Read Running From Fate for Free Online

stood up. “ Where are your bags? ” he asked . “ We’ll get you settled in the guest room and I’ll take you out to dinner .  Y ou can forget all about things for a wee bit .”
    “You don’t need to do all that.  I didn’t want to impose so I thought I’d stay at a hotel. I’m already checked in.” In truth, she knew Pat and she didn’t want to spend the next few days being grilled about the court case or, more likely, her romance life or lack of it.
    “ Then you’ll just have to go and get yo ur bags won’t you ?  You’ll be staying here,” he stubbornly insisted.   “ What would your parents think if I made you stay at a hotel?  Besides, a pleasure it would be to have the company.   I’m too much by myself these days. ”  He walked over to a side table and picked up the phone .  “I’ll be call ing a cab for you, but I want you back in an hour. Wear something nice and I’ll take you somewhere fancy .”
    She sighed and stood up, giving in gracefully . There was no point in arguing.
     
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    She wore the Armani as it was one of the last piece s of designer clothing that she had left . Most of it , unfortunately, had been sold to help pay for her lawyer and supply the money her creditors had demanded when they heard of her new employment status . This dress, however, she couldn’t bear to give up.  It was dark blue, strapless , and fitted to her figure like it had been made for her. The lines showcased her lithe curves and the hemline that flirted just above her knees brought attention to her toned legs without looking indecent. 
    Paired with sleek black heels that killed her feet, the outfit was guaranteed to knock men to their knees .  True, t hat wasn’t her purpose tonight, but it w as gratifying to know she looked good despite everything. Plus, she rationalized, i t was incredibly sweet of Uncle Pat to take her out to dinner and she wouldn’t want to embarrass him . After once last glance in the mirror and a quick brush of her hair she headed downstairs to meet Pat.
    As the taxi drove along I-90 and out of Boston, Mira turned her attention from the blacktop speeding by and glanced at Pat.  “You look really nice,” she commented, glancing at his gray , pinstriped suit, snowy whit e shirt and red tie, “ but I didn’t know that there were any decent restaurants this far out of Boston. Where exactly are we going?”
    “ We, my girl, are headed t o a little place that I discovered a few years ago.  The owner is a Scot and a decent man for all that he’s no Irish .   I’ll have you know that t hey serve the best steak pie this side of the pond.”
    “If you say so, but I’ve always thought steak pie was more of a pub food. That doesn’ t really seem like the kind of environment that requires dressy attire.”
    “ Not generally, no.”  He grinned. “But good food brings all types of people and you had a need to feel good about yourself.  I promise you won’t be fe e l ing out of place .”
    Twenty minutes later they pulled i n front of what looked to be an English gentlemen’s hunting lodge.  Even with the addition of a paved parking lot it seemed like a place slightly out of time and place .  She almost expected to hear the sound of carriage wheels as they clattered over cobble stones . 
    When they walked in the door t he re was no uniformed d oorman standing at a podium . Instead, there was a tall, husky man in black pants and a dark blue shirt. He greeted Patrick like an old friend , slapping him on the back and immediately launching into conversation. His accent, strong but slightly different from Pat’s, wove through his words, lending a rumbling depth to them.
    While the men were occupied Mira took a look around. A long bar covered one wall with h alf the stools occupied by people dressed in a variety of clothes . She began to feel slightly out of place in her finery until she spotted a few women