The Billionaire's Best Friend (The Sherbrookes of Newport) by Christina Tetreault Read Free Book Online

moment he reached for her, she took a step back.
    “ You’ve missed me?” Lauren asked with disbelief. “How can you say that when not once in fifteen years did you contact me?”
    Guilt slammed into him. “It’s not that I didn’t think about it.”
    “ Thinking and doing are two different things, Nate,” she said. Her light brown eyes narrowed and her voice turned cold.
    Prepared to apologize, Nate opened his mouth but the doorbell rang, and he didn ’t get the opportunity to say anything. Once again the dog barked wildly as Lauren groaned and threw up her hands.
    “ Great. Kevin’s here, and I’m not ready.” Without another glance in his direction, she walked around him to the door.
    As if this visit weren ’t already going downhill fast, now he had her boyfriend, or whatever he was, to contend with too. Turning toward the door, he watched her welcome Kevin inside.
    “ I’m running a little behind.” She closed the front door behind Kevin. “You remember Nate from the other night.” She nodded in his direction. “He stopped by to say hello.”
    Nate glanced back and forth between Lauren and Kevin. So far, neither had shown any display of affection. Not a hug or a kiss? Strange. Either the two of them were only friends despite Lauren’s claims otherwise, or their relationship was still in its early stages. Both options worked for him, although the first could make his task much easier.
    “ Nice to see you again.” Kevin extended his hand.
    “ Nate was just leaving,” Lauren said before he could say or do anything. “Give me ten minutes, and we can leave too.” Lauren took a step toward him. “Thanks for stopping by. It was good to see you.” Lauren clasped her hands behind her back as she met his gaze. “Sorry we couldn’t talk longer.”
    The confusion and apprehension in her eyes betrayed her true feelings. She obviously wanted him as far away from her as possible right now.
    “That’s okay. We’ll catch up some other time.” He took a step back toward the door. Retreat. The word rolled through him along with disgust. He wasn’t the kind of man who retreated. Yet at the moment he had no other option. She’d made that quite clear.
     
    ***
     
    The theater exploded in another roar of laughter when Lisa Jones, the comedian on the stage, delivered the punch line. Lauren, however, remained silent. She had missed the first half of the joke, so the punch line made no sense to her. Actually, so far that night, she’d missed most of the jokes. Sure, she’d heard the comedian’s words, but she hadn’t processed most of them. Instead, her thoughts returned time and again to her past two conversations with Nate.
    When she ’d opened the door that night, her first instinct had been to throw herself against him and wrap her arms around him. But that emotion quickly changed, and the urge to slam the door in his face took over. Thanks to sheer willpower, she’d avoided doing both.
    Who did he think he was just dropping by like that? He could have called first. His mother, also her boss now that she ’d become principal at the elementary school, not only had her address, but also her cell phone number. How could he think she’d believe his line about missing her? He’d been the one to end things all those years ago, not her. She would’ve stayed with him as he went through the Naval Academy and whatever else the Marines required from him.
    A smooth warm hand settled over hers, and Kevin ’s breath spread across her cheek. “Did you hear me?”
    Lost in her own thoughts, she ’d tuned out the rest of the room, including her date. “Sorry. I’m a little tired tonight.” She gave him a small smile. “I spent most of yesterday helping Kelly decorate the nursery, and then I worked on this week’s lesson plans.”
    The house lights overhead came up, filling the refurbished turn-of-the-century theater with light. “There’s a fifteen- minute intermission. The cafe probably has some