Page 16 of Love on the Line

“Thanks. I realized I’ve had enough mopingaround. No more letting the past dictate my future. Time for better days.”

“Very inspirational.” Mathias chuckled. “Butseriously, AJ, that sounds great.”

“Thanks.” AJ beamed at his compliment,smiling broadly despite the fact he couldn’t see her face. She drained the restof her wine, and deciding she wanted another glass, lifted herself off thecouch to head to the kitchen. Putting her phone on speaker, she continuedtalking while bustling around the kitchen. “I’m not one to sit idle or feelsorry for myself, and I realized that’s just what I was doing. It was beginningto sicken me and I hated that. I was ready to move on.”

“Good for you. No need to dwell on thepast. Concentrate only on the future.”

“Exactly. And my immediate future consistsof me enjoying another glass of wine and delightful conversation.”

“Delightful, huh? Well then, you won’tmind if I have a beer, and I’ll try not to disappoint.” He chuckled.

“Better not, because I can one-click on myKindle like nobody’s business.” AJ laughed.

“Sounds serious. Do I need to develop a twelve-stepprogram for this addiction?”

“Absolutely not. I do havesomeself-control.”

“Uh huh, and how many reads do you have inyour TBR queue?”

“About thirty,” she mumbled into her glassas she made her way back to the couch. She propped herself against the armrestand kicked her feet up onto pillows.

“Excuse me, I didn’t quite hear you?” heteased.

“Thirty, okay.” AJ giggled. “That’s aboutaverage, right?”

“Actually, I wouldn’t know. I don’t own aKindle, or a Nook, or—”

“Wait. Are you telling me you don’t readanything electronically? How is that possible in today’s world?”

“I do have a tablet, and I read somethings on it, but I actually like to frequent bookstores. I like holding a bookin my hand. And at the rate I read, I’m lucky to get through one leisurely readin a month.”

“Wow! You’re an anomaly, aren’t you? Sohow many books on your TBR shelf? I’m assuming you have a physical bookshelf,right?”

“Yes, I do, and I have about ten booksawaiting my attention.”

“Only ten? Well, you better pick up thepace there, mister.”

“Are we in a competition?”

“No, I’m teasing. Everyone reads at theirown pace. So what genre do you like?” AJ took another sip of her wine, theliquid infusing her with a comforting warmth she felt spreading across her skinand through her body. Usually one drink a night was her limit, but tonight shefelt like celebrating, so why not an extra glass?

“Thrillers and suspense, some nonfictionabout history. What about you? No, wait, let me guess. Romance.”

“Stereotype much?” AJ laughed and Mathiasjoined her. “But to be honest, yes, I like all sorts of romance stories. Someinvolve suspense, some humor and emotion, evenero-,er, paranormal.”

“Amelia Jane, you were about to confessyour like of erotic romance, weren’t you?”

Oh God, she didn’t need to hear him saythose words in that sultry voice of his and have wild images take shape in hermind. So, she tried for deflection. “So what are you currently reading? Do youlike Lee Child? My friend Jen loves him, but I haven’t read any yet. I did seethe Jack Reacher movie and really enjoyed it, but most say that isn’t the same.And too many thought Tom Cruise wasn’t even a good representation of thecharacter, so—”

“AJ, you’re rambling, and definitelyavoiding my question.”

“Um, yeah, we don’t need to talk aboutthat. Let’s just move on to another subject.” She took a fortifying drink ofher wine, noticing her second glass was now empty.

Huh.

“But I’d really like to know the answer,” heplayfully whined.

AJ laughed. “Nope, not going there, becausethen I’ll forever be embarrassed.”

---