LITMIR.BIZ

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Taryn said, sounding unconvinced. “We have this conversation every few months. You say you want to dress better, I offer to help. You promise to set up a shopping date with me and never do.”

      Larissa stepped out of the shoes and handed the jacket to her friend. “I know. I’m not really the makeover type. I like to keep things simple.” She studied her face in the mirror. It was clean and her skin was nice. Her hair was a good color. Medium blond and the only color she used was for highlights, which she got done maybe every six or eight months.

      “Mascara wouldn’t kill you,” Taryn informed her. “I’m not saying you have to dress like me. You could still be comfortable but more pulled together.”

      “Are you saying that as my friend or my boss?”

      Taryn rolled her eyes. “You work for Jack. He’s the one you have to make happy. I’m simply pointing out that about once a month you come in here, try on something of mine and then talk about making a change. That has to mean something.”

      Larissa was pretty sure it did, but that wasn’t why she was here.

      “I need to talk to you,” she said instead.

      Taryn immediately pointed to the sofa in her office. “Sure. What’s up?”

      Larissa sat in a corner of the comfy couch and tucked her legs under her. She angled toward her friend. “It’s about what happened yesterday. With my mom and Jack and what she said.”

      She waited, hoping Taryn would jump in with a laugh and an “Of course no one believes you’re in love with Jack. How ridiculous.”

      But Taryn was silent.

      Larissa drew in a breath. “I don’t love him. We’re friends. We work well together. I like him—he’s a likable guy. It’s just my mom wants me married and I guess I want that, too. Eventually.”

      Because from the outside, marriage seemed really great, but from the inside—at least what she’d observed with her parents—it sucked.

      She supposed that assessment was harsh. After her parents had gotten divorced, they’d both been much happier people. Everyone agreed. Her parents liked to joke that they never should have gotten married. And they wouldn’t have. If there hadn’t been an unexpected pregnancy. Namely her.

      “I could just as easily find the right guy here in Fool’s Gold as in Los Angeles. Probably more easily. It’s hard to date in Los Angeles. There are a lot of unrealistic expectations what with the movie business so close.” She pressed her lips together. “Why aren’t you saying anything?”

      “Because you’re doing fine without me,” Taryn told her.

      “Do you think I’m in love with Jack?”

      “I think you have an interesting and symbiotic relationship.”

      “That’s not an answer.”

      “Maybe, but it’s the truth. Jack wants to make a difference in the world, without getting too involved. You want to save the world, but you lack resources. You have heart and Jack has money. Together you make a great team.”

      “Exactly,” Larissa said quickly. “We’re a team. Not a couple. We’re friends. There’s love between friends, but it’s different. It’s not romantic. Like when I needed a temporary place for those three fighting dogs to stay. Jack let me use his house.”

      Taryn’s mouth twitched. “You mean you put the dogs in Jack’s house before telling him and they wouldn’t let him inside his own home so he had to stay at a hotel for a week but he didn’t get mad at you?”

      “You don’t have to put it like that,” Larissa told her. “But, yes, that would be an example of us working as a team.” Although she wasn’t completely sure Jack would agree with her example.

      “Jack’s a good guy,” Taryn said. “He goes along with what you want because it allows him to be connected without getting involved. You like that Jack is always there in the background to rescue you if you need it. You get to take risks without actually putting yourself out there.”

      Larissa winced. “I am not so excited about the total honesty part of this conversation.” She wanted to disagree with her friend’s assessment, but didn’t think she could.

      Taryn touched her arm. “I love you, but I can’t help with this. What you have going on with Jack is complicated. You’re both getting something out of it, but the relationship also keeps each of you from looking for more. You know Jack’s a bad bet, so you are careful not to take things too far. Which is smart. But I wonder if what your mom meant is that you’re just committed enough that you’re not interested in looking for someone else.”

      Larissa sprang to her feet, crossed to the door, then stopped and turned back.

      “I’m not hiding from falling in love.”

      Taryn raised her eyebrows.

      Larissa frowned. “Not completely. I just... I’m not in love with Jack.”

      “Prove it. Go fall in love with someone else.”

      “Not everyone wants to get married.”

      “What does that have to do with being in a relationship? Don’t you want more than friendship? Don’t you want passion and sex and romance and knowing there’s someone you can call at two in the morning and he’ll be there, no matter what?”

      Larissa nodded because it was the answer Taryn expected. The truth was more complicated. Yes, she wanted passion and sex and romance. But if she needed to call someone at two in the morning, she knew all four Score owners would be at her side in a heartbeat, with Jack leading the way. Was that what Taryn was trying to say? That the reason Larissa hadn’t found the one was because she didn’t need to?

      She doubted the truth was that simple.

      * * *

      HUNAN PALACE WAS conveniently located in Larissa’s neighborhood. The vegetables were fresh, the sauces delicious and Jack had to admit they had the best egg rolls he’d ever tasted. As he wasn’t the kind of guy who cooked and Larissa was too busy saving the world to provide a meal, their regular Tuesday-night dinner meant takeout. They met at her place. He brought the food. She provided the beer or wine. It was nice. Easy.

      As he crossed the street, he nodded at the people he knew, or at least recognized. Fool’s Gold was that kind of town. You were expected to get involved. Hell, even Sam was teaching finance classes for small businesses a couple of times a month. Kenny would be sucked into something before long, Jack thought. Which meant being asked to help find a new coach wasn’t much of a surprise. Plus, it was the kind of thing he would enjoy. Even though he couldn’t still play, the love of the game had never gone away.

      He reached Larissa’s apartment building. She had an upstairs unit in a place without an elevator—which was just like her. He happened to know she could afford something much nicer and larger, but that wasn’t her way. She wanted her money to go toward her causes. His money, too, he thought with a grin. But what the hell. He had enough.

      He knocked once, then opened the door. Larissa wasn’t one for locks.

      “It’s me,” he called and he stepped into her small one-bedroom apartment.

      Larissa looked up from the book she’d been reading. “Hi. Meet Dyna.”

      He glanced down and saw a cat hurrying toward him. She had long hair and almost-human blue eyes.

      “You really got a cat.”

      “I told you I did.”

      “I know, but I thought you were kidding.”

      Dyna wound her way around his legs in a tight figure eight, depositing light-colored cat hair on his suit pants with every step.

      “Nice,” he murmured, making a mental note to change into jeans before visiting

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