Beautiful Music by Lisa DeVore Read Free Book Online

vocabulary. “I’ll be upstairs.”
    “Find something to knock his socks off,” Mrs. R. emphasized with a punching motion.
    Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, Jena left the kitchen to face the other matchmaker.
    ****
    Chase shook his head with what he knew must be a silly grin plastered on his face. He couldn’t believe she agreed to dinner. Now, where to take her? He absently walked to the wall of windows that overlooked the ocean and ran a hand through his hair.
    He briefly considered dinner on the patio; candlelight, roses, the sounds of the surf crashing on the beach… “Too soon for that,” he said to the window.
    He made his way to the kitchen’s built-in desk that held his computer. Sitting, he tapped his index finger to his forehead in deep thought. “Got it!” he said to the computer screen. Chase typed the name on the keyboard to find the phone number. Grabbing his cell, he made the call for reservations.
    He would take her to the place they shared many candlelight dinners, dancing, and walks on the beach; the SeaEscape. He would leave her no choice but to remember the good times they shared. If he could get her to remember the love they shared maybe he could persuade her to stay in Florida, give them a chance. Convincing her wouldn’t be easy. Somewhere along the line she had become stubborn. He smiled at the thought. He had to admit he liked this new side of her. Jena had the fight in her she was missing all those years ago. He just needed her to see they could be good together…better than before. They could be a family with Andrea. She needed to fight for them, not against them. Tonight would be the first step in that direction. Satisfied with his choice he climbed the center staircase of his beachfront mansion.

Chapter Eight
    Jena turned her head from side to side, scrutinizing her image in the floor length mirror. He hadn’t told her where they were going and she was uneasy with her dress choice. She didn’t want to come off the stuffy lawyer, but she didn’t want him to think this was anything more than a meeting either.
    She held her palms out in front of her, examining the moisture. They were sweating. Clenching her hands into fists, stretching and rubbing them together wasn’t helping. “Stop it, Jena. You’re like a teenager on a first date.”
    Maybe I should change… She threw open the closet doors and peered in. Why hadn’t she brought more clothes? Because you didn’t think you’d be here longer than a few days. Now she was talking to herself? She exhaled so deeply she blew a piece of her hair into the air. She closed her eyes and took three cleansing breaths. Opening her eyes, she had to come to terms with the dress she had on—a simple black dress that fell to a V in the back exposing enough skin to nix the stuffy lawyer.
    She pulled her long, blonde hair into her version of a twist and left some wavy tendrils hanging. A knock on the door pulled her from the mirror. “Come in.” She made an attempt to sound calm.
    Andrea bounded through the door. “Oh, Aunt Jen, you look so pretty! Do you like what I picked?”
    “I do. Thanks, honey. You don’t think it’s too dressy?” She was really asking an eight-year-old for fashion advice?
    Andrea tilted her head to one side and regarded her for a moment. “You need jewelry.”
    Her attention shifted to the mirror and her eyes narrowed. “Do you think?”
    “I’ll be right back,” her niece announced.
    Mrs. R. sidled in past Andrea as the girl went running from the room. “Wow! His eyes are going to fall out of his head.”
    “It’s too much, isn’t it? I knew it.” Jena faced the mirror again with a pained expression. “I should change, because it’s not a real date, just dinner…and oh, I just don’t know what to wear.”
    “First, stop your whining. Second, if you keep gazing into that lookin’ glass you’ll bore a hole through it. You look perfect.” With hands on her hips, she smiled