Her Lifelong Dream by Judy Kouzel Read Free Book Online Page B

Montgomery." The man gave Krissy a meaningful look,
which she ignored. It seemed she only had eyes for the
instructor.
    The students took turns, one by one, introducing themselves and telling why they were taking the class. Leedy
was slowly coming to the realization that she was not the
only one in the room with a lifelong dream.
    "Leedy Collins," she said shyly when it was her turn. "And I want to open a restaurant someday." Krissy Montgomery looked over her shoulder at Leedy through wary
eyes. Her mouth turned down tightly for just a brief second;
then she looked away.

    The woman sitting next to Leedy looked up suddenly
and smiled at her. "I guess it's my turn," she said. "My
name is Jo Anne Phillips, and I want to open a restaurant
someday too."
    Leedy and Jo Anne Phillips examined each other for a
long moment. "We'll have to talk," Jo Anne whispered.
Leedy nodded in agreement.
    The rest of the class sped by. Leedy quickly forgot to
worry about the blond in the front row because she was too
busy taking notes. Terry led a lively discussion about the
planning and implementing of a new business which raised
points she had never considered. She wrote down every
word with many asterisks and parentheses, noting the many
things she wanted to further research later.
    It ended all too soon. Before she knew it, the class was
over and it was time to go. Leedy was still fervently writing
in her notebook when she heard a voice behind her.
"Ahem," the voice said, and she looked up to see Terry
standing in front of her desk.
    "Oh," she said, startled. She had been so lost in her writing she had not noticed that the class was almost empty.
Even Jo Anne was gone. "I'm sorry I'm taking so long,"
she said. "I just wanted to write down an idea I had for the
restaurant while it was still fresh in my mind."
    "That's okay," he said. "I'm glad to see you found the
class so inspirational. May I walk you to your car?"
    Her heart skipped a beat at the prospect of Terry walking
her anywhere. "Okay," she said. She looked around the room. The other students had all shuffled out of the room
and some were lingering in the hallway. For a fleeting second, Leedy thought she spotted the blond-haired woman
from the front row-Krissy somebody-lingering just outside the door to the classroom. But by the time Terry had
helped her collect her books, the shadow was gone. She
pulled on the pumpkin orange sweater her mother had knit
for her and they headed out the door.

    The night was cool as they walked toward the parking
lot. The temperature had dropped, letting everyone know
that winter was on the way. Leedy shivered from the sudden chill, yet she delighted in the cool dark sky. The autumn air felt good against her face as she and Terry fell
into a relaxed, comfortable pace. It felt so right, so good,
to be walking next to him. It felt as comfortable as the soft
wool of her sweater and as effortless as the beating of her
heart. She could almost imagine slipping her hand inside
of his as they walked along.
    "So?" Terry asked. "Aren't you going to tell me?"
    "Tell you what?"
    "Tell me about the idea you have for your restaurant?"
    "The idea?"
    "Yes," Terry said. "You said you were writing down an
idea for your restaurant ..."
    "Oh!" She blushed. Something about being around this
incredibly handsome man turned her brain into mashed bananas. "Oh ... um ... I was thinking about the open house
I'd have after my restaurant finally gets started. A grand
opening extravaganza."
    "Sounds interesting," he said. "Tell me all about it."
    "I would serve a buffet. A very elaborate buffet. With every dish on the menu and maybe a few that aren't. It
would be a buffet like you've never seen before."

    "Yummy," he said. "It sounds delicious. But I don't remember you allocating for an open house in your start-up
costs. How do you plan to pay for this, Miss Money Bags
Collins?"
    "Oh, no!" she groaned. "You sure know how to take the
wind