Read Online Love at First Date by Susan Hatler - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Susan Hatler
Ads: Link
stunning pair of red stilettos I’d tried on last week but passed on in favor of the more practical black boots. “You went back for these? What for?”
She pulled them out of the box and displayed them in the air as we both stared at them in awe. “After Chester made his little chew toy mistake, you wouldn’t let me buy you new boots so I decided to get you the pair you really wanted.”
I slid my fingers over the smooth, sexy heels. “They’re as gorgeous as I remember. Thanks.” I gave her a quick hug. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“It’s the least I could do after you introduced my sweet baby to Simply Skilled.” She put the heels back in the box and leaned against her desk, wearing an excited expression. “Since yesterday was the last class, Abby Wilson let us choose a special skill for our babies to master and guess what? My smart boy can now do his business in a litter box!”
So much for breaking him of his destructive chew habit. “You trained your dog to use a litter box? Like a cat?”
“Yes.” She nodded, enthusiastically. “In just one class, too. My baby is super smart.”
Yeah, except when he’s Hoovering globs of hair from my brush.
She let out a contented sigh and fell back in her chair. “Now, I don’t have to go home at lunch to give him a potty break anymore. Isn’t that cool?”
“As long as the other dogs don’t make fun of him for it.” At the joke, I immediately thought of Kenzie. “I’m glad you liked the Simply Skilled class.”
Rach slid into her chair, spinning it to face me. “Loved it. Emily Post couldn’t find a flaw with Abby Wilson’s training.”
“True,” I said, though she wasn’t the person from class I’d been thinking about. “So, did you meet Henry? Did he say anything about me?”
It felt like junior high but, when you’re desperate, why mince words?
“Yes.” Her forehead wrinkled as if she were rethinking the conversation. “He did ask about you, actually.”
Each second that ticked by felt like torture. “And . . . ?”
“Well, at first we introduced ourselves, he wondered where you were, yada yada.” She waved her hand in the air as if to skip to the point. “Then, get this, he asked if I thought your dates with Craig were going anywhere.”
My heart started pounding. That had to be a good sign. “Really?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t worry. I gave him a piece of my mind.”
Oh, no. “W-what do you mean?”
She crossed her arms. “I told him plain and simple that if he liked you—and it kind of seemed like he did with the way he hung on every word I said—then he should’ve asked you out himself. Not go digging for information from your friend.” She peeked up at me with a smug smile. “Then, he asked for your number.”
The pounding in my chest upgraded to galloping. “He did?”
“Don’t worry, I told him he was too late because you were out with that Detailed Dating guy again and how compatible you both were. Then, I may have gone off about why men pretend to be one way and then act another way . . . like Dillon pretending he was interested in me one minute and that I was just a hook-up the next. It’s weak, you know?”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It sounded as if Henry liked me, but Rach had told him off. “What did he say then? And why oh why didn’t you give him my number?”
She gave me a confused look. “Um, because Craig seems way more compatible? Do I need to remind you of the Dillon fiasco?”
Her desk phone rang, but she let it go to voicemail so I went on, “Rach, I had it all wrong. You did the right thing with Dillon. You liked him and you went for it.”
She leaned forward in her chair, then threw her hands up in a cheer. “And look how great that turned out.”
“Here’s the thing.” I moved closer and lowered my voice so nobody else could hear because adjacent cubicles tended to have big ears and at this point the lunch hour was way over. “Fifty percent of
She pulled them out of the box and displayed them in the air as we both stared at them in awe. “After Chester made his little chew toy mistake, you wouldn’t let me buy you new boots so I decided to get you the pair you really wanted.”
I slid my fingers over the smooth, sexy heels. “They’re as gorgeous as I remember. Thanks.” I gave her a quick hug. “You didn’t have to do that.”
“It’s the least I could do after you introduced my sweet baby to Simply Skilled.” She put the heels back in the box and leaned against her desk, wearing an excited expression. “Since yesterday was the last class, Abby Wilson let us choose a special skill for our babies to master and guess what? My smart boy can now do his business in a litter box!”
So much for breaking him of his destructive chew habit. “You trained your dog to use a litter box? Like a cat?”
“Yes.” She nodded, enthusiastically. “In just one class, too. My baby is super smart.”
Yeah, except when he’s Hoovering globs of hair from my brush.
She let out a contented sigh and fell back in her chair. “Now, I don’t have to go home at lunch to give him a potty break anymore. Isn’t that cool?”
“As long as the other dogs don’t make fun of him for it.” At the joke, I immediately thought of Kenzie. “I’m glad you liked the Simply Skilled class.”
Rach slid into her chair, spinning it to face me. “Loved it. Emily Post couldn’t find a flaw with Abby Wilson’s training.”
“True,” I said, though she wasn’t the person from class I’d been thinking about. “So, did you meet Henry? Did he say anything about me?”
It felt like junior high but, when you’re desperate, why mince words?
“Yes.” Her forehead wrinkled as if she were rethinking the conversation. “He did ask about you, actually.”
Each second that ticked by felt like torture. “And . . . ?”
“Well, at first we introduced ourselves, he wondered where you were, yada yada.” She waved her hand in the air as if to skip to the point. “Then, get this, he asked if I thought your dates with Craig were going anywhere.”
My heart started pounding. That had to be a good sign. “Really?”
Her eyes narrowed. “Don’t worry. I gave him a piece of my mind.”
Oh, no. “W-what do you mean?”
She crossed her arms. “I told him plain and simple that if he liked you—and it kind of seemed like he did with the way he hung on every word I said—then he should’ve asked you out himself. Not go digging for information from your friend.” She peeked up at me with a smug smile. “Then, he asked for your number.”
The pounding in my chest upgraded to galloping. “He did?”
“Don’t worry, I told him he was too late because you were out with that Detailed Dating guy again and how compatible you both were. Then, I may have gone off about why men pretend to be one way and then act another way . . . like Dillon pretending he was interested in me one minute and that I was just a hook-up the next. It’s weak, you know?”
I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. It sounded as if Henry liked me, but Rach had told him off. “What did he say then? And why oh why didn’t you give him my number?”
She gave me a confused look. “Um, because Craig seems way more compatible? Do I need to remind you of the Dillon fiasco?”
Her desk phone rang, but she let it go to voicemail so I went on, “Rach, I had it all wrong. You did the right thing with Dillon. You liked him and you went for it.”
She leaned forward in her chair, then threw her hands up in a cheer. “And look how great that turned out.”
“Here’s the thing.” I moved closer and lowered my voice so nobody else could hear because adjacent cubicles tended to have big ears and at this point the lunch hour was way over. “Fifty percent of
Similar Books
