Yours Always by Rhonda Dennis Read Free Book Online Page B

lot. 
    “I loathe sushi.”
    Fletcher laughs.  “Okay, no sushi.”  Almost as an aside, he mutters, “But you like hamburgers and pizza.”
    I give him evil eyes.  “I can’t believe you have the audacity to pick on me!  I’m sorry I was a little frazzled when we first met, but…”
    In a tone much too sexy for any sane woman to ignore, Fletcher asks, “Why were you frazzled?”
    I swallow hard before softly answering, “It’s Lizzy’s fault.  She made me ride to the pizza place in that car of hers.”
    His smoldering eyes call my bluff. “Oh, I see.”  With a smirk on his face, he fastens his helmet and straddles the bike before gently patting the backseat.  “So, where do you live?”
    I give him my address, and fifteen minutes later he drops me off at my door.  Once I’m inside my apartment, I dread checking the answering machine.  Without a doubt, there will be hundreds of messages from Lizzy asking about the evening.  Just as quickly as I finish that thought, I realize I haven’t received a single message, text, or communication from her the entire night.  I check my phone to make sure it’s operational, and it is.  With a huff, I plop onto the sofa and snuggle one of the pillows tightly.  My mind drifts, but I don’t like any of the scenarios playing out, so I shut it down and finally manage to get some sleep.

Chapter Five
     
    Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!   I slowly wipe the accumulated drool from the corner of my mouth before groaning.  My stiff neck and puffy eyes are reminders why I hate sleeping on the sofa.  Stumbling to the door, I wipe the sleep from my eyes and find Lizzy standing in the hall.  I unlatch the chain to let her in, but before I can finish she’s already bursting through the door.
    “Tell me everything!” she exclaims, far too perkily for my taste.
    “Everything?” I blandly say, taking the cup of coffee she’s thrusting in my face.
    “You know what I mean,” she scolds.
    “There’s not much to tell.”  I wrap a blanket around myself before reclaiming a spot on the sofa.  “We went to a carnival.  It was okay.”
    Lizzy’s eyes shine with disbelief. “Okay?  Just okay?  Why do I have a hard time believing that?”
    “Because you think every story has to have a fairytale ending.  Sorry Lizzy, but that’s not always the case.  Sometimes things suck, and sometimes they’re just meh.”
    “’Fletcher’ and ‘meh’ are two words that can never be used in the same sentence.”
    “If you say so.  What happened to you last night?”
    “Love.  That’s what happened to me last night.  I fell head over heels in love,” she squeals while clasping her hands together tightly.
    “Overnight?  Can you remember the precise time?  Was it 11:32, or maybe 11:34?” I sarcastically ask while shrugging my shoulders.
    “Tease if you must, but it happened.”
    “Congratulations,” I say dryly.
    “And…  I’M GETTING MARRIED!” Lizzy squeals.
    “Hunh?” I ask, shaking my head from side to side with disbelief.  “Married?  You met the guy last night.”
    “No, I met the guy in middle school; we reconnected last night.”
    “Oh, that makes it so much better,” I say, rolling my eyes.
    Lizzy crosses her arms over her chest.  “I have to say, I thought you’d be a little happier for me.”
    I sigh.  “I’m sorry, but I worry about you.  You and Grampy are all I have left in my life, and now you rush in here professing love and wanting to get married to someone you haven’t seen in years.  It’s ridiculous.”
    Lizzy sits beside me. “Is that the problem?  Are you worried that you’re going to lose me as a friend?”
    “No, I’m worried about your judgment.”
    “I’m a grown woman, Savannah.”
    “Your car has lips and a hair bow.”
    “My car is precious.”
    “Cars aren’t meant to be precious; they’re meant to get you from point A to point B.”
    Lizzy glares as she impatiently taps her foot.  “You’re