Love Without Rules (Contemporary Romance) by Kate Goldman Read Free Book Online

evening was relaxing, and for the first time in a while, Sydney felt some sort of hope. It was a nice feeling. Sydney looked forward to the next day.
     
    “Sydney, you’re going to be alright,” she whispered to herself comfortingly as she drifted off to sleep.
     
    Love Doctor Tip #142: After a breakup, focus on yourself. Pamper yourself. Remind yourself that the world isn’t over, and you don’t need a man to survive.
     

Chapter 7
     
    Sydney awoke the next morning bright and early. The sun shone high in the sky, and she felt completely refreshed. The best way to stop thinking about Scott was to distract herself, so she borrowed some of Anna’s clothes and put on some makeup. “Damn girl, you look fierce.” Anna laughed as she walked into the bathroom. “All ready to go shopping?”
     
    “Yes ma’am.” Sydney laughed.
     
    “You go out and meet a hot guy, alright?” Anna smiled as she helped Sydney put on a necklace.
     
    “I’ll try…” Sydney felt a sudden rush of gratefulness for her best friend. “Thank you so much, An.” She turned and gave Anna a tight squeeze. “I’m going to head out now. I’ll see you soon?”
     
    “Of course, Syd. Anytime. Have fun!” Anna grinned happily, as the two walked arm in arm down the long winding stairs to the front door. “Xoxo.”
     
    “Bye!”
     
    Sydney got into her car, and drove off towards the nearest mall. It had been a long time since she had been shopping. Though she probably wasn’t going to buy much, she still wanted to go and have a look at what styles were in this season. Kelly had generously given her some money and told her to go treat herself.
     
    She reached the mall quickly, and soon was thrust into the busy atmosphere of the mall. It was November now, and soon it would be December. Many of the Christmas decorations had already been put up, and several sales had started. “I should probably be shopping for presents… For mom, Anna, Derek…” She counted off people in her head. She paused when Scott crossed her mind. “Forget about him, Sydney, you don’t need him.”
     
    She continued to walk through the mall, window shopping, looking for gifts when suddenly she heard a voice calling for her.
     
    “Hey, Sydney, is that you?” It wasn’t a voice she could recognize at first, but when she turned around, she realized who it was.
     
    “Hi, Drew,” she said as he ran towards her, waving. “What are you doing here?”
     
    “What are you doing here?” He was wearing a suit which looked incredibly flattering on him, though Sydney would never admit it to his face. She noticed several women ogling him from far away, and shooting her dirty looks because he was talking to her. Sydney laughed at this, and he shot her a confused look. “What’s so funny?”
     
    “Oh, just those women over there who are being jealous of the fact that I’m with you,” Sydney said, as Drew turned to subtly look.
     
    “Let’s make them even more jealous.” Drew laughed as he grabbed her hand, and suddenly pulled her in for an affectionate kiss on the cheek.
     
    “What the heck?” Sydney’s mouth was agape when he pulled away. He was smiling like a happy child. She looked behind him at the women, who were going red with anger. It was indeed a funny sight to see, but Sydney was still too focused on the fact that he had kissed her. Her stomach growled quietly, a fact which did not go unnoticed by him.
     
    “Come on, let’s go eat.” He grabbed her hand and pulled her towards the Italian restaurant. Sydney was so stunned she forgot to protest. This restaurant was classy, and definitely didn’t look like it belonged in the mall, which is what she liked about it. They got a table quickly, and it wasn’t until they sat down that he spoke. “So, you never answered my question. What’re you doing here?”
     
    “I am – or was – shopping.”
     
    “And now you’re doing something better: eating with me!” he said as he picked up a