Unchained Memories by Maria Imbalzano Read Free Book Online Page A

little crush on me.”
    “Is it possible you’re a little intrigued with her now?”
    “No. It’s not.” Clay barely hid the annoyance at Collins’ probing question. “It was nice though, to see her again.” More than nice. If his phone hadn’t buzzed to interrupt them today, who knew what new invitation would have fallen from his mouth. He thought back to a few weeks ago and her red hot gown and naked shoulders. “Even if I did contemplate asking her out, now that I know what she does for a living, there’s no way I’d pursue anything. It’s probably a good thing she didn’t accept my dinner invitation.”
    “Perhaps. Maybe her intuition told her to steer clear of you.”
    Clay’s ire surfaced at the insult. “What the hell are you talking about? I thought we were friends?”
    The amusement in Collins’ eyes was even more maddening.
    “Calm down, Clay.” Collins’ tone took on that of a parent reasoning with his child. “I’ve known you long enough to see how you deal with relationships. As soon as someone gets too close, you bail. Maybe Charlotte already knows that about you. Maybe she’s just being cautious.”
    This wasn’t about Charlotte anymore. This was a direct attack on his personal choices. “I don’t have time for an intense relationship. My work hours at the hospital and the clinic are not exactly conducive to getting married and having a family right now.”
    Collins arched his eyebrow, but didn’t respond.
    Clay sat back and sighed. “That’s what every woman wants. A family.” He surely wasn’t ready for that.
    “You’ll have to learn to balance the two one of these days, or you’ll be a very unhappy man.”
    “So, should I include that in my request for hiring two new ER docs? That in order for me to have a serious relationship, I need to work fewer hours?”
    “You can lay on the sarcasm, but one day you’re going to wake up and realize you’re lonely. And it will be too late to change your bachelor ways.”
    “What does any of this have to do with Charlotte?”
    “I don’t know. Maybe nothing.” Collins looked at him pointedly.
    “Even if I did think about dating Charlotte, now that I know she’s a malpractice attorney, the point is moot. She’s on the opposite side.”
    Collins peered at him over his glasses. “Sometimes, just sometimes, opposites attract.”

Chapter Five
    Charlotte dashed into her condo, threw her briefcase on the floor and stripped her clothes as she hustled to the bedroom. The clock flashed six-fifteen and even though she wasn’t much of a primper, that gave her less than thirty minutes to make herself look...look what?
    This wasn’t a date. It was a casual dinner with an old friend, as Clay had made a point of enforcing when he’d called. And she’d agreed. Yet, her heart danced as she jumped into the shower.
    After having washed the wear of the day away, she opted for a wrap-around navy dress ,which clung, she hoped, in the right places. Yes, it was Thursday and yes, there were no expectations of a date, but they were meeting at Zoey’s, a five-star restaurant in the center of town. Why not look nice?
    With a minute to spare, Charlotte entered the muted vestibule, her stomach somersaulting at the thought of spending the evening with her former crush. But no matter how many times she’d admonished herself to simmer down, it hadn’t worked.
    She needed to act cool, disinterested, aloof. Which had never been difficult with anyone else she dated. There was that word again. This is not a date. And even if it was, Annie had indicated Clay’s reputation was that of a player. Although, it hadn’t been confirmed. In reality, he could be in a serious relationship, or gay. A laugh escaped at that thought. Impossible. Clay had too much testosterone, not to mention unending charm and sophistication where women were concerned.
    “Charley, you made it.” His voice flowed through her senses.
    She turned toward him and her breath caught in her