Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks Read Free Book Online Page B

like that,” Jo said with assurance.
    “You sound like you know him pretty well.”
    Jo rocked a little in her chair. “I think I do.”
    Katie waited for more, but Jo was silent.
    “You want to talk about it?” Katie inquired innocently. “Because talking sometimes helps, especially with a friend.”
    Jo’s eyes sparkled. “You know, I always suspected you were a lot craftier than you let on. Throwing my own words back at me. You should be ashamed.”
    Katie smiled but said nothing, just as Jo had done with her. And, surprising her, it worked.
    “I’m not sure how much I should say,” Jo added. “But I can tell you this: he’s a good man. He’s the kind of man you can count on to do the right thing. You can see that in how much he loves his kids.”
    Katie brought her lips together for a moment. “Did you two ever see each other?”
    Jo seemed to choose her words carefully. “Yes, but maybe not in the way you’re thinking. And just so we’re clear: it was a long time ago and everyone has moved on.”
    Katie wasn’t sure what to make of her answer but didn’t want to press it. “What’s his story, by the way? I take it he’s divorced, right?”
    “You should ask him.”
    “Me? Why would I want to ask him?”
    “Because you asked me,” Jo said, arching an eyebrow. “Which means, of course, that you’re interested in him.”
    “I’m not interested in him.”
    “Then why would you be wondering about him?”
    Katie scowled. “For a friend, you’re kind of manipulative.”
    Jo shrugged. “I just tell people what they already know, but are afraid to admit to themselves.”
    Katie thought about that. “Just so we’re clear, I’m officially taking back my offer to help you paint your house.”
    “You already said you’d do it.”
    “I know, but I’m taking back the offer.”
    Jo laughed. “Okay,” she said. “Hey, what are you doing tonight?”
    “I have to go to work in a little while. Actually, I should probably start getting ready.”
    “How about tomorrow night? Are you working?”
    “No. I have the weekend off.”
    “Then how about I bring over a bottle of wine? I’m sure I’m going to need it, and I really don’t want to be inhaling the paint fumes any longer than I have to. Would that be okay?”
    “Actually, that sounds like fun.”
    “Good.” Jo unfolded herself from the chair and stood. “It’s a date.”

5

    S aturday morning dawned with blue skies, but soon clouds began rolling in. Gray and thick, they swirled and twisted in the ever-rising wind. The temperature began to plummet, and by the time Katie left the house, she had to wear a sweatshirt. The store was a little shy of two miles from her house, maybe half an hour’s walk at a steady pace, and she knew she’d have to hurry if she didn’t want to get caught in a storm.
    She reached the main road just as she heard the thunder rumbling. She picked up the pace, feeling the air thickening around her. A truck sped past, leaving a blast of dust in its wake, and Katie moved onto the sandy median. The air smelled of salt carried from the ocean. Above her, a red-tailed hawk floated intermittently on updrafts, testing the force of the wind.
    The steady rhythm of her footfalls set her mind adrift and she found herself reflecting on her conversation with Jo. Not the stories she’d told, but some of the things Jo had said about Alex. Jo, she decided, didn’t know what she was talking about. While she was simply trying to make conversation, Jo had twisted her words into something that wasn’t quite true. Granted, Alex seemed like a nice guy, and as Jo said, Kristen was as sweet as could be, but she wasn’t interested in him. She barely knew him. Since Josh had fallen in the river, they hadn’t said more than a few words to each other, and the last thing she wanted was a relationship of any kind.
    So why had it felt like Jo was trying to bring them together?
    She wasn’t sure, but honestly, it didn’t matter. She