Read Online The Goodbye Girl by Angela Verdenius - Free Book Online

quivered.
    “Don’t even think it,” Nick warned her as she followed him into his bedroom and jumped on the bed.
    Pepper, the ancient cat, looked up from where she was ensconced between the quilt and pillows, and he gave her a gentle stroke before grabbing clean clothes and going to the shower.
    He could hear Alex and Harly talking on the front veranda, the light sound of rain starting to patter down on the tin roof.  The smell of roast wafted through the house, all so cosy and warm.
    Standing in the shower, the water sluicing over him to wash away sawdust and sweat, Nick sighed.  Man, he never wanted to leave.  He wanted to stay here. Or maybe that was because everything seemed so nice, so far from what he remembered of his childhood and the Army.
    Alex was a lucky man, that much he knew, and he was happy for him.  But Nick found himself wanting the same thing, a warm home and a wonderful woman waiting for him to come home from work.  To have someone care about him, worry about him, be glad to see him.  To have someone he could confide in, share his dreams even if he wasn’t sure himself what they were yet, who would laugh with him, share her day, share her worries.  Be there for each other.
    Turning off the water, he grabbed the towel he’d slung over the rail.  Moping wasn’t the answer.  He was using this time to find out what he wanted, where he wanted to go with his life.  And he still had to find the elusive Goodbye Girl.
    Looking at his blurred reflection in the steamed-up mirror, Nick wondered just why he was so obsessed with her, why his thoughts were swinging so much.  He wanted to see her, didn’t know the best way, was firmly directed one minute, uncertain the next, and had more mood swings on the idea than a woman PMSing.
    Now that last thought was scary.
    Grinning, he rubbed his hair dry before flicking the towel behind him to dry his back.  Whatever, tomorrow was a new day.  He’d sleep on it and meanwhile, he had another friend of Harly’s to meet.  She was coming to dinner tonight, and Harly had assured him that the date had been set awhile back and had nothing to do with matchmaking of any kind.
    Who knew?  Maybe Bree would come up in the conversation tonight and he’d have a chance to discover what she was like.  Or maybe this woman would divert him enough that The Goodbye Girl would lose her shine.
    With renewed energy, Nick dried off, wrapped the towel around his wai st and went to his bedroom to dress.
    By the time he’d finished dressing and picking up several books that Sunny had knocked off the bedside table, having to go on his belly and fish under the bed for one of them, voices were coming from the kitchen .  A peal of feminine laughter.  The deeper tones of Alex followed by more laughter.
    The guest had arrived.
    Nick strode down the hallway and turned into the kitchen.  His gaze was drawn to a generous derriere bent over the open oven.  He’d know that generous derriere anywhere.  When the woman straightened, shutting the oven door and tossing the oven mitts onto the sink, his gaze ran down her voluptuous form. Oh yeah, he’d know her anywhere.
    She turned and saw him, her big eyes crinkling at the corners in amusement, eyes laughing, pink lips curving in a smile.  “Hey.”
    His mystery woman.
    Genuinely glad to see her, he grinned back.  “Hey.”
    Alex was leaning against the ‘fridge, a glass of iced coffee in his hand, his gaze switching from the mystery woman to Nick and back again, one eyebrow partly raised.  His expression was inscrutable, but there was a keenness to his eyes, a sharp intensity that hadn’t been there since they’d returned from Afghanistan.
    Interesting.
    Nick looked back at the woman.  What was it about her that had Alex watching her and Nick like a hawk?
    Harly was oblivious as she stood at the kitchen bench icing a cake.  Looking over her shoulder, she said cheerfully, “Nick, this is Bree, my friend.  Bree,