Husband Hunting 101 by Rita Herron Read Free Book Online Page B

folks were great. I think we were among the few families in town that didn't go through a divorce."
    "Tell me about it," Zack said with a wry laugh.
    Jenna paused and gave him a sympathetic look. "I'm sorry, Zack."
    He waved off her sympathy and gestured for her to continue while he ate his salad.
    "Anyway, I had some trouble in school," she said slowly. She lowered her voice. "My dad was supportive, always encouraged me to do my best. And Mom was always so supportive, but she worried a lot about me." She ran her finger around the stem of her water glass. "And my brother Jeff—well, he was always so perfect. An athlete, always made it to State in swimming. All A's. Popular."
    Zack's fingers tightened around his own glass as he studied her. "You didn't make good grades?"'
    Jenna shrugged, toying with her necklace again. "I struggled early on because of my hearing problem, but eventually I made the honor roll."
    God, she was so damn beautiful. "Don't tell me you weren't popular?"
    For a moment, Jenna's gaze dropped to her lap again and he sensed some dark hurt lingering inside her. Then she smiled and the moment was gone.
    "Actually, I was incredibly shy. I attended a special school when I was young, then underwent surgery to repair my hearing loss, then speech therapy... it was a difficult time for all of us. When I finally was mainstreamed into school, it was hard not to feel different."
    He swallowed, but he felt like he had a hunk of lettuce caught in his throat. His damn eyes watered and he had to chug his glass of water to keep from having a coughing fit. Thank goodness Jenna didn't notice. She sipped her wine and stared at the colorful artwork on the wall.
    "Jeff was protective of me, but when he left for college I realized I'd always been in his shadow. That I depended on him too much." She cleared her throat and met his gaze, her eyes steady. "So I got a job at this clothing boutique and loved it. The lady I worked for turned me on to fashion and I discovered clothes made a difference in the way others looked at me." She gave a self-deprecating laugh. "That probably sounds shallow, but teenagers can be brutal sometimes."
    "You're right about that." Some of the guys in school had ribbed him constantly about his string of stepmothers.
    But Jenna's problem had been more serious. She'd mentioned the surgery as if it had been nothing, but it had to have been traumatic. The fact that she'd overcome those obstacles stirred his admiration.
    She tore off a piece of bread for herself. "Then I attended a small college, Appalachian State up in North Carolina, earned a business degree and decided to open my own shop. And here I am."
    "Yes, here you are," Zack said, his voice thick with emotions. Beautiful, smart, sexy—and looking for a freaking husband.
    "I see. You had the perfect family so you want to have one just like it?" he asked, suddenly edgy as memories of his own disjointed childhood hit him.
    Her smile faded, and she reached out and touched his hand. "My family wasn't perfect, Zack. But yes, I want to have my own children so I can nurture them the way my family loved me. I feel sorry for people who didn't have that type of love in their lives."
    Zack exhaled, willing his cynicism in check while the waiter served their entrees. "Most don't," he said curtly.
    "Mark doesn't seem to share your opinions about marriage," Jenna pointed out.
    Zack shrugged. "Ever the optimist."
    "And you're not?" Jenna shook her head. "I don't buy that, Zack. You're creative. Anybody with an artistic bone in their body is a dreamer by nature." Her expression softened. "Although sometimes artists see the deep, painful side of life, too. Maybe they feel it more than others."
    He shook his head in denial. Jesus, she made him sound like some kind of sensitive Beta guy.
    "I'm not a wimp—"
    "Being sensitive is not the same as being a wimp," Jenna said, irritation lacing her voice. "It means thinking, seeing, feeling—"
    "Feeling what?" he asked