Read Online Proposal by Meg Cabot - Free Book Online Page A

lit up more if he’d said his name was Bond. James Bond.
    â€œA doctor?” she said, taking his arm. “Why haven’t we met before? Surely you’re not with the hospital here, or I’d know you—­”
    â€œNo, not here,” he said. “Not yet, anyway. But I hope to be, someday.”
    â€œSomeday!” Mrs. Farhat was already steering him away from me, into the sunken living room. “With hands like yours, young man, you could work anywhere, trust me. I can tell, I know doctors. My husband is a cardiac surgeon. Let me introduce you to him. Rashid. Rashid!”
    Jesse was soon sucked up into a crowd of admirers, just as I’d hoped he would be. He was a big boy, and would be able to handle himself. In the meantime, I had some snooping to do.
    â€œCrudité?” a waitperson asked as she passed me while holding a tray of decoratively carved raw vegetables. “They’re heart healthy.”
    â€œUh,” I said. “Sure.” I lifted a heart-­shaped radish and shoved it into my mouth. I’m not the biggest fan of raw vegetables—­except when shredded onto a taco—­but this one was surprisingly good. “Thanks. Can you tell me where the bathroom is?”
    â€œOf course.” The girl pointed down the hall. “To the left. You can’t miss it.”
    â€œThanks. Oh, hey, do you know if the Farhats’ son, Zack, is here tonight? A friend of his asked me to say hello.”
    The girl smiled in a friendly way, anxious to be helpful. “Yes, he’s here. He was hanging out in the kitchen a while ago. I think he took some food up to his room.” Her gaze went toward the showy curved staircase across the foyer from the front door, signaling to me where I could find Zack’s room, though I doubt she’d done it on purpose. “Well, not this food. He microwaved a pizza.”
    â€œThank you so much,” I said, and took another radish. “Yum. These are just so delicious.”
    â€œConsuming fruits and vegetables, combined with regular physical activity, and avoiding harmful use of alcohol and tobacco products, has been shown to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease,” she said, clearly because she’d been asked to by the hostess.
    â€œWow,” I said. “Great. Thanks.”
    â€œYou’re welcome!” She moved on to her next victim, I mean guest, and I moved toward the staircase, acting like I had every right to be heading to the second floor. The only way you’re going to get caught snooping is if your performance while doing it lacks confidence. If anyone walks in on you while you’re somewhere you shouldn’t be, just act angry. It’s their fault you’re in the wrong place, because you were told (by someone else) that that’s where you were supposed to be. How were you supposed to know that person was wrong?
    Seriously. It works (almost) every time.
    It only took me four rooms (two more than usual) before I found Zack. He hadn’t even bothered to lock the door, the idiot.
    â€œReally?” I said, when I walked in and discovered him sitting up in bed in front of a large plasma-­screen television, playing video games and vaping. “I could have been anyone—­your mother, your father, the police chief. He’s downstairs, you know. Is it really wise of you to be partaking at the current time?”
    Zack peered at me through weed-­reddened eyes. “This is e-­juice. Who the hell are you, and what do you want?”
    â€œThat is not e-­juice, and as a minor, you better have a prescription for it and your parents’ permission. Otherwise you’re in violation of California health and safety code and could lose the right to operate your vehicle. All your vehicles.”
    This information caused him to lower the e-­cigarette and swallow, hard.
    â€œMy name is Suze Simon,” I went on. “And as much as I