SVH08-Heartbreaker by Francine Pascal Read Free Book Online Page A

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    she'd made. She was a fast learner, and a terrific sport, too. Besides, she was someone he could really talk to. With DeeDee, he could open up and be himself, the way he'd been with Julianne.
    Bill winced at the memory. True, DeeDee didn't look like Julianne the way Jessica did, but there were other similarities. They shared the same easy, bubbling laugh, they were both sympathetic listeners, and they were naturals when it came to surfing.
    He quickly brushed aside the comparison. How could he be thinking about DeeDee this way when Jessica was the one he cared about?
    Jessica squirted a mouthful of water at Tom, and he retaliated by dunking her under. They were really having a great time, Bill thought glumly. He understood about Tom--he really did. Why should Jessica allow herself to be tied down to one guy when she could have her pick of fifty million others?
    The trouble was, Bill didn't normally go in for the crowd scene and standing in line. It was one reason he spent so much time in the water. It was so quiet out there, really peaceful, with the waves lapping against his surfboard, and the cries of the sea gulls keeping him company. He'd explained it to DeeDee one time, and she had really seemed to understand.
    Somehow he didn't think Jessica would
    have understood. Looking at her now, as she climbed out of the pool with Tom at her heels, both of them laughing, Bill felt a surge of despair.
    Being in love was a lot like getting wiped out by a wave, he thought.
    Elizabeth could hear the splashing and laughter coming from the backyard as she pulled the little red Fiat Spider into the driveway. It was such a hot day that she'd put the top down even though the ride from the library was a short one. She had just spent a couple of stuffy hours researching the term paper she was working on for her civics class.
    Her father greeted her as she walked inside. He was sitting on the living room couch, bent over a pile of papers spread across the coffee table. Elizabeth was struck, as she often was, by how athletic her father looked for someone who spent so much of his time at a desk poring over legal briefs. He was tall enough to be a basketball player, with the densely muscled trimness of a swimmer or track star.
    "Hi," she said, flopping down on the couch beside him. "What are you doing shut up inside on such a glorious day?"
    "I'm hiding out," he confessed, chuckling. "I'm not sure, but judging from the sound of it,
    I think a band of Apaches has taken over the backyard."
    "Jess and the drama crowd?"
    "Yup." Ned Wakefield winked. "And either Jessica's been taken captive or it's the other way around. I vote for the latter."
    Elizabeth rolled her eyes but couldn't suppress a giggle. "Oh, Dad, be serious!"
    "I'm serious all week long in court. Don't you think I'm entitled to a few laughs on the weekend?" He gave a mock sigh of exasperation.
    Alice Wakefield sailed in from the kitchen, where she had been in the midst of preparing guacamole dip.
    "Your sister's got the whole gang over," she explained. Outside, there was a scream, followed by a splash. "If you ask me, it sounds like they're rehearsing the Pearl Harbor scene from From Here to Eternity."
    "I'd better get into my suit before all the water's gone," Elizabeth said, bolting for the I stairs.
    "Todd's out there, too," her mother called after her.
    Todd! Elizabeth's mouth went dry, and I her heart beat at a quickened pace. She hadn't I seen much of him these past few days--both of them had been so busy--and she'd really | missed him. She felt a little silly now about the way she'd doubted him. She'd made such
    a big thing out of Todd's being nice to an old girlfriend.
    She imagined confronting him with her fears. Todd would laugh and tell her how crazy she was for thinking he could be in love with someone else--even someone as gorgeous as Patsy. He'd take her in his arms and with one kiss blot out all the misery of this past week.
    Elizabeth hurriedly slipped into her