Bri, you have to admit…never mind, forget I said anything.”
“No, you started this, Malone. Finish what you were saying.”
Missing the warning glance Phillip shot him, Jake added insult to injury. “I’m just saying that with your hair pulled back and the prim and proper button down blouse, you look more like a Head Librarian than a Public Relations Director.”
Brianne’s face crumbled. Swallowing the enormous lump in her throat and fighting back a barrage of tears, she rose from her chair, excused herself in a strangled whisper then all but ran out of the restaurant. Chad tossed him a heated glare before jumping to his feet and following after her, leaving Jake standing there looking more than a little bewildered. Confused by her hasty departure, he turned to Phillip and Juliette.
“What did I say?”
Chapter 5
Phillip Carrington cleared his throat, st ealing a quick glance at his wife before asking Jake to have a seat. The corner of his mouth twitched with amusement as he waited for Jake to take his place at the table. After a few more attempts to hold it in, Phillip finally gave up the fight and started laughing so hard tears came to his eyes.
Juliette smiled indulgently but offered no explanation as to what Phillip found so hilarious while Jake, solely out of respect for the man, refrained from demanding to know why Brianne was so upset and just why her father thought it was something to laugh about. When his laughter finally subsided, Phillip mopped his damp eyes with a handkerchief before letting Jake in on the cause of his mirth.
“I like you, Jake, but I’m afraid you’ll have to smooth some ruffled feathers with my daughter.”
Jake grimaced. “I take it Bri was trying to impress us with the matronly outfit she had on.”
“Trying to please Chad is more like it,” Juliette said stiffly. “That girl wouldn’t have been caught dead wearing something like that before they got engaged.”
Phillip patted her hand. “Don’t upset yourself, honey, Bri will come to her senses soon.”
Jake couldn’t believe what he was hearing. It didn’t take a genius to figure out they could barely tolerate the man, although they’d done a good job of hiding their obvious disdain until now. He hesitated to jump in and voice his own opinion, but since they didn’t seem to have any reservations about talking openly in front of him, Jake decided it was the best opportunity he was going to get to satisfy his curiosity about Brianne’s fiancé.
“She’s different,” he ventured. “When Brianne gets around Chad, her whole personality changes.”
“That was bothersome enough,” Juliette confided, “but now with the hair and the clothes…” She looked imploringly at her husband. “Oh Phillip, you just have to do something before she marries that horrible man! She won’t even be our Bri at all if she spends much more time with him.”
He shook his head, a solemn expression stealing over his face. “You know how she is. The more we try to push her one way, the harder she’ll push in the other. Brianne has made up her mind to marry Chad and there’s nothing we can
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