8 Brand-New Romance Authors - Avril Tremayne Mills & Boon e-Book Collections

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favorite little coffee shop.

      “Did Josh have to work?” Hanna asked as she blew on her steaming cup of coffee.

      “Yeah. He got called in at the last minute.” Leave it to Micah to be the only one who knew Josh’s comings and goings. Did anyone see the oddity in that? She was mortified if so. No one needed to know the feelings she now possessed. They were to remain under lock and key.

      “What a shame. I haven’t seen him since the party.”

      “Well, with your schedule it’s no wonder you get to see anyone.”

      “You’re right. But I can’t slow down now. I am finally getting somewhere with my career. I can slow down when I’m dead.”

      Micah took a tentative sip of her coffee.

      “Hey, what did you guys think of Josh’s new girlfriend?”

      Micah almost choked. Leave it to Sabina to go there.

      “Her name is Taylor.” Jamie, leaning back against the window, spoke casually, as if the one statement were self-explanatory.

      “So?” The three girls all looked at one another in puzzlement.

      “So...if they get married she would be Taylor Taylor.”

      They all broke out in laughter, Micah forcing a laugh so as not to stand out. It was a little funny to think about, if she ignored the part about him getting married.

      “I don’t think anyone has to worry about that.” Hanna waved a hand dismissively. “He goes through women just as often as Sabina goes through men.”

      “Hey, that hurts.” Sabina swatted at her.

      Jamie ignored them. “Are you sure? She’s different. She seems more like the type he could settle down with. She seemed really sweet, unlike most of the women he dates.”

      Micah sat quietly as her friends, unaware of her rising panic, talked around her. Was Josh really serious about this girl? It was one thing to say she would be okay with a lifetime of friendship. She didn’t want to sit on the sidelines secretly in love with her best friend while watching him fall for someone else. It would be torture to watch him marry and build a life with another woman.

      Her friends continued to talk about the girls in Josh’s past, starting with the ones they’d disliked the most. There was the model, the doctor, the cheerleader, the makeup artist...oh, and they didn’t forget the pageant queen!

      As if she needed to be reminded again of just how little chance she had of being the object of his desire.

      Micah slammed her cup down on the table, effectively ending the conversation. Three sets of eyes snapped to attention.

      “Hanna, what was that guy’s name? The one you introduced me to at the party?” Micah needed to move on from Josh, too. She couldn’t take a giant step forward in one area of her life only to remain where she felt most comfortable in another area. She had wasted enough of her life stuck in the past. It was time to live.

      “Heck, yeah! Mr. Tall Drink of Water!” Sabina bounced in her chair.

      “Cameron?” Hanna looked puzzled by the quick change in conversation.

      “Yes. Him. You still have his number?”

      “Sure.”

      “He’s still single, right?”

      “You met him a week ago. He was single then. I’m almost positive he’ll still be single this week.”

      “Good.”

      She had shocked all of them. They knew she was trying to move on, but they hadn’t expected this any more than she had.

       THIRTEEN

      “When does Cameron get here?”

      Sabina leaned against the bathroom door as Micah put on the finishing touches to her makeup. Micah could see it in her eyes, she was evaluating her outfit and judging whether it was dateworthy enough. Well, Micah liked the way she looked and that was all that mattered.

      “He should be here any minute now.”

      “Where is he taking you?”

      “We are going out to dinner. I’m not sure where.” She opened her eyes wide to apply the last coat of mascara, her mouth opening as well. She found it humorous that her mouth always opened when she applied eye makeup. It made no sense whatsoever.

      “Here, wear these.”

      Sabina held out a pair of giant turquoise earrings. They were beautiful, but they weren’t her. No use putting up a false front with this guy. She wasn’t Sabina and never would be. From here on out, she would wear what she wanted and do what she wanted and no longer allow people to make decisions for her, regardless of how much she loved them.

      “No. I think I prefer these.”

      “Suit yourself.”

      Yes. It did suit her. Micah. The one and only.

      It felt good to be herself, to actually know who she was for the first time in, like...well, ever.

      Micah glanced at her phone for the zillionth time that day. No new messages. Each time she looked, her heart broke a little more. It shouldn’t. She should be past this by now. She had come to accept his friendship and nothing more. But part of her had hoped he would call, hoped he would hear about her date and rush in to stop her. Apparently, she had watched one too many chick flicks.

      She gave herself a final look in her full-length mirror. She had bought a new dress just for tonight. When she saw it in the store, she had to have it. She had seen something like it in a magazine; a celebrity had worn it to an event and had everyone talking. It was a new look they called color blocking—the dress itself was black, but curved white inserts in the center front and center back gave the illusion of a smaller and much curvier shape. The moment she tried it on, she had felt sexier than ever before. It was unbelievable just how one dress could transform how she viewed herself.

      She had painstakingly flat-ironed her hair, a rare occurrence for her riotous curls. This date was special, the first date in ten years that she was actually going to give a chance. She felt it was deserving of the added effort.

      There was a knock at the door. Her stomach churned with nervous first-date jitters. This had to be a severe case. Sabina answered and let him in. “Micah, Cameron’s here.”

      As if she couldn’t hear him from her room five feet away from the front door. Silly girl. He was wearing a sharp gray suit. Not the typical business suit, though, it was more tailored, as though he had just stepped from the pages of an Express catalog or something. He looked good in it, too. His dark hair was styled nicely with pomade.

      “You look nice.” His face broke out into a big grin when she walked in.

      “Thank you.” It had been too long since a guy had smiled like that because of her. And it was even better with Sabina standing next to her.

      She really needed to get over her insecurity of being near Sabina. They were both different and unique and beautiful in their own ways. And Micah had a lot to offer! It was about time she figured that out.

      “Ready?”

      Oh, jeez. This was nerve-racking. Could she survive this night? The last minute second-guessing commenced. Should she even go? She gazed up at his smiling, kind and well-groomed face. Heck, yeah! “Yes.”

      “Have fun, kids.” Sabina waved like a fool as they walked into the hallway. How embarrassing. Micah rolled her eyes, but couldn’t help but laugh. Sabina would get it later.

      He opened the door to his silver BMW. Chivalrous. She took note of that. All her life she had surrounded herself with guys who knew how to treat a lady. She wouldn’t settle for

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