16 Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

Author:Nicholas Sparks [Sparks, Nicholas]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

23

It was mid-June and Katie was leaving Ivan’s after finishing up a busy dinner shift when she spotted a familiar figure standing near the exit.

“Hey there.” Jo waved from beneath the lamppost where Katie had locked up her bike.

“What are you doing here?” Katie asked, leaning in to give her friend a hug. She’d never run into Jo in town before, and seeing her out of context felt strange for some reason.

“I came to see you. Where’ve you been, stranger?”

“I could ask you the same question.”

“I’ve been around enough to know you’ve been seeing Alex for a few weeks.” Jo winked. “But as a friend, I’ve never been one to impose. I figured you two needed some time alone.”

Katie blushed despite herself. “How did you know I was here?”

“I didn’t. But your lights weren’t on at the house and I took a chance.” Jo shrugged. She motioned over her shoulder. “Are you doing anything? Do you want to grab a drink before you head home?” When she saw Katie’s hesitation, she went on. “I know it’s late. One drink, I promise. Then I’ll let you go to bed.”

“One drink,” Katie agreed.

A few minutes later, they stepped inside the pub, a local favorite paneled in dark wood scarred with decades of use, with a long mirror behind the bar. It was quiet tonight; only a few tables were occupied and the two women took a seat at a corner table in the back. Since there didn’t seem to be table service, Katie ordered two glasses of wine at the bar and brought them back to the table.

“Thanks,” Jo said, taking her glass. “Next time, it’s on me.” She leaned back. “So you and Alex, huh?”

“Is that really what you wanted to talk to me about?” Katie asked.

“Well, since my own love life is in the dumps, I have to live vicariously through you. It seems to be going well, though. He was over there… what? Two or three times last week? And the same thing the week before that?”

Actually more, Katie thought. “Something like that.”

Jo twisted the stem of her wineglass. “Uh-oh.”

“Uh-oh what?”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think it was getting serious.” She raised an eyebrow.

“We’re still getting to know each other,” Katie offered, not sure where Jo was going with this line of questioning.

“That’s how every relationship starts. He likes you, you like him. Then you both go from there.”

“Is this why you came down?” Katie tried not to sound exasperated. “To hear all the details?”

“Not all of them. Just the juicy ones.”

Katie rolled her eyes. “How about we talk about your love life instead?”

“Why? Are you in the mood to be depressed?”

“When was the last time you went on a date?”

“A good date? Or just a date-date?”

“A good date.”

Jo hesitated. “I’d have to say that it’s been at least a couple of years.”

“What happened?”

Jo dipped a finger in her wine, then ran it around the rim of her glass, making it hum. Finally, she looked up. “A good man is hard to find,” she said wistfully.

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