Because a Husband Is Forever by Marie Ferrarella Read Free Book Online Page A

for the show.”
    Ian didn’t even glance up. “Sorry, only private showings.”
    Dakota laughed. Her eyes fairly gleamed with delight as she looked at him. “Hey, you do have a sense of humor.”
    â€œSometimes,” he muttered, wishing his partner would start to use his gift of gab and bail him out of this.
    As if sensing Ian’s thoughts and taking pity on him, Randy picked up the menu and looked down the long columns. “So, what’s good here?”
    â€œI can honestly say everything,” Dakota told him. MacKenzie nodded her assent. “I’ve sampled every item at one time or another and couldn’t tell you which was his best.”
    Ian glanced over the top of his menu. His eyes slowly slid down as much of her trim torso as was visible to him. Women didn’t generally admit to having a healthy appetite, so he believed her. “How do you keep the weight off?”
    Dakota thought for a moment. Weight had never been a problem for her. “Regular exercise, I suppose.” Or as regular as she could get it, given her hectic schedule.
    â€œHaving the metabolism of a hummingbird doesn’t hurt, either,” MacKenzie chimed in.
    Dakota laughed. “You should talk.” If she were into envying people, MacKenzie would be at the top of her list. The smaller woman could eat from morning until night and never show any of it. “She eats ice cream as if it was going out of style and never gains so much as a lousy ounce.”
    Ian smiled politely at both women. He was here to have a drink and a late lunch, nothing more. He’d managed to keep a distance between himself and the people he worked for. Doing the same with Dakota Delany shouldn’t be difficult.
    Shouldn’t be , a small voice in his mind echoed for reinforcement.
    The small voice somehow rang false.
    Ian closed his menu as the food server came theirway to take their order. He glanced at the glass of wine standing by his plate. He’d never really cared for wine. “They have beer here?”
    Dakota grinned. “More kinds than you could possibly imagine.”
    Maybe this wasn’t going to be so bad after all, he thought. He raised his eyes to Dakota’s.
    Then again…

Chapter Four
    T he buzzing pulsed insistently as it wedged its way into a low-grade din in the restaurant.
    MacKenzie sighed, retiring her menu to the table. She looked up at their slim-hipped food server who stood with an electronic pad and stylus poised in his hand.
    â€œI’m probably going to have to pass,” she said. Tilting the pager that had become a permanent accessory, she nodded. “Yup, I’m going to have to pass.” She exchanged looks with Randy. “The studio’s paging me.”
    â€œWhy don’t you just call them back?” Randy asked.
    Both Dakota and she knew that it was never that simple. “A—” she held up one finger “—the reception here’s usually not the best. Like as not, I’ll probably pick up Angela Redding’s conversation.” Underscoring her point, MacKenzie nodded at a mature-looking woman sitting at the next table. The woman’s autographed photo graced the wall and she was known as the grande dame of one of the longest-running soap operas on the air. “And B—” a second finger joined the first “—they’ll just tell me to get back there, anyway.”
    Randy rose to his feet to let her slide out of the booth. MacKenzie flashed a smile at Ian and Randy. “It’s been fun,” she told the two men.
    Randy stopped her before she could leave. “Why don’t I walk you back?”
    The suggestion freshened her smile, but etiquette had her protesting. “You don’t have to do that.”
    Randy gave a half shrug. “Well, since I’m on my feet anyway,” he pointed out, “I might as well just keep moving.” He took her arm. “Besides, this