The Back-Up Plan by Mari Carr Read Free Book Online

her biggest supporter? Suddenly her goal didn’t seem quite so impossible.

Chapter Three
    In Iowa, it is illegal for a man with a mustache to kiss a woman in public.
     
    Jason watched Kristen as she talked to the doctor he’d fixed her up with. The two of them had hit it off immediately over the happy hour trial run, so Jason had suggested a double date. Kristen had followed through on her part of the deal, setting him up with her trainer, Monica, from the gym. He had to hand it to her. Kristen had done well. Monica was everything she’d promised—active, beautiful, nice.
    “You have two daughters?” he heard Kristen ask Matthew.
    Shit. He’d forgotten to mention the kids. He remembered Kristen saying something about not wanting children, but he didn’t know where she stood on preteens from a previous marriage.
    Matthew nodded. “My ex-wife, Ellen, has full custody, which relegates me to part-time dad. I see Jeannie and Retta every other weekend. Of course, if you ask Ellen she would say I was always part time and I’m afraid she might be right about that. I know I spend far too much time at work, but you know how it is. We had a mortgage and two cars. Ellen quit her job to stay home with the kids, so I was trying to support us on just one income. And…”
    Matthew paused and grinned ruefully, adding, “Methinks he doth protest too much. I’m making a bunch of excuses to justify my divorce, aren’t I?”
    Kristen smiled. “I think you need to let go of the guilt. The marriage didn’t work out and it’s usually because there was fault on both sides. That’s just life. You can’t keep beating yourself up over it.”
    Matthew seemed to appreciate Kristen’s understanding. “You’re very kind to say so.”
    “…then I tore my hamstring junior year of college and that put an end to my hopes of playing soccer professionally.”
    Jason looked at Monica and realized she’d been talking to him. He hadn’t heard much more than the last few words. “That must’ve been rough.”
    She nodded and continued her story. “It was. I’d always thought that…”
    Jason tried to listen, but he found his attention continually drifting back to Kristen and Matthew. At one point, she flipped her long blonde hair over her shoulder in a move that was straight out of the Flirting 101 textbook. He’d never seen Kristen acting so…so…feminine.
    His eyes had nearly popped out of their sockets when she’d sashayed into the restaurant with Monica, wearing a short black skirt, shimmering red blouse that sparkled when the light hit it just right and fuck-me heels. She’d worn her hair down, soft blonde waves falling over her shoulders instead of pinned up in the loose bun she sported every day at work. Best part was her stockings. He’d bet an entire year’s salary that she wasn’t wearing plain old pantyhose. There was just the hint of a clasp along her thighs that screamed garter belt. Goddamn, he loved those things.
    Kristen reached over and touched Matthew’s hand as she spoke. It was an innocent enough gesture, but it felt almost intimate to Jason. He was used to her take-no-prisoners attitude in the courtroom and at work. Seeing her blush when Matthew complimented her necklace or hearing her giggle when the man told a joke was foreign territory for him. It was like she had a split personality or something.
    Then he realized Kristen was a woman. A damn sexy one. Where the hell had she been hiding all these years?
    “Kristen tells me you’re a hiker as well. Got a favorite spot?” Monica asked, forcing him back into their conversation. If she noticed his distraction, she was kind enough to overlook it.
    Jason dismissed his wayward thoughts about Kristen and chatted with Monica about local trails and overlooks until the meal arrived.
    Kristen caught his eye as they started to eat and gave him a quick wink. Clearly she viewed the night as a success. Strangely he didn’t feel as excited about the evening. While