Man of the Month (Willowdale Romance Novel) by Lisa Scott Read Free Book Online

was cold and rainy, and she looked longingly at the couch. A bowl of popcorn, a good movie, and some quiet time with Scooter sounded like the perfect date, not another awkward dinner. She shooed Scooter off her coat and tried to brush off as much of his kitty fur as she could. The fact that she didn’t bother brushing all of it off just showed how much she was not looking forward to Mr. February. It didn’t seem worth the bother to go hunting for the lint brush, and how pathetic was that?
    Michael Green was driving in to Willowdale for their seven o’clock reservations at Scalia’s. She arrived at seven-ten, not so much because she was trying to be fashionable or anything, but because that’s how long it had taken her to gather up the enthusiasm to get out of her car and head in. She got shivers remembering her date with Sam. But then she remembered how good Scalia’s chicken scaloppini was and headed inside. The promise of a good meal could get Jeanne to do a lot of things she didn’t want to, which was one more great quality about Brad—his fabulous cooking.
    She popped open an umbrella and dashed to the restaurant. Standing at the hostess station, she scanned the restaurant for a lone male.
    Kate’s stepsister, Dina, plucked a menu from behind the desk and smiled. “Whatcha doing here, Jeanne?”
    Maybe meeting up in Willowdale was a bad idea. This was how things ended up in the gossip pipeline throughout the diners and beauty shops in town.
    Jeanne opened her mouth, but Dina leaned forward and whispered, “Are you here on one of your blind dates? The Man of the Month thing? That’s really cool.”
    Jeanne hitched her purse on her shoulder and put her hand on her hip. “Your sister wasn’t supposed to tell.”
    “She didn’t. I heard Mrs. Johnson talking about it at Tonya’s salon.” She slapped her hand over her heart. “Tonya didn’t say a thing, swear to God.”
    Jeanne just closed her eyes and shook her head. “Yep. Blind date. Lucky that you won’t ever have to endure one of those, being a married gal and all.” Dina had married Brad’s little brother Mitch—and delivered their baby—all in one night, two years ago.
    Dina scrunched up her nose and gave a soft squeal. “I know! But, I thought it would be cool if you and Brad got back together, and then you and I could be sisters-in-law.” She shrugged. “Ah, well. Maybe Mr. Right’s waiting for you right now. I think that’s him over there.” She tipped her chin toward the far corner and handed Jeanne her menu. “Not bad looking. Good luck.”
    She didn’t even bother correcting Dina that no, she wasn’t interested in Brad. Nobody believed her, anyway. Jeanne squared her shoulders and told herself to stop pouting. Michael looked to be a big improvement from Sam, and he’d been willing to drive out here—in his car—so that scored some bonus points.
    Maybe Brad’s right. Maybe I can find a nice guy this way.
    She set her umbrella by the coat rack and walked over.
    He stood up as she approached. “Jeanne? So nice to meet you, I’m Michael Green.” He held out his hand.
    “I’m Jeanne Clark.” He was at least six foot two, and she gave him a few points for that, too.
    He pulled out her chair and she sat down. He swallowed hard and blinked a few times as he made his way to his seat. “I ordered us a bottle of wine, hope that was okay with you. Do you like Chardonnay?”
    “Very nice. Thank you.” Okay, this isn’t so bad. She smoothed her napkin on her lap.
    “My pleasure.” He rubbed his eyes. They were a nice hazel color, although a bit bloodshot.
    She opened the menu, even though she knew what she was going to order. “What do you do for a living?”
    “I’m a physician’s assistant.” He sneezed.
    “Bless you.” Good. Brad hadn’t been lying. He’s actually employed. “That sounds really interesting. Do you like it?”
    “Very much.” He rubbed his eyes, which suddenly seemed quite red. “And you run a