Read Online On Any Given Sundae by Marilyn Brant - Free Book Online

two
men. Lance Burk had been about the dumbest-acting of the dumb jocks
at Wilmington Bay High and a football rival of Rob’s since sixth
grade—even when they were playing on the same team. A good-looking
guy, empirically speaking (except for that thick neck), he stood
about half a foot taller than Tara and placed his hand possessively
on her shoulder. She brushed it off, her lust-filled eyes never
leaving Rob’s face.
    “Heard you opened a diner somewhere,” Lance
said with a bored expression.
    “The Playbook is a restaurant on the top
story of one of Chicago’s tallest buildings, Burk. It’s not a
diner.”
    Lance shrugged. “Whatever.” He hooked his
thumbs in the loops of his jeans and spread his legs apart in a
territorial stance. It reminded Elizabeth of a pit bull readying
his attack—only pit bulls could be warm and cuddly on occasion.
She’d never known Lance Burk to be either.
    “Did you have an order?” Rob asked.
    “Nope. Not today. Just wanted to see you in
your new digs.” Lance scoped the room and caught a beanbag as it
rocketed toward the counter. He tossed it in the air a few times
and chucked. “You’re really moving up in the world, Gabinarri.” He
flung the silly beanbag at Rob then tapped the blonde on her tanned
and toned upper arm. “Let’s go, Tara.”
    Tara batted her eyelashes at Rob one final
time. “See you soon. Real soon.”
    He waved her a quick farewell while Elizabeth
busied herself with filling orders. Once the Dynamic Duo walked out
the door, though, she had a chance to study Rob’s face. His
expression was completely unreadable, but she knew what his stony
façade must mean: Jealousy. Tara looked as stunning as ever (much
as Elizabeth hated to admit it), and she was with Lance, Rob’s
former opponent, on some kind of casual date. Rob must surely want
her back, even if he didn’t want to get married or have kids this
year. And, if Elizabeth read Tara’s signs and signals correctly,
Rob wouldn’t have much difficulty getting his wish.
    But, on a high note, the jugglers finally
stopped juggling, the music got turned off and the customers went
back to their regularly scheduled lives.
    She breathed a sigh of relief.
    When the tile floor was clear of townspeople,
Jacques bounced in her direction. “Exciting day, no?” he said,
still gyrating his hips and snapping his fingers. “Rob’s extraordinairement ideas make me want to dance.”
    “Everything makes you want to dance,” she
said.
    He tried to engage her in a hip-hop boogie
next to him, but the customers and the noise had drained her of
every last ounce of sociability. Plus, she needed to save her
strength for another evening with the Gabinarris. She pulled away
and Jacques bopped off without her.
    Rob was cleaning some of the utensils in the
backroom and had become uncharacteristically silent. Brooding, no
doubt. Or, maybe, plotting Tara’s easy seduction. Elizabeth was
preparing herself to return home and settle down to another four or
so hours of typing when her cell phone rang.
    “Camden, how are you?” she said to her
photographer.
    “Good, good, darling. Remarkably,
unbelievably good. I’m in love.”
    “Oh, that’s…that’s terrific. Wow.” This was
saying something. A statement for the record books, in fact. Camden
was not one to easily fall. “I’m so happy for you. Who’s the lucky
lady?”
    “My Annabelle. She’s the most gentle,
delicate creature I’ve ever seen, hiding inside the buffest, most
sculpted body imaginable.”
    Elizabeth heard some loud splintering noises
on the line. It sounded like a ceiling beam had just crashed into
the floor. “Cam, my goodness! Are you okay? Where are you? Please
don’t tell me you’re on assignment in a war zone.”
    “No, no. I’m at Annabelle’s karate studio in
Idaho. She’s amazing,” he said, his tone blanketed with an awe
she’d never heard from him before.
    “Um, well, I’d love to meet her sometime.
Maybe when you come over to