“Hmm. Did she accept?”
“She certainly did. Wedding is planned for early next year.” Maureen walked across the room and typed a few words into the search bar, and several penguin sites came up. She scrolled down to one in particular and clicked the link. “Here it is.”
Jared continued reading as Maureen peered over his shoulder. “Hmm.” Did Allison know all of this? More than likely.
He smiled when he learned that the penguin known for doing this was Allison’s favorite, the gentoo.
All of a sudden he missed her even more.
The phone on Maureen’s desk rang, and she excused herself. Jared spun around in his chair, gazing out the window without really seeing anything.
Would Al want to give them a shot?
“Maybe you should bring her a fucking pebble.” He laughed.
He and Al obviously had an attraction, or neither of them would’ve been able to make love the way they had. He’d never felt such a physical and emotional pull.
She had to have felt it, too.
To hell with this business. And Nick.
If his friend wanted to sever their friendship and give up their lucrative business, then so be it. Allison meant more to him than anything in the world. He would fight for the woman he loved. Even if he lost, he had to try. For the first time in weeks his blood pumped through his veins with purpose. He pushed himself up and away from his desk, yanked open his office door, and was greeted by Maureen’s wide-eyed stare.
“You okay, Jared?” she asked.
He nodded. “Is Nick in his office?”
“He is.”
Jared didn’t even bother to knock. Instead he pushed open Nick’s door and stormed across the room. Nick looked up from his desk, his pen poised in his hand. “What’s up?”
“What’s up? I’ll tell you what’s up. I love your sister. I miss her. I don’t care if our friendship is over, if you want to dissolve the business… Fuck, I don’t care at this point if we go belly up, some natural disaster takes place, or the world ends tomorrow. All I know is that I want to spend every second of the rest of my life with Al.” He cupped the back of his head. “I don’t even know who I am anymore. Since she left, I’ve tried to go about my life like nothing has changed, but everything has changed. I can’t do this anymore. I’m going after her, and if you have a problem with it you can—”
“Don’t even say it.” Nick stood, hands low on his hips. “She’s just as miserable as you look. I don’t know what happened between the two of you, and I’m sorry I got in the way, but if you love her—really love her—then go get her.”
“You’re not shitting me, are you?” Jared didn’t know if he could take it.
Nick shook his head, a slow smile spreading across his face. “Go get the girl.”
A lightness filled Jared’s chest that he hadn’t felt in weeks. “I will.”
He practically ran from Nick’s office, smiling as his friend’s laughter followed him out of the room.
“Go get her, Jared,” Maureen stood from her desk and shouted as he raced out the door.
He’d go get her, all right.
...
“I can’t apologize enough for telling you like this, Roy. I hope you’ll understand.” Allison balanced the box containing everything from her desk on her knee as she extended her hand toward Roy. He gripped it in a firm handshake as they stood just inside the entrance to the aquarium. All the confidence in the world didn’t prepare her for this difficult task. Not only had she given her resignation—and Nick had promised her old job was hers for the taking only an hour ago—but she’d told Roy she wasn’t interested in him, either.
He grinned, and his shoulders sagged. “I’m sorry that the job didn’t work out for you, Allison, but I understand. And no hard feelings about giving notice. If your place is back at Firstline, then I won’t hold you here to serve out two weeks that will only make you unhappier than you already are.”
“I can’t thank you enough.”
“As for you and me, well, I can’t say my heart is broken, and I don’t mean that in a bad way…”
“No. That makes me feel a little better, too. I didn’t want to hurt you, Roy. You’re a great guy. Just not my guy.”
“Who is your guy?”
Her gaze shifted to a commotion in the parking lot, and excitement zipped through her. She lost her balance as her head became dizzy, and she needed both hands in order to hold on to the box, as if that would keep her upright. “I’d like it to be that guy.”
A bubble of laughter escaped her lips. Was she seeing things?
Roy spun around, a large smile brightening his eyes. “I can’t say I’m surprised.”
Allison swallowed, her eyes trained on Jared as he crossed the pavement. A small group of tourists and a busload of students watched his progress, too. Several phones were pulled out and photos snapped. But who could blame them?
He was dressed in his black tux complete with a red-orange bow tie and peach-colored shoes.
She snort-laughed. Where the heck did he find peach-colored shoes?
His outfit wasn’t lost on her. He looked like a penguin. Not just any penguin, but her favorite: the gentoo.
Roy opened the door, and she stepped just outside the threshold. The cool morning breeze kissed her face, and she shook her head in order to clear the hair from her eyes.
Jared moved closer. Several people nearby shouted, pointed, but she blocked out all the sounds with each step he took. Her heart beat out an erratic rhythm, and she wasn’t sure she’d be able to stand upright much longer as all her blood left her head.
He stopped in front of her. The warmth of his body surrounded her, and she breathed in his wonderful sandalwood scent. God, she’d missed him.
“Allison Hall, I’ve searched high, low, aboveground, and below in order to find you the most perfect, smooth pebble. Perfect like you.”
She waved her hand in front of her face. “You’re going to make me cry.”
He grabbed the box from her hands and placed it at their feet, then took her hand and kissed it. “Not yet. You need to hear me out since I’ve worked so hard to get this right.”
She snort-laughed and covered her face.
“I’ve heard from a reliable source you’re not happy. And I’m not happy, either.”
“Nick?”
He nodded.
“Al, I love you. And I know you feel something, too. I’m asking you to give me a chance. Let me take care of you, but without smothering you; let me protect you, and you can protect me, too. Let me shower you with pebbles for the rest of our lives, but let this pebble be the first of many.” He pulled a velvet jewelry box from his front pocket and snapped it open.
Inside the most beautiful princess-cut diamond ring winked at her, and she gasped.
“Jared…” She could hardly breathe, barely speak.
“If you accept my pebble, we’ll be linked for life. Partners, mates, lovers, friends…”
“The whole nine yards,” she whispered.
“And then some.”
She laughed, and her heart swelled when he gave her a shaky laugh. Allison took a step toward him and touched his cheek. “Oh my God. I love you, too. I never dreamed you felt the same. Nick gave me my job back an hour ago. I was going to hunt you down and—”
He shook his head, grazing his lips against her forehead. “I don’t even need you to finish that sentence. All I needed to hear was that you love me.”
She pressed her mouth to his for a quick kiss and then put her hand out so that he could slide the diamond onto her finger. A perfect fit. Several patrons wandered out of the building, and the people from the parking lot stood back at a distance. More cameras clicked, and applause followed. Allison could feel her face heat, but she loved that she could see a tinge of color rush over Jared’s face, too.
“With this pebble I promise to always love you. To make you happy, laugh, and smile. And if we’re ever separated by ice barges or storms,
I’ll stay true and search for you forever.”
She covered her face with her hands and laughed before reaching up to caress his cheek. “I love you so much. And I promise the same.” She bared her soul as she held his gaze, her entire body on fire as he pulled her into his arms.
With his arm draped around her shoulders, he lifted his free hand toward the crowd. “I love this woman.”
The crowd cheered, and Allison patted him playfully on the chest. “Can we have our engagement party here at the aquarium, maybe a penguin theme?”
He pulled her into his arms for a soft kiss. “Whatever you want, babe. I’ll even agree to honeymoon in Antarctica if that’ll make you happy.”
“You make me happy.”
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Acknowledgments
As always I want to thank my amazing editor, Karen Grove, who defines the word awesome. She’s been such a powerful influence on my writing and a great support. I can’t thank you enough, Karen.
I also want to shout out to all the peeps behind the scenes at Entangled Publishing. You’re an amazing place to be, and I appreciate every day how lucky I am to be a part of the Entangled family.
Thank you to all my wonderful readers and my amazing street team who take the time to read my books and help me spread the word. Writing is such a huge gift, and I’m thankful every day to be able to do what I love.
Thank you to all the people in my life who have interesting quirks, phrases, habits, and looks that I’ve “borrowed” to help make my characters come to life. And finally, thank you, Sue Stevens, for allowing me to put your name in my book. I can hear your laughter when you read it in print for the first time, and that makes me happy. You’re a true friend and I love you.
About the Author
Christine Warner is living her dream in Michigan along with her family, three laptops (she might have a slight addiction, or maybe it’s a fear of one imploding from overuse), and a much-loved assortment of furry friends.
Besides laughing and a good round of humor, she enjoys spending time with her family, cooking, reading, and writing, but no arithmetic. A confessed people watcher, she finds inspiration for her stories in everyday activities. She loves to read and write about strong heroes and determined, sometimes sassy heroines.
A girl gone wild, at least where social media is concerned, she enjoys meeting other avid readers and writers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Goodreads, and her website at christine-warner.com.
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A Friendly Flirtation (Friends First #3) Page 22
