Read Broken Resolutions for Free Online

she think he didn’t like her, that he was still angry at her? If so, he could fix the situation quickly, with just an apology and a few words of explanation.
    He didn’t think it would prove so simple, though. She wasn’t avoiding Red Tie, despite the guy’s ongoing dickishness toward her. No, her reluctance to talk to or even look at Jack stemmed from more than just his earlier stupidity. Something about that Jane Eyre reading had upset her, even as it had aroused his interest.
    So ask her what happened, you idiot , his brain urged. Pair up with her and force her to talk to you.
    “That’s a good point,” he told Cologne Guy. “I was glaring at her. It was inexcusably rude. So I think I should take the opportunity to apologize to her while we play a game together.” He gave the sputtering man a friendly clap on the shoulder, heading across the room to Penelope.
    She was drawing names out of the hats again, announcing pairings to the expectant crowd. “Brenda . . . and . . .” She reached into the men’s hat. He saw her read the name and frown. Then her brow cleared, and she smiled. “Brenda and Carl. You’re together for this game.”
    Jack watched her surreptitiously place the name she’d drawn—Julian, if he wasn’t mistaken—back into the hat as everyone else turned to smile at his beaming mother and her distinguished suitor. He stifled a grin. He’d clearly underestimated Penelope’s level of sneakiness. Or maybe her level of romanticism. Either way, he approved.
    She reached for another woman’s name. “It’s me this time,” she said with a small sigh. “I’ll be paired with . . .”
    Jack came up right behind her. “Me.”
    She jumped, and he put a hand on her shoulder, ostensibly to soothe her fright. Really, though, he was searching for any excuse to touch her. Her skin felt warm and smooth under his fingers, and she smelled delicious. Lemony. And kind of like fries, too.
    She edged away from his touch. “I haven’t drawn a man’s name out of the hat yet,” she said. “I don’t know if we’ll be partners or not.”
    “You owe me,” he told her. “You didn’t let us read your scene from a book, and you didn’t explain why you chose that particular scene. I didn’t get the full experience.”
    “But I . . .” She trailed off, and then began again in a more aggressive tone. “You didn’t want to do it anyway. Don’t lie to me. I’ve watched you look miserable since the moment I walked in tonight.”
    She’d been watching him? That was good to hear . “Do I look miserable now?” he asked her.
    Reluctantly, she looked up at him, scanning his face. “No,” she said in surprise. “Actually, you don’t. You look . . . determined.”
    “I am. Determined to get the rest of my time with you.”
    “Just do it, lady,” Red Tie called out. “The rest of us are getting old waiting for you to draw our names.”
    Jack could see her clench her fists before she made a visible effort to relax. He tried to interpret the gesture. Was she angry at Red Tie’s sheer douchiness? Or was she furious that the man had cornered her into being Jack’s partner?
    “Fine,” she said in a clipped tone.
    Jack barely restrained himself from pumping a fist in triumph.
    “Since I’m running the game, I can’t really participate,” she said. “I won’t have much time to talk.” Her face had softened into what looked like a relieved smile.
    “I’ll make time.”
    Her smile disappeared, and she finished drawing names without another glance his way.
    A few minutes later, they gathered in their pairs to look at a list of book titles. “I’m going to hold up a book cover with the title covered up,” Penelope told them. “Each pair to match the cover to the correct title gets a point. The pair with the most points at the end of the game gets a special prize.”
    “What is it?” asked Skintight Dress.
    “A surprise,” Penelope told her. “Now find your partner. It’s time to start the