Long Slow Burn by Isabel Sharpe Read Free Book Online Page A

of going back in time and preventing him from marrying The CheaterBeast. “We had to go through what we went through for some reason. The trick is to figure it out and then work up the courage to move on.”
    â€œHere’s to getting there.” He lifted his glass.
    â€œHowever long it takes.” She hoisted hers; they both drank.
    â€œYou think Kim and Troy are a good match?”
    Marie frowned. “I’m not sure. Kim is beautiful and very talented, but shy and a little down on herself. Troy is a very good-looking, well-put-together, wealthy man, and I think she’s a little intimidated. I’m hoping she gives herself a chance to shine. She has no idea how sexy she is.”
    â€œHmm.” Quinn smirked at his drink. “That reminds me of someone.”
    â€œYeah? Who?”
    He twisted to look at her, then for some reason started laughing.
    â€œ What is so funny?”
    â€œNever mind, you wouldn’t get it. Just tell me, Marie. What advice would you give Kim about this problem?”
    â€œWhy?”
    â€œI want to pass on your wisdom.” He dug out his BlackBerry and pulled up a blank email. “I’ll write it down and send it to her.”
    â€œAre you serious?”
    â€œAbsolutely.”
    â€œOkay.” Marie looked up into the decorative hanging of tangled metal roots over the bar, trying to clear her head, muddled by bourbon and by Quinn’s mood tonight. “Let’s see. I’d tell her to go back though her life looking for messages she received about her sexuality and her self-esteem, and see if there’s a pattern she can identify that could be informing how she feels about herself now.”
    â€œâ€¦feels…about herself…now.” He put in the period with a flourish. “And?”
    â€œUndoubtedly the message that she isn’t worthy is coming from some judge figure in her life, probably a parent. She needs to tell that judge that she’ll be deciding her own feelings from now on.”
    â€œâ€¦from now…on.”
    â€œAnd then she should dress to kill, look in a mirror and promise to give herself positive feedback every day on how she looks and who she is and what she deserves.”
    â€œâ€¦what…she deserves. That it?”
    â€œShe should probably go to therapy and talk the whole thing out, but this will help if she’s honest with herself, yes.”
    â€œExcellent.” He selected a recipient and punched the send button. “She’ll be very surprised to hear from me.”
    â€œAnd pleased, I hope?”
    â€œMe, too.” He shrugged, putting the BlackBerry back in his pocket. “Want to order dinner?”
    â€œI do.” She tossed back the rest of her drink and picked up a menu, hunger signals finally able to be heard through the decreasing clamor of her emotions. Helping people feel better about themselves always made her feel better about herself, too.
    She and Quinn chatted easily for the rest of the evening, all the bizarre tension completely dissipated. As usual after their Friday night meeting, she felt refreshed and revital-ized on her walk home to her beloved Victorian in the same quirky Brewer’s Hill neighborhood as the restaurant.
    Inside her front door, she flicked on the light and said hello to her gray tabby, Jezebel, who’d come to greet her by weaving around her legs, making walking as difficult as possible. On the way up to her bedroom on the second floor, Marie sorted through the day’s mail, ditched most in the recycling box near her desk, and powered up her laptop. After changing into her beloved sloppy, nonbinding and infinitely comfortable sweats, she sat at her desk and waited for Jezebel’s predictable jump into her lap for the evening’s kitty-worship.
    She opened her email program while she scratched soft ears and brought Jezebel’s rumbling purr to life. New emails: five. One from a college roommate, one