Free The Guardian by Nicholas Sparks Page A

compared to others she'd seen. She wasn't too keen on the gold-tooth thing, but he looked and smelled clean enough, which you couldn't always bargain on.
    Nonetheless, she'd finally come to the realization that the evening had been a complete waste and that she'd made a mistake by giving him her phone number. For one thing, after the first couple of shots, when things were just beginning to get interesting, a few of his friends had shown up and one of them had informed her that Cobra wasn't the guy's real name, just the one he used with friends. His real name was Ed DeBoner.
    That was when the interest began to fade. For the life of her, she couldn't imagine having to admit that to anyone. Unlike Cobra (or Snake, or Rat, or even Dean), Ed wasn't the name of someone who drove a Harley, someone one step ahead of the law and living the free life. Ed wasn't even the name of a real man. Ed was the name of a talking horse, for God's sake. And let's not even mention the last name.
    DeBoner.
    When he'd said it, she'd nearly spat her drink out.
    "You wanna go back to your place, baby?" Cobra asked, slurring the words.
    Andrea slid the gum back into her mouth. "No."
    "Then let's get another drink."
    "You don't have any money."
    "So buy me a drink and I'll make it up to you later, baby."
    Though she'd liked being called "baby" earlier in the evening, thinking it made her seem sultry, that was when Cobra was doing it. Not some guy named Ed DeBoner. Andrea snapped her gum.
    Cobra seemed oblivious to her scorn. He reached under the table and ran his hand over her thigh, and she stood up, pushing away from the table, needing another drink.
    It was when she neared the bar that she recognized Richard.
    Julie's face lit up as soon as she saw Mike, Henry, and Emma at a table near the dance floor. She reached for Richard's hand."C'mon," she said, "I think I see someplace we can sit."
    They pushed their way through the crowd, crossed the edge of the dance floor, and reached the table.
    "Hey, guys. I didn't expect to see you here," Julie said. "How are you?"
    "We're doing well," Henry said. "We just thought we'd come by after dinner to see what was going on."
    Richard was standing behind her, and Julie tugged on his hand. "I want you to meet someone. Richard-this is Henry and Emma. And this is my best friend, Mike."
    Henry held out his hand. "Hey there," he said.
    Richard hesitated before grasping it. "Hello," he said simply.
    Mike and Emma came next. When Julie glanced at Mike, he smiled pleasantly, though doing so practically killed him. In the warm air of the bar, her face was slightly flushed. She was, he thought, particularly beautiful tonight.
    "Do you want to sit down?" Henry offered. "We've got a couple of extra chairs."
    "No-we don't want to bother you," Richard said.
    "It's no bother. C'mon. Join us," Emma chimed in.
    "You sure you don't mind?" Julie asked.
    "Don't be silly," Emma said. "We're all friends here."
    Julie smiled and moved around the table to take her seat; Richard followed and did the same. Once they were comfortable, Emma leaned across the table.
    "So, Richard," she said, "tell us about yourself."
    The conversation was stilted, almost uncomfortable at first, because Richard didn't volunteer much more than was asked directly. Occasionally, Julie supplied additional information for him, other times she elbowed him playfully, as if chiding him until he went on.As he spoke, Mike did his best to appear interested.
    And he was, at least in a self-interested way, if only to see what he was up against. But as the minutes rolled on, he began to feel as if his future were that of a salmon swimming upstream. Even he could see why Julie was interested in Richard. He was intelligent (and yes, good-looking, he conceded, but only if one like rugged, athletic types), and unlike Mike, he was both college educated and well traveled. Though he didn't laugh or joke much-or appreciate Emma or Henry when they did-it seemed that his discomfort