Summer of Love Marie Ferrarella (easy books to read in english TXT) 📖

talent. A gift,” he emphasized. “Born out of necessity,” he added. “Satisfied?” He studied her across the table.

“No,” Lila answered honestly. “But I guess that it’ll have to do for now.”

She was rewarded with a smile that seemed to come from deep inside of Everett. She could feel her heart flutter in response.

They talked for another hour, long after the main course and the fortune cookies had come and gone and the pot of tea had been refilled.

“I think we’d better get going. It looks like our server wants the table.” She looked toward the reception area and saw why. “There’s a line going all out the door now.”

Everett found himself reluctant to leave. “I’m sure I can find a way to make it up to him if you want to stay a little longer. Would you like a few more appetizers?” he asked.

Lila laughed. “If I so much as look at another one, I’ll explode.”

“Okay, that’s a no,” he acknowledged. “So I guess you’re ready to go?”

Lila nodded. “I’ve got another day at work tomorrow and you, you’ve got a long drive ahead of you,” she reminded him. “I can call a cab for myself if you’d like to get started on that drive home,” Lila offered, watching Everett’s expression for any indication that he did want to leave.

Everett regarded her thoughtfully. “If I didn’t know any better, I would venture to say that you were trying to get rid of me.”

“No,” Lila denied, saying the word with feeling. “I’m not.”

He grinned at her. “Good, because it’s not working. I’m going to be taking you home. The few extra minutes that it’ll take me isn’t going to make a difference as far as my trip is concerned,” he assured her. Raising his hand, he signaled to the server.

True to his word, Everett left an extra large tip on the table for the man. Large enough to prompt their server to call after them as they left, saying, “Please come again!”

Lila and Everett exchanged looks and grinned at one another just before they walked out of the increasingly crowded restaurant.

“I had a really nice time tonight,” she told Everett once she was at her door.

Everett nodded, doing his best to look solemn as he reviewed their evening.

“Well, you made it all the way back home without passing out, so the way I see it, it was a successful evening,” he said dryly.

Lila shook her head. “You’re not going to let me live that down, are you?” she asked.

“In time, maybe,” he conceded.

Key in hand, Lila stopped just short of putting it into the lock. She knew she was stalling, but she couldn’t help herself.

“Does that mean you want to do this again?” she asked Everett.

“Absolutely,” Everett answered with certainly. He paused for a moment, debating whether or not to say what was on his mind or quit while he was ahead. After a beat, he made up his mind to continue. “Lila, I just want you to know that I intend to rebuild what we once had,” he told her. He saw the wary look that came over her face even though he could tell she was trying to appear unaffected by his words. “I didn’t say that to scare you, Lila. I want to be fair about this. I’m not going to go behind your back, or spring something on you. This is all going to be aboveboard and honest. I just really want to make the most of this second chance.”

“Second chance?” Lila repeated.

The fact that she wasn’t immediately dismissing what he’d just said told Everett that at least to some extent, she felt the same way he did. This was their second chance. Or more accurately, his second chance.

“I think that Fate threw us together like this for a reason, Lila, and I’m not about to ignore that,” he told her.

He could see that she still looked wary.

“Don’t worry,” he reassured her quickly. “I don’t plan on throwing a sack over your head and running off with you to some isolated cabin in order to wear you down until you see things my way. I told you that I’m patient and that’s not just when it comes to getting a table in a restaurant. I will go as slow as you want me to go, but I have a feeling that in the end, you’ll agree with me that we were meant to be together.”

As he talked, standing so close to Lila, he was overwhelmed by an urge to kiss her. But he instinctively knew that doing so at this moment would spook her and he couldn’t afford the setback that would create. Kissing Lila might satisfy the need he had just to feel her lips against his, but it very well might cost him in the end. He’d be winning the battle but losing the war, so to speak.

So, difficult as it was, he was determined to hold himself in check and wait.

He had no other choice. He had told Lila the truth. Patience was at the very core of his psychological makeup. He intended to wait as long as he had to in order to win Lila back.

“Are you sure that you’re up to driving all that distance?” Lila asked him, breaking into his thoughts.

The fact that she worried about him touched Everett again. It proved to him that he was right. In the long run, they were going to wind up together. Fate wouldn’t be that cruel to him, to bring her back into his life like this only to ultimately have him lose her a second time. He just had to stay strong and keep his wits about him.

“I’m fine,” he told her. “And I’m going to be back sometime next week for a day. I’ll see you then,” he promised. “Now go inside and lock the door so I can get going.”

Lila was about to point out that she got inside her house on her own every night