Love.com by Karolyn Cairns Read Free Book Online Page A

Sawyer dogged her every waking moment. Even when she told herself she joined the dating service to get past her own personal loss, she admitted privately she did it to exorcise Ian’s image from her mind. It would nip her absurd fixation for him in the bud, she hoped. Pretty hard to think about a guy you couldn’t have when another one is in front of you , she consoled herself. She submitted a profile and uploaded photos to her page on Love.com and hoped for the best.
    “What if you meet some creepshow freak on there? Oh my God! You hear about this every day! You could wind up dismembered on the side of the road! If you want to meet men, John has plenty of single friends we could introduce you too. Please don’t do this, Emily. I’d be worried sick about you!” Joan’s brown eyes filled with concern.
    “Too late ; I already joined.” Emily stepped onto the treadmill, recognizing by the tight-set of Joan’s features that she hardly approved. “I’ll avoid getting dismembered, trust me.”
    “What is this really about, Emily? We used to laugh at the people who joined those sites.”
    “We were wrong and judgmental , I think. Lots of people are doing it these days.”
    “You’re missing Eddie. Just do as I asked you and talk to somebody, Em. You can’t order up love. It doesn’t work that way,” Joan argued as she stepped on the machine next to hers.
    The hell I can’t , Emily thought as she jogged on the rubber mat, refusing to admit her own reservations of making dates with virtual strangers. She hesitated now, thinking it a haven for serial killers, rapists, and all manner of undesirables. She steeled herself to see it through.
    Meeting another man would make her forget about what she couldn’t have. Ian the Unattainable worked his way into her every waking thought. She rushed to work every day just to see him. She hung on his every word. When they conversed about the campaign; her eyes were glued to his lips the whole time. She was mesmerized by the way he chewed during their business lunches, hanging on him like the traces of mustard to his firm, sensuous lips. All the while they worked closely together; she suffered with this unhealthy, one-sided adoration he seemed oblivious of.
    No, Ian never saw her interest in him. He joked with her, teased her, and treated her like a good friend. He would be appalled to know she pounced on him with her thoughts. She even hacked into his email account to see if he was dating anyone. She found nothing to indicate Ian was attached at all, and was even encouraged in her wayward romantic secret pursuit of him.
    Joan would groan in dismay to know she even took to driving by The Windsor Resort just to sit in the lot and spy on Ian in her spare time. She knew it was wrong, an invasion of his privacy, but she couldn’t help herself.
    None of the recent drive-by’s yielded much but suspicious looks from the security guards. She reluctantly gave up her post in his lot or be arrested. She followed him instead, veering in and out of traffic just to keep up with his sleek, silver Porsche.
    After weeks of stalking him, Emily could cheerfully report Ian wasn’t seeing any women during these outings. He went to the gym, met Evan for a golf game, and visited a nearby health food store. He had a routine she memorized.
    Emily cringed inside with shame to know she was losing it over the guy. She recently stole his discarded tie off his desk when he was using the restroom just to smell it at her leisure. 
    No, Joan didn’t need to know she was sick ; twisted on this man in such a way that made her grimace in disgust to acknowledge it.
    Yes, dating was exactly what she needed right now. She was doing a great job of making an ass of herself, mooning over him like a sixth grader. The guy didn’t know she was alive outside of work.
    It was funny how everyone else at work identified her romantic feelings for the Ambidor rep right off. They all eyed her pityingly; their looks clearly