Page 41 of Second Time Around
“Not the greeting I was hoping for,” he teased as he stopped in front of her.
She quickly turned her book face down and glared at him. “What are you doing here?”
“What does it look like?” he replied, motioning to his running apparel.
“Ugh. I can’t escape you!”
Grinning, he plopped down on the bench. “Why bother trying?” A lesser man might have been intimidated, but he wasn’t willing to be dismissed so easily.
“I came here for some peace and quiet.”
“You could have stayed home for that.”
“No, I couldn’t. My next-door neighbor is having a tree cut down—on Labor Day, of all things!”
He laughed. “How dare they interrupt your reading time.”
“Exactly.”
“So, now I get the honor instead.”
“Why aren’t you with your family today?”
“I wanted some time to myself. Why aren’t you with yours?”
“My parents went Up North, and Stacy is with Nick.”
“What about your other friends?” He was fishing for information, and they both knew it.
“I felt like being alone today, just like you,” she said pointedly.
Glancing at the book on the other side of her, he said, “Whatcha reading?”
She slapped her hand over the back cover. “None of your business.”
He smirked. “It must be a smutty novel, then.”
Tilting her head and narrowing her eyes, she said, “First of all, they’re not all smutty, and second of all, don’t shame people for what they read.”
“You’re right. I apologize.”
“Besides, I have to finish this before my book club meeting.”
“What book club?”
“Me, Stacy, and some of our friends belong to a book club.”
“Ah. So you all read smutty novels.” When she scowled again, he added, “Excuse me. I meant to say sweet, innocent love stories.”
She laughed this time, albeit grudgingly. “It’s my turn to host the meeting, so I have to be prepared.”
“What do you do at these meetings?” He was genuinely curious, and if it kept her talking, all the better. She’d always enjoyed reading and had often told him about the books she read.
“We eat snacks, drink wine, discuss the book, and talk about men.”
He raised his brows. “Oh yeah?”
“Yes. It’s kind of like when guys get together for beers.”
