Waiting for You by Abigail Strom Page B

couple of years, but Erin never saw him during those visits. She didn’t feel comfortable inserting herself into what had to be precious family time…and if he wanted to see her, Irene or Allison could tell him how to find her. She still lived in town, after all.
    But he never called or stopped by, and it wasn’t long before she stopped expecting it. She still prayed for his safety, and she never saw a news story about Afghanistan or Iraq without thinking of him. But the night of Allison’s wedding was the first time she’d seen him in eleven years.
    “Don’t you agree?”
    She blinked up at Evan. “What?”
    She’d been so distracted by thoughts of Jake that she’d completely forgotten to pay attention to the man sitting across from her.
    Which was the reason she’d said yes to this lunch date. Because she didn’t want to be distracted by Jake anymore. She wanted to erase him from her thoughts, her memories, her dreams—every corner of her brain.
    If she wanted a chance at a real relationship, she had to put her feelings for Jake behind her. The two of them obviously weren’t meant to be, and the sooner she accepted that, the better.
    “So, don’t you agree?” Evan asked again.
    “Agree with what?”
    “That men and women jump into bed too fast these days. I mean, whatever happened to courtship?”
    She finished her last bite of dessert. “Actually, I think men and women should jump into bed whenever they’re ready to. If you’re attracted to someone, what’s wrong with acting on it?”
    He stared at her, open-mouthed. “I…well, when you put it that way…there’s something to be said for that point of view. I mean…if the chemistry is there and two people respect each other—”
    As she listened to Evan reverse direction so fast he must have gotten whiplash, she wondered if she should go on a second date with him. She didn’t feel any of the chemistry he was talking about, but that was part of her problem. Her expectations for chemistry were set way too high.
    Like Beth had said, she’d never find the right guy if she didn’t look for him. She needed to put herself out there. Be more open, less picky.
    So she agreed to go on a second date with Evan, this one for dinner on Friday night. They made their plans and said goodbye, and then she went to keep her appointment with a prospective client.
    She’d gotten an email query from someone named Mark Hayner about setting up a web page for his start-up custom motorcycle business. The fact that he built motorcycles reminded her of Jake, and for one brief second she’d considered turning the guy down.
    But if she did that, she’d be letting Jake affect her work—and he’d already affected too many parts of her life. So she exchanged a few emails with Mark, just to get a sense of what he was looking for, and then they arranged to meet in person since he was local.
    She was early for the appointment, which was at a coffee shop in town, so she let the waitress seat her at a booth and ordered a cup of tea. She opened the portfolio she’d brought and laid out a few samples of design concepts she thought might work. She also opened her laptop to display the mockup she’d prepared for the meeting.
    When she sensed someone standing beside her, she glanced up.
    It was Jake.
     

 
    Chapter Five
    This was a side of Erin he hadn’t seen yet—the successful businesswoman who’d started her own web design company. She was looking professional in gray slacks and a white silk blouse, her laptop on the table in front of her and sample web pages spread out beside it.
    She also looked gorgeous. Her pale blonde hair was loose around her shoulders, and with that rosy blush staining her cheeks, she was easily the most beautiful woman in Iowa—if not the entire country.
    “Hi,” he said, sliding into the booth across from her.
    “What are you doing here?”
    “I’m meeting Erin Shaw of Erin Shaw Designs, to discuss the possibility of hiring her to create a