Turn Back Time (The Full Circle Series Book 1) Annette Anders (shoe dog free ebook TXT) 📖

I order for you?” David’s voice interrupted her daydreaming. “No, wait, let me guess…”

“Go ahead,” she said, entering into their old game of guessing what the other ordered. And later they’d share their meals. Or used to…

“You’re going with the Viennese veal cutlet and a side salad, but will substitute French fries for the pasta.” David looked confident to have gotten it right.

“And you’re having the fillet of cod with herbed potatoes and olives. Correct?”

“Yup,” he grinned. “What about dessert? Want to keep playing the guessing game?”

“Sure! You’ll order, hmm,” she tapped her bottom lip, “the selection of sorbets with the Madeleine cake.”

“And you the crème brûlée,” he said.

“I thought so at first. But the waffles Grand-Mère with chocolate sauce and apple compote also sound good.” She sucked in her lower lip, rolled her eyes, and put an index finger under her chin. “Oh, I simply cannot decide!”

He laughed and said, “There’s an easy solution, then. We’ll order dinner first and wait for dessert until later. And if you still can’t pick one, we’ll get all three.”

“Deal.” She held up her hand for a high five.

He high-fived back, but locked their fingers before she could pull away. Then he kissed the back of her hand and released it.

“Would you like some wine with dinner?”

“Yes, please.” Her skin prickled where his lips had touched.

While David was on the phone, she gazed out the windows. How would this evening end? She hoped they could remain friends after they cleared the air.

When he joined her at the window he said, “I ordered a bottle of Shiraz. I know you prefer reds over whites, and it’ll go well with both the veal and the fish. But I can change it.”

“It’s fine.” She turned, and said with a smirk, “I just remembered something; I broke my promise to Naomi. She’ll milk it so much, I’m almost afraid to see how she makes me pay.”

“What did you promise her?” he asked.

“On Monday, I promised I wouldn’t mention your name for the rest of the trip.” She looked up at him. Judging by the sparkle in his eyes, he didn’t seem hurt by her comment, only curious.

“Why is it important to her?”

“Because she wants me to move on. Last year she said she’d grant me a three-month bereavement period—her words, not mine, and don’t look at me like that. You know Naomi—and after my time was up, she started telling me I can’t continue to live in the past.”

“You said she’ll make you pay. What was your deal?” The curiosity in his expression was replaced by something else, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

“Well, we agreed if I break our deal, she gets to set me up on a blind date with a guy of her choosing.”

His eyes widened and he propped his fists on his hips. “Come again?”

“She’ll set me up on a blind date,” she repeated, and almost laughed. His reaction was hilarious.

“You can’t go out with a stranger. Especially not with one of her shady ex-boyfriends.” David went to the table and picked up his phone. Then he put it down again. And started pacing between the table and the windows.

“Excuse me? First, I’m free to go on a date if I want to. Second, she’ll send me on a dinner date, not into an arranged marriage. And third, nobody says I have to go on a second date with whoever it is.”

“Right, because there won’t be a first date to begin with.” He pierced her with a look.

“Huh?” She went to get her water glass and said over her shoulder, “Shouldn’t that be my decision?”

He was quiet, but she could feel his eyes on her. Then he asked in a voice so low she almost didn’t hear him, “Did you go on any dates in the past year?”

“Well... I sort of went out twice,” Stella said, and could feel her face getting warmer. She imagined Naomi telling her, “You don’t have to explain anything to him, let’s not forget he dumped you.”

“I wouldn’t call them dates. Both times, Naomi had a date, and her date had a friend or a cousin visiting from out of town, and the friend or cousin needed someone to keep him company…blah-blah-blah… you get the picture.”

“So, you were the designated babysitter?” He stood right in front of her now. The earlier curiosity in his eyes had been replaced with fire.

“That’s actually a very good description,” she grinned and touched her forehead. “But you know, then I got those sudden headaches and had to go home…”

She hadn’t thought it was possible, but she swore something was boiling in his eyes. He ran a hand over his head and down the side of his neck.

Before she realized what happened, she was in his arms and he kissed her. Unlike his earlier kisses, this one was hard, demanding, and the message was clear.

It told her, You’re mine.

For a moment, she got lost in his kiss, but then broke the connection and pushed away. What did he think he was doing? After everything he put her through…

“Listen,” she needed to take the upper hand here and get them back on neutral ground. Kissing didn’t give her the answers she was seeking.

“I’m sorry, Stella, and I apologize.”

“Don’t apologize for the kiss,” she whispered.

“I didn’t mean the kiss, baby. I’d never insult you by apologizing for wanting to kiss you. I apologize for what I did to you last year.” He sat down on a chair.

She sat on the other chair, facing him. Was this it? The moment she’d been waiting for?

“I don’t want your apology. I don’t need your apology,” she leaned back in her chair. “But I need to understand what happened. Was I not enough for you?”

He stared at her and reached for her hands, but she pulled them back and clasped them in her lap.

“Oh, my God, no! It was all me,” his voice dropped to a whisper. “I… I panicked.”

“Why?”

He jumped to his feet and paced between