Page 101 of Suddenly Dating
It was a celebratory kiss, a New Year’s Eve kind of kiss, but it stoked a flame in Lola immediately. All the mixed-up emotions she’d been feeling about Harry began to bubble up, quickly frothing to a head. She and Harry both swayed back from one another; he looked as surprised as she felt.
“Damn it,”Lola whispered. The joy began to leak out of her. Here it came, the nauseating swell of disappointment, riding high on the agony of wanting to celebrate this moment with her casual sex partner.
Harry must have been feeling something similar, because they stood there, looking at each other. Harry’s gaze moved over her face, his expression pained. For a slender moment, it felt as if there was no one else but her and Harry on that dock, no movement but the longing that was pulling at them. Lola couldn’t look into his green eyes without feeling the longing curl around her heart and squeeze.
She was the first to look away. “I should find Mallory.”
“Please don’t run away from me, Lola.”
She wasn’t running.She wasn’t running.She glanced at him from the corner of her eye and smiled. “I’m really happy for you, Harry.”
He touched the earring dangling from her ear. “I’m really happy for you, too.” But he didn’t look happy; he looked sad.
So many thoughts crowded into Lola’s head, so many things she wanted to say.Come on Harry, let’s get out of here! Let’s go celebrate!“Hey, what would you say if...” A familiar laugh managed to catch her attention. Lola paused and looked to the left. Melissa was coming up behind Harry.
“What would I say to what?”
“Melissa is here,” she said.
“I know.”
“I meanhere,” she said as Melissa reached them.
Melissa touched Harry’s arm and gave him a dazzling smile. “Hey, you,” she said, and then to Lola, “Hi! Wow, another amazing dress, Lola. You look great.”
“Thank you,” Lola said. But she was looking at Harry.
“So,” Melissa asked, leaning into Harry’s side. “What’s up?”
“I was just telling Lola that I had a great conversation with Albert Cantrell. He was awarded a huge toll road project and will be bidding out the bridges.”
“Harry!” Melissa said, turning her full attention to him. “That’s wonderful! All your hard work is finally paying off—I am soproudof you,” Melissa said, and cupped his face. “You’reamazing.”
Jesus, the woman was beautiful and glowing and she loved Harry, and Harry would be a fool not to see it. Lola took a step backward. “I’m going to find Mallory.”
Harry reached for her, trying to catch her hand, but Lola shifted slightly so that he couldn’t. “Fill her in, Harry!” Lola said gaily. “She’s dying to know.” With a little wave of her fingers, she turned around and walked away.
If she had paused to look back, she would have seen Harry standing there, watching her go. She would have seen the look of longing on his face, too, and how he didn’t seem to see Melissa at all.
But Lola didn’t look back.
Twenty-six
Harry was more than ready to go—his mind was racing around all he wanted to do to prepare for the Monday meeting. He wanted to find Lola and get the hell out of there, but instead, he found himself trapped at a picnic table with Birta, Cyrus Bernstein, and Melissa, who had begged him, “Pleasedon’t leave me alone with Birta. She’s sointense.”
The crowd had seemed to swell, and now there were too many people at the barbecue. Harry could hardly hear the conversation at the table, which was fine with him. He was looking for a flash of yellow dress, listening for that sunny laugh. He wanted to talk with Lola about his meeting with Albert Cantrell, to hear everything Bernstein had said to her. But Lola had disappeared.
He began to wonder if she’d left the party altogether.
Melissa pressed into his side, propped her hand on her chin, and smiled up at him. “What’s on your mind, babe? You’re kind of quiet tonight.”
“I’m just thinking about all I need to do for this meeting Monday.”
“Harry!” she said and laughed. “That’s so you, thinking about work at a party. What I want to know is, when are you going to think aboutus?” She trailed her fingers up his arm, smiling into his eyes.
There had been a time Harry had not been able to keep his hands from her. He’d been a different man then—a confident, self-assured man who had arranged all his chess pieces. He was a humbler man now who was trying to keep his chess pieces from falling off the board. “There is nous, Lissa. All those issues that kept us apart are still there—that hasn’t changed.”
Melissa blinked. “No, they’re not. It was all me, babe. I know what I did, I know how I behaved. I’m so ashamed of it now, but you have to believe me—I’ve changed. I’m so proud of you and what you’ve accomplished. You know what? We should have a drink to celebrate. Where did your date get off to, anyway?” she asked, and sat up and looked around.
