Read Online Lost Without You: Book 2 in the Chasing Olivia Series by Jillian Anselmi - Free Book Online Page A

Miranda. We’ve been here a few hours, and she may or may not have had too much to drink.”
    “Miranda is Justin’s latest conquest,” Chase says to me, then turns to Justin. “You sure know how to pick ’em,” he mutters with a chuckle.
    “Hey, we can’t all be as lucky as you.” He gives Chase a playful shove and Chase tightens his grip around me.
    “Why don’t we go get a drink? And I would love to see a menu,” I say in an attempt to lighten the mood while desperately sipping at the empty drink in my hand.
    “Great idea! Let me see if I can wake sleeping beauty over there. She should definitely eat.” Justin walks off to wake up Miranda and Chase leads me toward the bar.
    “Justin can be—”
    “Obnoxious?” I say, finishing his sentence. He laughs hard as he orders us both some tropical concoction.
    “Yeah, that and then some. He’s harmless, though.”
    “If you say so,” I reply, looking over at Justin. Chase hands me my fruit laden cocktail as Justin and a non-sleeping Miranda make their way toward us.
    “Chase, Olivia, this is Miranda,” Justin announces.
    “Hi,” she says, still looking a little groggy.
    “Hungry?” Justin asks her. She gives an enthusiastic nod.
    Making our way over to the restaurant side, we’re sat quickly. “Very quiet here,” I murmur, observing the nearly-empty restaurant.
    “This is a very exclusive resort,” Chase answers as he pulls my chair out for me.
    “Yeah, and very expensive. Normal people couldn’t afford this place,” Justin interjects.
    We’re sitting around a large round table, yet Chase sits close, almost on top of me. Stealthy waiters come by with menus. Someone should put a box of Tic-tac’s in their pocket.
    The waiters reappear and wait for us to finish perusing the menu. Justin motions for Miranda to order.
    “I’ll have the snapper, please.” The waiter nods, then looks at me.
    “I’ll have the swordfish, please.”
    Justin orders the beef tenderloin, and Chase goes for the osso bucco. He also orders an appetizer of mozzarella and tomatoes.
    “Do you want a glass of wine?” Chase whispers in my ear. I shake my head.
    “No, this tropical thing is fine.” Chase chuckles at my remark and looks back at the patient waiter. “That will be all, thank you.” The waiters head toward the back of the restaurant.
    “Tropical thing?”
    “It’s all different colors with every fruit possible sticking out of it, but no one told me what it was called. So, yes, tropical thing.” Looking amused, he closes his eyes and shakes his head.
     
    We finish the appetizer and patiently wait for the entrees. Miranda is talking up a storm, seeming to have sobered up. Trying to be polite, I ask her how she met Justin.
    They met at some fancy nightclub in Manhattan a couple weeks ago and apparently hit it off right away. She describes, in detail, how they met—details I don’t really want, or need to know. She was giddy, her hands moving wildly while she spoke.
    Justin sits next to her smiling, proud of her storytelling. Chase told me he was the playboy of the group, so I can’t help but wonder if this is a temporary fling, but the look on Justin’s face is the same look Chase had when we first met.
    “So, Miranda, what kind of work do you do?”
    “Oh, I’m a model. I’ve done some Calvin Klein stuff, but I was recently approached by Victoria’s Secret.”
    “Wow, that’s great,” I say, shocked. That was not the answer I was expecting. But why am I surprised? She’s gorgeous and has the perfect model body. No wonder Justin looks smitten.
    “Yeah, she’s going to be an angel,” Justin says, almost as a taunt to Chase, but not quite.
    As the last syllable leaves Justin’s lips, our entrees are placed in front of us. All of our dishes look fantastic. Stopping all conversation to eat, I enjoy a comfortable silence. Her stories were starting to make me dizzy.
    Once we finish with dinner, conversation starts up again.
    “You ready for