Don't Forget Me by Meg Benjamin Read Free Book Online Page A

would have thought. He had that innocent choir boy look going for him too. Nobody had expected him to be able to clear the table his first time out.
    Of course, it helped that he was playing the Steinbruner brothers, possibly the worst players in all of Konigsburg. As Nando looked on, Denny Steinbruner scratched for perhaps the fifth time. Probably a record for a single game.
    Nando could see potential for Delaney in the future. If he could convince the kid to play innocent until he actually picked up a cue, they might be able to lay a few bets with tourists who expected all good pool players to look like Chico. Thinking of his cousin, Nando glanced over in his direction.
    And felt karma’s teeth sink deep once again.
    Kit Maldonado was staring at him from the bar, sitting next to the only woman in town who was in the same league with her in terms of looks, Deirdre Brandenburg. He was surprised the two of them side-by-side hadn’t reduced the entire bar to a simmering pool of testosterone.
    Standing across from her, Chico gave him a faintly sardonic grin. Of course, Chico had been around during the Breakup From Hell, although he hadn’t known Kit. By now, he probably knew all the major details. Discretion wasn’t exactly prized in the Avrogado family. Thanks, cuz. Your support is always appreciated.
    Nando drew a deep breath and pushed himself up from the table. Only a jerk would postpone this meeting any longer, and Kit’s probable opinion to the contrary, he wasn’t really a jerk. He’d even managed to work up a sort of smile by the time he got to the bar. Not that Kit was doing much smiling herself.
    “Hey, Kit,” he said, trying for something that sounded like enthusiasm. “I heard you were back in town.”
    She gave him a sort of smile that involved pushing her lips up slightly at the ends. “Hi, Nando. Good to see you.”
    That was, he thought, a patent lie, but they both let it go. “Visiting Allie?”
    “Yeah, I finally finished my degree.” She gave a sort of shrug. Her whole body looked tense, almost rigid. He just hoped it was nerves rather than disgust.
    “Good.” He nodded, trying desperately to think of something—anything—relevant to say. “Good deal.”
    Kit’s face, that glorious, heart-stopping face, looked stiff. She kept glancing over his shoulder, as if something fascinating were happening at the pool tables. He had a feeling everybody at the bar was listening to this conversation. Too bad it was so boring.
    “So how long are you staying?”
    “A while. I’ve got a job at the Woodrose.”
    Somehow he managed not to choke. “The Woodrose Inn? Outside of town?”
    Kit nodded, her expression still perfectly blank. “That’s the one.”
    “Oh. Well, great.” He felt like moaning. He’d managed to achieve a level of lameitude that exceeded even his own expectations.
    “I guess you’re still with the police, right?” She picked up her beer, one perfect eyebrow arching.
    Nando nodded. “Yeah. I’m on full-time now.”
    Kit sipped, dropping her gaze to the bar. “Good for you. I know that’s what you were looking for.”
    He tried to think of something else to say, something not totally inept. “Yeah. I guess everything’s worked out.”
    He sensed a slight tensing in the bodies standing at the bar. Okay, that probably didn’t sound the way I meant it . “I mean, jobwise.”
    Kit took another swallow of her beer, then set the glass back on the bar. “Thanks, Tom. This is good beer. Looks like you have a nice place here.”
    Tom nodded, glancing back and forth between them quickly. “It has its points. Come back and see us again sometime.”
    “Maybe I will. Time for me to walk back home. I’ve got to get to the Woodrose early tomorrow.”
    She pushed away from the bar, giving Nando a slight nod and a smile that looked like a brief flex of muscles one step up from a grimace.
    “You’re walking?” he blurted. “To Allie’s house?”
    She narrowed her eyes, throwing