LITMIR.BIZ

      KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

       http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

      Contents

      Acknowledgments

      Chapter 1

      Chapter 2

      Chapter 3

      Chapter 4

      Chapter 5

      Chapter 6

      Chapter 7

      Chapter 8

      Chapter 9

      Chapter 10

      Chapter 11

      Chapter 12

      Chapter 13

      Chapter 14

      Chapter 15

      Chapter 16

      Acknowledgments

      Thanks as always to my brilliant critique group, Betty Allan, Michelle Hancock and Nazima Ali for their wisdom, patience, inspiration and fun company.

      For research assistance, I’d like to thank Doug Arnold, Christine Carter, Brenda Fedoruk and Domenica Guadagni. Kate Austin, thanks for telling me about, and loaning me, the Yo-Yo Ma DVD.

      This is a work of fiction so on occasion I’ve played free and loose with the facts. All errors are either intentional or my own darned fault, so please don’t blame my critiquers or research assistants!

      Last but not least, thanks to my editor, Hilary Sares.

      I invite my readers to visit my website at www.susanlyons.ca, e-mail me at [email protected] or write c/o PO Box 73523, Downtown RPO, Vancouver, BC, Canada V6E 4L9.

      1

      “Excuse me?” Rina Goldberg carefully put her teacup on the coffee table. Her heart was racing. A moment ago she and Al had been discussing the Spanish film they’d seen tonight and now he’d…

      No, she couldn’t have heard right. She stared at Al, who was calmly sipping his own Earl Grey at the other end of her couch. “What did you say?”

      His gray eyes narrowed slightly. “I said, I think we should get married.” Then he hurriedly put down his cup. “Sorry, I forgot.” He fumbled in the pocket of his navy Dockers. “I got you a ring.”

      A ring. A marriage proposal. Rina could only gape at the man. Was this for real?

      He handed her a tiny jeweler’s box and, heart pounding and hands shaking, she flipped it open to see a medium-sized diamond solitaire sparkling up at her. Oh my God.

      “You like it, don’t you?” he asked. “The store said it’s one of their most popular designs.”

      A generic engagement ring.

      “Rina? Say something.” He ran a hand through his short auburn hair, pulling it away from his forehead and revealing his receding hairline.

      Shit. A man—a very nice man who she’d been dating for two months—had just proposed and all she could think about was his male pattern baldness?

      This wasn’t how it was supposed to happen.

      This wasn’t the way she’d always imagined it.

      Damn. Since she’d been a little girl, she’d dreamed of the day Mr. Right would propose. He’d go down on bended knee, declare his undying love, slip a gorgeous ring on her finger. She’d cry, “Yes!” and fling herself into his arms, knowing they were destined for a happily-ever-after.

      Crap, this just wasn’t fair!

      Al wasn’t doing it right. Or, maybe, Al wasn’t right. Wasn’t her heart supposed to be leaping with delight, rather than hammering wildly as if she was on the verge of a panic attack?

      “Rina?” He was starting to look annoyed.

      She put the ring box on the coffee table and dragged both hands through her black Medusa locks, tugging her hair away from her face. “This is so sudden. I don’t know what to say.”

      “Jesus.” His usually even voice held a note of disgust. “You’re supposed to say yes and put on the ring, then we’ll kiss and go to bed. And tomorrow we’ll talk about the wedding.”

      The kissing and sex had definitely been in her plans. That had become their Saturday-night pattern. An early dinner at a nice restaurant, a mutually-agreed-upon movie, conversation over a cup of Earl Grey. Then bed, where there’d be one very nice orgasm for each of them.

      She’d been looking forward to that orgasm. But now it looked like she’d only get it if she said “yes.” And that word just didn’t feel like coming out.

      In fact, she seemed to have been struck dumb. What she really wanted to do was climb into bed by herself, pull a pillow over her head and moan.

      She wrapped her fringed scarf more securely, hugging it across her chest with crossed arms. Then she forced words out, voice soft and gentle. “I didn’t expect this.” She met his frustrated gaze with her own troubled one. “We were taking things slowly. One date a week, then two, then…” God, she wasn’t even comfortable saying the word sex to this man. “You know, being intimate.”

      “And all of it’s been good, hasn’t it?” he demanded.

      She nodded slowly. “Yes, it has. But I thought we’d…” The truth was, she hadn’t thought ahead. Things had been drifting along so comfortably. She’d been happy to have a regular guy in her life. Steady sex.

      Her arms still hugged her body and now he tugged them away, clasping her hands in his. His touch should have felt warm and loving, but instead it made her feel trapped.

      “Look, I’m thirty-two,” he said. “You’re turning twenty-seven in November. Why waste time? When something’s right, it’s right.”

      Yes, but were she and Al right? If they were, wouldn’t her heart have leaped for joy when he proposed? Or was that a silly girlish dream? Kids reacted with emotion; adults had to be rational. Her girlfriends were always teasing her that she was such a romantic. They thought it was cute, but she guessed it wasn’t very mature. Romantic dreams only came true in movies and novels, not real life.

      Except, her friends seemed to have found amazingly wonderful men…

      Was Al an amazingly wonderful man? He was nice, great even, but somehow the adjectives amazing and wonderful had never sprung to her mind.

      Did he actually love her? He hadn’t said so, not tonight and not in the weeks they’d been dating. She could ask—but then he might ask her back, and she wasn’t sure how she’d answer. She was fond of him and that fondness had been growing but—

      His grip tightened, cutting off her train of thought. “Rina, focus! It would be silly to wait any longer. We’re compatible, we have a good time together, we’re not getting any younger. It’s not that complicated.”

      But it was. At least for her. And because it was, she couldn’t give him an answer now. Nor could she decide this alone. She needed her best friends’ advice.

      Now that she’d made a decision, of sorts, she felt a surge of relief and her heartbeat steadied. She tugged her hands free. “Al, I’m flattered and honored. You’re a fine man and I care about you. But I need time to think. After all, you’ve had time.” Time to go to a store and select a ring that dozens of other women were wearing.

      He sucked in a long breath and let it out slowly, audibly. “You’re right. I guess this did come as a surprise. Think it over, and you’ll see it’s the right thing.

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