Read Online What a Woman Wants by Brenda Jackson - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Brenda Jackson
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eventually got married.
Even though things hadn’t worked out with Virgil, she still wanted to believe in happily ever after. If she didn’t, she
would
turn into another Shannon, and the very thought of that was downright scary. That was probably the reason the men she went out with since she’d emerged back on the dating scene a few years ago were stable, serious-minded, with relationship potential. She tried staying away from those who were only looking for flings or had commitment issues. She had a feeling the man standing in front of her was only interested in a fling.
“So are you an islander?” she asked, deciding it was time to reclaim her hand, and so that it wouldn’t look so obvious she was doing so, she slid it out of his as she turned to study the squash—not that she was really interested in the yellow beastly things. They were her least-liked vegetable.
“For the time being. I recently purchased a vacation home here but still have a place in Michigan. What about you?”
“A couple of girlfriends and I decided this is the place we wanted to be this summer, since it’s where we met years ago in our early teens. Our families would come here for two weeks every year.”
He smiled. “Boy, weren’t you the lucky ones. But then I wasn’t too far away. My family is from Savannah.”
“That’s a beautiful city.”
“Thanks, and I would have to agree.” He leaned over and picked up a squash and Faith couldn’t help noticing how he held it in his hand: tight but not overly so. She then watched how his thumb rubbed against the hard rind surface, and she found herself staring, imagining. . . .
“You enjoy cooking, I see.”
His statement made her glance back into his face, where she was once again snagged by his eyes. She swallowed. “What makes you think that?”
He smiled again. “The amount of food in your buggy.”
He had her there. “I like cooking when the mood hits,” she explained.
“And the mood has hit?”
“Yes.” She wondered if he was hinting at an invite for dinner. If that was the case, then he could forget it. It was going to be an all-girls night with her parents’ neighbor. No males allowed, and definitely not one who was a total stranger.
Faith could feel his gaze on her when she bent over to check out the heads of iceberg lettuce. She wished to God she could ignore the man, but there was something about him that stirred all kinds of reactions in her. She was even feeling breathless, and no man, not even Virgil, had made her feel breathless before.
Deciding it was time to end their little chat, she glanced over at him and said, “Well, I don’t want to hold you up from doing your own shopping.”
“You’re not. I just came in to grab a six-pack.”
“What about dinner?” she regretted asking the moment the words tumbled from her mouth.
“I have a freezer full of those microwave dinners. That’s all I need.” When she didn’t say anything to that, he then asked, “So how long will you be on the island?” He fixed her with that deep, dark stare again.
After placing a head of lettuce in her buggy, she moved on to the tomatoes before saying, “Another three to four weeks.”
“Now isn’t that a coincidence, same here before I head back to Detroit for a while,” he said. “Since we’re both going to be here for almost another month, how about if we—?”
At that moment her cell phone rang and she quickly reached into her purse and pulled it out thinking,
Saved by the bell.
He’d been about to suggest that they hang out or something, and she wasn’t in the mood to do that. This was her summer to do what she wanted, and what she wanted didn’t include a man, at least not in the sense she knew he was interested. Men always thought below the belt.
“Hello,” she said in the phone.
“Where are you?” she could hear Shannon ask on the other end. “I need your opinion about something.”
“About what?”
“An outfit I plan to wear later
Even though things hadn’t worked out with Virgil, she still wanted to believe in happily ever after. If she didn’t, she
would
turn into another Shannon, and the very thought of that was downright scary. That was probably the reason the men she went out with since she’d emerged back on the dating scene a few years ago were stable, serious-minded, with relationship potential. She tried staying away from those who were only looking for flings or had commitment issues. She had a feeling the man standing in front of her was only interested in a fling.
“So are you an islander?” she asked, deciding it was time to reclaim her hand, and so that it wouldn’t look so obvious she was doing so, she slid it out of his as she turned to study the squash—not that she was really interested in the yellow beastly things. They were her least-liked vegetable.
“For the time being. I recently purchased a vacation home here but still have a place in Michigan. What about you?”
“A couple of girlfriends and I decided this is the place we wanted to be this summer, since it’s where we met years ago in our early teens. Our families would come here for two weeks every year.”
He smiled. “Boy, weren’t you the lucky ones. But then I wasn’t too far away. My family is from Savannah.”
“That’s a beautiful city.”
“Thanks, and I would have to agree.” He leaned over and picked up a squash and Faith couldn’t help noticing how he held it in his hand: tight but not overly so. She then watched how his thumb rubbed against the hard rind surface, and she found herself staring, imagining. . . .
“You enjoy cooking, I see.”
His statement made her glance back into his face, where she was once again snagged by his eyes. She swallowed. “What makes you think that?”
He smiled again. “The amount of food in your buggy.”
He had her there. “I like cooking when the mood hits,” she explained.
“And the mood has hit?”
“Yes.” She wondered if he was hinting at an invite for dinner. If that was the case, then he could forget it. It was going to be an all-girls night with her parents’ neighbor. No males allowed, and definitely not one who was a total stranger.
Faith could feel his gaze on her when she bent over to check out the heads of iceberg lettuce. She wished to God she could ignore the man, but there was something about him that stirred all kinds of reactions in her. She was even feeling breathless, and no man, not even Virgil, had made her feel breathless before.
Deciding it was time to end their little chat, she glanced over at him and said, “Well, I don’t want to hold you up from doing your own shopping.”
“You’re not. I just came in to grab a six-pack.”
“What about dinner?” she regretted asking the moment the words tumbled from her mouth.
“I have a freezer full of those microwave dinners. That’s all I need.” When she didn’t say anything to that, he then asked, “So how long will you be on the island?” He fixed her with that deep, dark stare again.
After placing a head of lettuce in her buggy, she moved on to the tomatoes before saying, “Another three to four weeks.”
“Now isn’t that a coincidence, same here before I head back to Detroit for a while,” he said. “Since we’re both going to be here for almost another month, how about if we—?”
At that moment her cell phone rang and she quickly reached into her purse and pulled it out thinking,
Saved by the bell.
He’d been about to suggest that they hang out or something, and she wasn’t in the mood to do that. This was her summer to do what she wanted, and what she wanted didn’t include a man, at least not in the sense she knew he was interested. Men always thought below the belt.
“Hello,” she said in the phone.
“Where are you?” she could hear Shannon ask on the other end. “I need your opinion about something.”
“About what?”
“An outfit I plan to wear later
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