One of a Kind by Michelle Monkou

Author:Michelle Monkou
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-09-09T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

After an hour, when Kent had wound down his retelling, he felt emotionally drained—and he was missing Dana.

“So you really didn’t call her?” Conrad appeared to relish his counseling role. He’d barely interrupted Kent, only whistling when Kent said something that blew his mind.

Kent shook his head.

“You’ve got to call her before you head back to the U.S.”

“I will.”

“You’re leaving tomorrow morning. Why are you dragging your feet?”

“I shouldn’t have mixed business and pleasure.”

“It’s not like she couldn’t have said no. I think, at twenty-eight years old, she knows what she wants.”

“Doesn’t matter. I should have showed restraint. At least I should have waited until I was done with the project.”

Conrad shrugged. “Why didn’t you?”

“I thought that if I did wait, well, maybe, she would have changed her mind.” Thinking on his feet came naturally. But having Dana on his mind left him a bit befuddled.

“You can’t be an Essex boy, run with the wolves, and now try to act like one of these stuck-up sods. What you’re feeling is sheer instinct. Deep in the gut action and reaction.” Conrad sat back. “Didn’t think that I’d see the day when you lost a lot of your bark. Not a bad look—the kinder, gentler teddy bear.”

Kent could do without that nickname from his childhood. His woolly, overgrown afro, pudgy body, combined with a ferocious personality, had made him unforgettable. Once he had turned the corner in his life, he’d been determined to never go back. His mother had spent too many nights wondering where he was and if he’d come back home in the same condition as when he’d left.

Conrad slapped his shoulder. “I’m asking about Agatha. Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me.”

“What about her?” Kent didn’t want to talk about Agatha. She needed to remain in the background where he pushed most of his past. Conrad didn’t say anything, just wore a sheepish grin. Realization hit him. “Oh, my gosh...you?” His laughter echoed in the small pub.

“Okay, it’s not that funny. I have always thought she was attractive. Then, when you broke up, well, you weren’t here. She confided in me.” His friend paused, still miffed over Kent’s amusement. “I listened.”

“Oh, brother. Don’t try to pretend with me that you’re the sensitive soul. ‘The Red Fox’ was your moniker.”

Although his friend’s hair had darkened, the youthful version of Conrad had had fiery red hair that spoke to his Irish-Scottish background. Freckles covered most of his face, especially his nose, which somehow attracted droves of women. But it was his wicked grin that slew lots and should’ve warned them that he was up to no good.

“I didn’t push her to talk about you and her. I didn’t want to play magistrate. No, we talked about her—dreams, wishes, her plans.” Conrad held up his hands, all signs of hilarity or irritation gone. He stared at Kent, eye-to-eye. “Nothing happened between us because I always thought you’d get back with her, regardless of my feelings.”

“And you were willing to let

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.