Color of Love by Sandra Kitt Read Free Book Online Page B

phone number? What is going on?” Gail’s voice rose with each accusation.
    Leah’s patience grew thin under Gail’s fiery attack. “There is nothing going on. He stopped by last week to thank me for the coffee.”
    “What coffee?” Gail nearly shouted, completely confused and irritated.
    Leah shook her head. “Forget it. You don’t know about the coffee.”
    Gail planted her fists on her hips. “Girl, you are out of your mind.”
    Leah turned back to the chore at hand. She was now exasperated herself, but only because she had no good reason for what she had agreed to. “What are you getting so worked up about? I’m not a fool. If I thought it was unsafe, I wouldn’t do it.” Her voice trailed off.
    “Unsafe?” Gail repeated blankly. “There’s something else that comes first.”
    “What?”
    Gail stared at her with real puzzlement. “The man is white. What is going on with you? This is. … so unlike you. In fact, this is just plain stupid, Leah.”
    Leah remained silent, unable to come up with an argument that made better sense. Gail shook her head.
    “You don’t know anything about him. Why, in God’s name, would you even want to? And why with him, of all people?”
    Why indeed. Except to Leah, who’d actually given it some thought since seeing Jay Eagle again, the answer was so simple it seemed silly. And yes, foolish. “Curiosity,” she said honestly. But she also couldn’t explain that it was like standing on the edge of a cliff peering down into a great depth below. She’d never done that, either, but there was something enticing about the challenge and fear. Maybe agreeing to see Jay Eagle was a thing she wasn’t used to doing. But she wanted to do something that was different in her life.
    Gail made an impatient sound deep in her throat. “You obviously don’t recall what curiosity did to the cat one fine day.”
    Leah thought wryly that she certainly had more smarts than a cat. That was why she was going to meet Jay Eagle for coffee. Despite everything. Just because …
    It turned out to be a beautiful day, typical of late fall. It was cold and breezy and sunny. Leah wore a knit hat and gloves, a concession to the changing of the seasons, and a thick sweater coat. When she saw Jay Eagle again, he was dressed the same as he’d been the week before except that his turtleneck sweater was white.
    Anticipation knotted Leah’s stomach while she waited for him outside her front door. She stood on the curb looking down the one-way street. But his hello finally came from directly behind her. She jumped. When Leah turned around, he was watching her carefully.
    “I didn’t mean to scare you. You have to remember to watch your back.”
    “I wasn’t expecting a sneak attack,” Leah responded tartly, a bit annoyed because his sudden approach had thrown her off balance. There had been no time for her to see him from a distance, and decide ahead of time what she would do and say. Leah felt as if he’d somehow taken advantage. Giving Jay Eagle what she hoped was a displeased glance, Leah fell into step next to him.
    Several blocks from her house, near Prospect Park, they found an upscale coffee shop and took a booth in front near a window. An eclectic Sunday brunch crowd was out. Young couples with small children making a mess of pancakes and syrup; solitary Sunday Times readers; senior citizens on fixed incomes out for their weekly treat.
    They hadn’t made much conversation on the walk over, except for one or two comments about the weather and the park that were so benign and absurd that Leah could feel her tension disappear. She’d asked what kind of work he did for a living, but somehow he’d avoided giving her a direct answer as he’d rushed them across the street, dodging a car. Now seated at the window table he lit a cigarette, and Leah scanned the menu. She looked at him over the top of the laminated card.
    “How did you know my name?” she asked bluntly.
    He dropped the match into