Coffee in Common by Dee Mann Read Free Book Online Page A

phone on the table butJillian rushed by her and grabbed the receiver.
    "Don't care one way or the other my ass," Liz muttered, heading back to the door.
    Jillian pressed the talk button and said, "Hello?"
    "Hi, it's Paul. Please tell me it's not too late to call."
    Jillian's face lit up. She pointed to the phone and mouthed ‘it's him', then waved goodbye to the girls as they closed the door on their way out.
    "Hi. It's not too late. Two of my friends just left."
    "Sorry to call so late. I was with Rob – remember him from the coffee shop this morning? I got tied up with him after work and just walked in a few minutes ago. I'm glad you're still awake."
    "And I'm glad you called. Did the manuscript dry out?"
    "Sure. After you left, I took it to the Laundromat and put the wet pages in the dryer."
    "You did not!"
    "No, not really. But it sounded good, didn't it?"
    Jillian laughed and realized she'd been laughing a lot since lunch today.
    "Are you like this all the time?"
    "Like what?"
    "Funny."
    Paul thought for a few seconds. "I try. I like to laugh, and I like to make other people laugh. Especially people I like."
    "Oh, so you're saying you like me?"
    "Yes, I'd definitely say I like you. The big question though, the one on which the future of this whole conversation rests is…" He paused for effect. "…do you like Italian food?"
    "It's my favorite."
    "Whew. Okay. Everything's fine now. I was really worried. I could never date a woman who didn't like Italian food."
    "Really?"
    "Absolutely. You see, Italian food is more than just food. It not only nourishes the body, it nourishes the soul. It makes your tonsils dance and your heart sing. It fills your stomach, yes, but it also fills you with a sense of peace and contentment. Especially when accompanied by a couple of bottles of Chianti."
    Jillian was laughing again. "My, my. Is it only food, or are you this passionate about everything?"
    Paul knew what he would have liked to say, but instead offered, "I think I'll let you discover that for yourself, a little at a time. So, tell me about your friends."
    Jillian's eyebrows arched at the unexpected question. "You want to hear about my friends?"
    "Of course. If they're over there this late on a work night, I'm guessing they're a big part of your life and someday I hope to meet them, so why not get to know a little about them now. Unless you'd rather not talk about them."
    Someday I hope to meet them? Someday I hope to meet them! Does he know what he just said? Is he actually thinking that far ahead? How could he be? We just met.
    Jillian thought she should be feeling funny about his self-assurance, his presumption that he'd be around long enough to meet her friends. Instead it made her feel warm inside, peaceful and happy.
    What is it about this guy that keeps making me feel so opposite to what I should be feeling?
    "So you're serious? You really want me to tell you about Liz and Jenna?"
    "Of course. I wouldn't have asked otherwise. How did you meet them?"
    "Okay then," she said, reclining on the sofa. "I hope you're sitting down.
    "Liz is Elizabeth Farrell. She's my oldest friend. We met in the third grade and hated each other until half-way through the fourth grade. Then this pint-sized terror named Eddie Lepage started picking on both of us, so we called a temporary truce so we could figure out a way to get back at him. We schemed for almost a week before deciding on a plan.
    "Are you bored yet?"
    "Not at all. I love revenge stories."
    "I see. Well, one day during recess, I started taunting Eddie until he started to chase me. I ran halfway around the yard, then around the back of the school where Liz was waiting. As soon as he turned the corner, she jumped out and screamed at the top of lungs, which didn't bother Eddie at all, but did get him to stop. That's when she threw a glass of water at the front of his pants, soaking them.
    "The two of us ran back out to the yard where all the other kids were playing. When Eddie came