Read Online November Sky by Marleen Reichenberg - Free Book Online

guarantees that getting to know him better was not completely far-fetched. He’d first met me in a cocktail dress, and when he carried me off to the picnic I was wearing office clothes—a skirt and a twinset. Today, however, I was at my desk in ancient jeans, a plain white shirt, and no makeup. My lousy morning mood had prevented me from making more of an effort. Even I was too vain to be seen like that.
    The prospect of actually seeing Nick in a few hours had me so excited that I could barely concentrate on my work. When I tried to clear my tray of consulting reports, I caught myself staring dreamily out the window at the spot where he stood last week. In addition, I filed documents for a client named Zenker under “N” as in Nick . . .
    Chris looked at me in amusement over her computer screen, and then made a sharp snap with her fingers. “Wake up, Laura! You might as well call it quits for today—it’s not like you’re getting anything done while you dream about your actor.” She cut off my halfhearted protest. “Yes, yes, I know, he’s absolutely of no interest to you. You’re simply seeing him out of pity.”

Chapter 5
    Pity was not at all what I felt when the doorbell rang and I rushed downstairs to the front door. I greeted him with a smile of delight. His charismatic presence overwhelmed me just as it did the last time we met.
    Nick did indeed look paler than he had the week before. But even the dark shadows under his eyes did not reduce his appetizing impression one whit. Regardless, it was immediately clear his illness was not an invented excuse. There was no question about it. His tone seemed more muted, more serious and meditative. A tiny touch of melancholy lay in the corners of his eyes. I immediately worried whether he was sorry to be spending an evening with me. His power of empathy amazed me again, as he guessed my hesitation before I even said anything.
    “Sorry if I seem a bit out of it. Three days of forced fasting didn’t hurt me too much, but I’m still not 100 percent back on my feet. If you’re hungry, I’d be glad to take you out, but I’ll stick to Coke just to be on the safe side. That and a box of saltines are all I’ve eaten today.”
    I’d already made myself some bread and butter shortly before he arrived to avoid the embarrassment of having my stomach growl again, so I could assure him in good conscience that I wasn’t hungry. Instead of dinner, we decided to take a walk, though not in the Inner City, which was crowded because of the warm weather.
    “I want to talk to you. If there are a lot of people around, there’s always the danger that somebody will recognize me and speak to me. Then I have to sign autographs and pose for cell phone pictures. Normally I don’t mind—it comes with the turf. But I don’t want it to be like that today when I’m with you. We’ll find a quiet place out in nature where we can walk undisturbed.”
    So we drove out on the highway for a bit, and I was happy he kept exactly to the speed limit and stepped on the brakes and gas pedal gently and sensitively without my saying anything. But it was by no means just to protect my own skin. The thought that he could be in an accident with worse consequences than last week’s pained my heart. I gave him a sidelong glance and downplayed my worries so I wouldn’t be so damn schoolmarmish and smart-alecky.
    “Nick, please promise me that when you’re alone in this car that you’ll never drive so recklessly ever again. The mere thought makes me uneasy. It would be a real shame if the world lost a good actor and a nice person like you before your time.”
    His mouth twisted into a half smile, but I thought I saw an indefinable expression in his eyes. Without taking his gaze off the road he replied, “Thanks for the compliment, but this world has already lost several remarkable people at a young age, and it didn’t fall apart. I don’t flatter myself that I’m irreplaceable. And as I said,