Turning Thirty-Twelve by Sandy James Read Free Book Online Page A

our chests touched. I looked up into his big brown eyes and wanted to drown in them. I was sure he was going to kiss me again, and this time I planned to be ready when he did.
    Then his stupid cell phone rang.
    The silly thing played the theme from Dragnet . At least I was pleased to notice that he didn’t appear very happy about the interruption, either.
    He popped the phone off of his belt clip and glanced at the caller-ID. “Sorry. Gotta take this one.”
    Trying not to eavesdrop, I groped for the wall of the rink so I wouldn’t fall again.
    After what seemed like a short, intense conversation, he clipped the phone back to his belt and skated next to me. “I’ve gotta go. I need to get you home first. I’m really sorry to cut things short.”
    I nodded and tried not to look too disappointed, even though I was. It wasn’t as if I was entirely stupid. I knew the phone call had to have come from his “rescuer”—the person who was scheduled to call at a certain time. This way he had an “out,” a way to get the hell away from the person he was stuck with as a blind date. Mark had engaged his safety net.
    Then it dawned on me that I had wanted to go out with him so badly I hadn’t even made the same contingency plan. I suddenly wanted to cry because I knew I had been right all along. Men who looked like Mark really didn’t want to go out with women like me. Suzanne had probably twisted the poor guy’s arm. I promised myself I wouldn’t cry in front of him, but damn it was tough. I knew I’d be weeping like a willow when I was safely home.
    I wanted to die of embarrassment when I realized it might have been Carly who bailed Mark out of the date. How was I ever going to face her again?
    That’s what I have coming for dating a student’s parent.
    Hands were suddenly waving in front of my face. “You did it again,” Mark said with a chuckle. “You’re thinking too hard again.”
    “I can get a cab.”
    “Where the hell did that come from?” he asked, looking a bit confused.
    “You need to go, remember? Just trying to expedite matters for you.” I tried not to sound too hurt, but I was.
    Shit. I’d already let the guy in.
    “I need to go to a crime scene, but I can drop you off first,” he insisted.
    “Fine. Whatever.” I flippantly dismissed him with a wave of my hand.
    I tried to be nonchalant as we took off our skates and put our shoes back on. My ankles ached enough I’d be sucking down Tylenol the instant I got home. Since it was Friday and my pride was aching from the smacking it just received, I’d be drowning it in a wine cooler or two.
    Mark didn’t say anything, but he acted a little angry. I seriously heard him growl.
    We dropped our skates off and walked back out to the parking lot. When we got to his car, he reached to open the door, but suddenly seemed to change his mind. He grabbed his cell phone and punched the screen. Then he held it up to me and showed me the list of incoming calls.
    The last one read, “Police HQ.”
    Detectives are too damned smart for their own good.
    I had no idea what to say to him, so I chose to babble incoherently instead. “Mark, I’m sorry... I didn’t... It’s been so long...”
    He actually laughed. “It’s all right. I’d have been suspicious too.”
    By the time we got back to my house, I’d blown the chance to get to know Mr. Yummy any better. After all, who wanted to date an obviously neurotic forty-something?
    Mark walked me to the door. When I retrieved my keys from my purse, he gripped my arm and turned me to face him. He leaned over me and put his hand on the door behind me. I felt as though I couldn’t breathe as his face hovered close to mine.
    “I’m sorry I have to go, Jackie,” he whispered, his lips inches from mine. “Would you like to go out tomorrow?”
    I couldn’t have been more surprised if someone had told me I was going to be a mother again. “You want to go out with me again?” slipped out of my mouth before I