BETWEEN HELLO AND GOODBYE

y, I remember we never introduced ours

ay from me. “It will be more interesting i

n? He tells me his driver’s name, but not his? That’s weird.

hand on my arm. “Hey, what are you doing standing o

one, but he had to leave.” I search for Namel

, as if I made up the whole thing. “Ok

“Su

giving me his name. Shit! I bet the good-looking bastard is married and that’s why he wouldn’t tell

m, but she is in the middle

’m not in the mood to deal with that. “I’m not feeling wel

I’ll dri

sk you to do that. This is your big night.

don’t mind

t interested. “I know, but I’d feel worse if you did

a point to be in bed when he comes home. I pretend to be asleep w

chosen the coward’s way. I should be brutal and tell him to bac

e adrenaline surging through my veins makes my heart take off like a helicop

pray I hear her

f Max’s, but I’m madder than hell. I look at the clock on the nightstand. It’s 3:18 in the morning. “You scared the sh

“I

not. “Why did you come bac

don’t want to be that girl, the

Let me get straight on this. You don’t want to be the girl to wear out your

de, Bella.” She giggles. “But oh so true. He did wear

to lie in bed thinking about me from across the hall. He’ll wish he’d asked me to stay, b

hat we’re calling it these

Brothers don’t care how old you are. They’re we

ther trying to lock loins with her best friend? Sho

ith a good-looking suit last nig

e man I ran into at the club on our way out the other night. The s

w. He asked me to dinner tonight.” I let out a high-pitched squeal that shouldn’t come from a twenty-five-y

he man behind the wheel of a taxi his dr

know. We didn’

hat’s hi

ould be more exciting if I didn’t know.

don’t know who he is? Who am I going to report to the police if

t thought of that. What if

ell them it was the g

r table in the hotel restaurant to meet her. When I walk out of the hotel to greet my America

ouldered dress belted at the waist and mile-high heels that stretch her legs even longer than they al

up at the hotel an

sly? You brought

. “The meeting with my sales team was in the hotel’s conference room. I thought we might have din

t give it anot

y offered arm. “You’

ll I give her and she

e through the revolving door into the l

g at an estate in the c

urant to our table. I pull out her chair and sl

crets she hides behind it. “Very. I’m not one of those girls who

“Not at

list and our server arrives to take our d

list. “I have no idea how to order

Sauvignon Bl

r and I can’t see her face. She’s studyi

now what I want. Eve

ded anything seafood.” A moment lat

prawns.” After the server brings the wine and takes o

our friend’s vint

expected anything less. Win

he said he was from California. “I understand that. You’re

you know from experien

l.” It’s a half-truth since I neglect to tell her I own a

e connection. “So that’s why you wer

m, so he is given an automatic invitation to the e

icular and I feel the mood of our conv

ld me your name. Maybe it’s a Spanish thing, but where I come from, that is one of

brain, hearing her possible explanat