Breathless by Cheryl Douglas Read Free Book Online

waiting to order a beer, when Brent
came up beside him. “Hey, man,” Brent said.
    “Hey.” They
were civil because of their mutual respect for Ava, but Eli wasn’t
naïve enough to believe they’d ever be friends. Nor did he want to
be. Brent would always remind Eli of what he and Jamie could have
had. “Congratulations. I heard about your engagement. Can I buy you
a drink to celebrate?”
    “Yeah, that
sounds good.” Brent pointed to a booth. “I was just waiting on my
buddy Tucker to show up. He’s building our new house, and there’re
a few things we need to go over.”
    The
house. The dream house Jamie had created with the hopes of one
day sharing it with Brent. Eli placed their drink order while Brent
filled him in on the plans for the house. Eli smiled politely,
pretending to be interested, but in his mind, he saw and heard
Jamie gushing over every detail and how it was everything she would
ever want in a home. Her dream home with her dream man. Eli had no
place in that picture, and the sooner he accepted that, the better
off he would be.
    Walking over to
the table with their drinks, Brent asked, “How’s Jamie? I haven’t
seen her since she referred us to another architect.”
    “She’s okay.”
Eli wouldn’t give Brent the satisfaction of knowing she’d been
drowning her sorrows less than twenty-four hours earlier because he
was marrying someone else. “Busy with work. You know how she
is.”
    “I remember.
She’s almost as bad as I am.” Brent smiled. “Or should I say was ? My beautiful fiancée is making sure I find a healthy
balance.”
    “I’m glad to
hear that.” Eli tapped his beer bottle against Brent’s glass.
“Congrats on finding one of the last good women in this city.”
    Brent winced.
“Cynical much, man?”
    “I’m just tired
of the whole dating scene, ya know?” Brent knew Eli was using Ava’s
service, but the agency’s confidentiality agreement prevented her
from discussing details with him. “Ava introduced me to someone.
We’ve been out a few times.” Eli peeled the label from his beer
bottle, wondering why he was confiding in Brent, someone he’d hated
just a few short months ago.
    “How’s that
working out?” Brent asked. “Y’all hitting it off, or what?”
    “I don’t know.
I thought we were, until today.”
    “What happened
today?”
    “I introduced
her to my family.”
    Brent held up
his hand and laughed. “Say no more. That’s usually the kiss of
death, or so I’ve heard.”
    “I was hoping
she’d get along with them.”
    “But it didn’t
go well?”
    “No.” Eli
rubbed his eyes, wishing he’d just gone home. He’d thought he
needed to bend someone’s ear, but he wished he’d kept his mouth
shut. “She left before dinner. Apparently she started feeling sick
after Mama took the meat out of the oven.”
    Brent raised an
eyebrow. “Come again?”
    “She’s a
vegetarian.” Eli thought about all of the other things that left a
sour taste in his mouth. “And she doesn’t like dogs.” He tipped his
beer back and took a deep swallow. “She doesn’t care for kids much
either.”
    “You do realize
you’re describing the exact opposite of Jamie, don’t you?”
    “Yeah, I guess
she is.” Maybe that’s why being with her didn’t feel right.
    “Is that the
kind of woman you told Ava you were looking for?” Brent held one
finger up to the waitress to let her know he was ready for another
drink.
    “No. I don’t
know. Maybe.” He considered the forms he’d filled out and the
conversations he’d had with Ava. Had he given Ava the impression he
was looking for someone like Belinda instead of someone like Jamie,
or had she drawn her own conclusions?
    Tucker walked
in, and Brent beckoned him over. Tucker shook hands with both men
before sliding in next to Brent. “This is a little too close for my
comfort,” Tucker laughed. “Why don’t we move to a table?”
    Eli stood. “I’m
heading out. You take my spot.”
    “Hey, I