Foolish Notions by Aris Whittier Read Free Book Online Page B

amusement. He
indulged her. “Where to?”
    Marie drummed her fingers. “We
could start at that bar down on Sunup Drive. I heard that’s
where you young kids go to do . . . what do they call them?
Shooters?” She turned and looked at him seriously. “Now,
what exactly are shooters?”
    “Never mind, Mom.”
    She shook her head, disregarding the
thought. “What’s the name of that place? Do you know
which one I’m talking about?”
    Of course he knew which bar she was
referring to. That was the nightclub where he had met Samantha. They
had gone there often while they were together. It was their exclusive
place that reminded them of when they met. “Nightlight.”
    “Nightlight, that’s it.
Well, we could start there and end up God only knows where,”
she said with a hoot.
    “I don’t know if I’m
up for a night of bar hopping.” He moved to close the window.
“I have to be up early tomorrow.”
    “Spoilsport.”
    “I know, I know. But one of us
has to—”
    “Marie—”
    James halted in mid-turn when he heard
the voice. His smile disappeared as his gaze moved to the other side
of the room, searching the vicinity the voice had come from. It took
only moments for him to find the object that was causing his heart to
pummel against his chest like a drum keeping a turbulent tempo. The
glimpse prompted his eyes to find hers in hopes they weren’t
viciously deceiving him. When his eyes met with Samantha’s for
the first time in a year, her words trailed off into an uncertain
whisper. She slowly faded into a blur and then came back into focus.
He shook his head to clear it.
    James’s gaze went to the neatly
folded stack of clothes in her arms before it shifted upward to the
golden streaks that highlighted her hair. The gorgeous, blond mane
was swept back into a loose ponytail. The warm hues enhanced her
face, which didn’t have a trace of makeup on it. Her slender
figure was clad in capri pants and a silk tank top. He studied her
eyes.
    His gaze remained fixed on her, just as
it had the first time he had seen her—an unbreakable stare. She
looked the same. Her natural beauty still radiated from her,
producing a wholesome, sweet glow. If he hadn’t known some of
the things they had done together he would have thought her childlike
innocence was authentic. Yes, she looked the same. She blinked, and
it caused him to really inspect the clear blue surrounded by sandy
lashes. Something was missing. Physically, she was as stunning as
always, but there was definitely something different about her. He
took an unconscious step forward. Her eyes didn’t shimmer like
they used to. They were sad eyes.
    “James? Did you hear me?”
Marie asked.
    “Huh?” He reluctantly moved
his attention from Samantha to his mom. “Sorry. What?”
    “We have found our nurse,”
she said happily. “Samantha is going to take care of me. Isn’t
that wonderful?”
    His eyes darted back to Samantha. “I—I
thought—” He stuffed his hands into his pockets. “Are
you going to—” He cleared his throat.
    “James,” Marie said firmly.
“James?”
    “May I talk with you?”
James muttered to Samantha.
    Samantha opened her mouth, closed it
again. Then said, “Sure.”
    “Alone,” he said as he
turned and left the room.
    “Sure.” The word snapped
out much too fast.
    Marie said nothing as she watched
Samantha leave the room.
    * * * * *
    Samantha’s heart boomed as she
followed him down the hall. She paused at the top of the stairs to
catch her breath as he continued on. Her hand covered her heart as
she fought to control her breathing. Oh, my God, oh, my God. The
phrase not only echoed inside her head but in her heart, too. Had she
made the right decision? This was going to be much harder than she
had planned. She hadn’t been prepared for what she was going to
feel when she saw him.
    The feelings that she had for him so
long ago couldn’t still be lingering inside her, could they?
She knew the answer to that. She had