Unlikely by Sylvie Fox Read Free Book Online Page B

work. Holly was wearing a tiny bronze dress that left little to the imagination and some kind of sparkly cream that made her skin glow. All that exposed leg and curly hair was wrapped up in a woman that was just his type.
    Despite all that, he just wasn’t that into her. He worked to hide his disinterest, hoping he wasn’t too transparent. He made sure he kept up his side of the conversation while they drove to the appropriately trendy restaurant, and ordered the right wine and two of the celebrity chef’s specials.
    Holly sipped from her wine glass and pushed around her uneaten dinner.
    “Hey there,” she said softly, stopping him in the middle of a sentence. “I can see this isn’t going anywhere between us. What’s really on your mind tonight?”
    Ryan closed his blue eyes briefly. “I met someone.”
    Holly’s release of breath was audible. “That’s such a weight off my shoulders. I met someone too. Well not exactly someone new, but I’m sort of involved with someone I’ve known for a long time, though I don’t think I want to be… ” She trailed off, seeming a little embarrassed by her candidness. “What about you?”
    “I met this woman that I can’t get out of my mind.”
    “What’s she like?”
    “She’s nothing like me. She’s a breath of fresh air. I met her in the craziest way. We were trying to save this dog on the freeway—”
    Holly interrupted before he could finish his thought. “Wait. Are you talking about Sophie? My best friend, Sophie Reid?” She was suddenly more animated than she had been anytime that night.
    “I didn’t exactly get her name.”
    “But… Well, how would you describe her?”
    “She’s about five foot three or four with yellow, no, now I think it’s purple, hair and a sunflower yellow Volkswagen Beetle with this clever vanity plate… ”
    “EW A BUG,” they said together, laughing.
    “That’s definitely Sophie,” she said, pausing uncertainly. “Are you guys—um—seeing each other?” she asked politely, though it was obvious from the sudden change in her demeanor that she already knew the answer.
    “She won’t see me,” he said soberly. “But I’m pretty sure that there’s something there between us. I mean, on the surface we don’t have much in common, but it’s like we’re meant to be together.”
    “Mmmm, she doesn’t date lawyers, you know,” Holly said. “It’s kind of like a bright line rule with her.”
    “Why?” he asked, hoping Sophie’s best friend could shed some light on what he considered an unreasonable prohibition.
    “I don’t feel comfortable disclosing that,” Holly said, clamming up. Clearly, she was in the “girls’ club.” He’d be lucky if he got one more morsel of information out of her tonight. “That’s something she should explain to you herself, I think.”
    “I don’t exactly know how to contact her,” Ryan said, putting on the lost little boy look that most women couldn’t help but find endearing. “Can you give me her number at least, so I can have that conversation with her?”
    But Holly didn’t seem the least bit affected by his plea. “I’m sorry, I thought I heard someone’s voice,” Holly said, looking over to the crowded three-deep bar, distracted for a long moment. She turned back to the table. “Ryan, I don’t think I’d feel comfortable going against her wishes like that,” Holly said, clearly preoccupied, looking over her other shoulder now. She turned back to their conversation again, but she had lost her earlier enthusiasm. “I can tell you that she’s helping me do some volunteer work at the Korby Center next weekend.”
    “The Korby Center?”
    “You know how I organize volunteer events for Equia, right? Well, I’ve had a little problem getting volunteers for this thing we’re doing next weekend. We’re supposed to landscape and redecorate a residential home for foster kids who’ve aged out of the system.”
    “Oh, I saw that in last month’s Otter