Read Mila (Heartbreaker #3) for Free Online Page A

really nice. Maybe it was for someone else. I shake the pain off because this is what I wanted. Brian has the potential to make me feel too much and I don’t want to hurt him, which is what I would eventually do.
    I say good-bye to the last patron and sit with Patsy and Regina. They hand me another glass of champagne and toast me and the success of the show. I don’t stay too much longer and Patsy tells me to come in Monday to go over my sales and discuss any future opportunities.
    On my way home, I go through the drive-thru of a fast food restaurant to grab something to eat. I didn’t get much of a chance to eat earlier and I’m starving. One thing about America, they make it very easy to be lazy and not cook. I need to be careful. Otherwise I’ll blimp up.
    Thoughts of Brian flash through my mind, driving me bonkers.
     
    ***
     
    I pull into the parking lot at Applebee’s. Nicola’s sweet little voice chatters away happily in the back seat. Jill called me this morning and asked me to watch Nicola because the babysitter was sick. Nico had a meeting he couldn’t get out of and Gabe and Jasmine were out of town. Nicola and I have been to the park, the petting zoo, and my house. We’ve had a great time, but I’m exhausted. I climb out of my car and grab Nicola out of her car seat.
    “Are you ready to see Mommy?” I ask her.
    Jill asked me to bring Nicola to meet her for lunch. When we step inside, I don’t see Jill, so I get us a table and a high chair. Nicola babbles away as I set her in the high chair and pour some of her yogurt puffs on the table in front of her. With her chubby little hands, she picks up the pink treats and pops them into her mouth.
    I order water and check my emails. It’s been a week since my art show. I sold seven paintings and one pottery piece. I know Nico and Gabe probably purchased most of the stuff. It’s sweet, and I’m flattered. My most expensive piece sold for a thousand dollars, but Patsy didn’t give me the name of the person who purchased it.
    “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy!”
    Nicola looks past me and starts bouncing up and down in her seat. I turn to where she’s looking to find Jill and Brian walking toward us. That familiar warmth he always invokes comes back with a vengeance.
    Over the past week, Jill has been trying to get details out of me, but I’ve remained tight lipped. It’s no one’s business what happened between the two of us. Plus, if I talk about him, she’ll quickly discover that I really like Brian. Then she’ll start asking questions I don’t want to answer.
    I stand up when they approach the table. Jill kisses my cheek before going to Nicola. Brian stops right in front of me. “I hope it’s okay that I tagged along. We were at an out-of-office meeting and she mentioned she was coming here and invited me.”
    “ Si , it’s fine. Thank you again for coming to my show. It means a lot to me that you did.” I can feel myself blush. I don’t know what my problem is. I feel like a teenager talking to her first crush. It’s too crazy. With my face buried in my menu, I sit across from Jill and Brian.
    After we all order our lunches, conversation is awkward at first. Jill is the only one talking, but at least she’s not mentioning how uncomfortable it is.
    One thing I do notice is that the women in this place have no problem checking Brian out, and he seems to be oblivious to it. If I was a nicer person, I’d encourage these women to come talk to him, but I’m not because I want him for myself. I’m selfish because I know I’m going to hurt him, but I want to see where this goes. Of course that’s if he even wants to go out with me. I did give him the lame let’s-be-friends speech.
    Once our food arrives, conversation becomes a little less stilted. Brian and Jill talk about their meeting and how the new computer program could make things so much easier for them. I know I’m staring, but I can’t help it. He’s just so handsome, and I don’t think