Free See Jane Fall by Katy Regnery

Paul. Lars is a good man, Jane. An eye for the ladies, but what single man doesn’t? More than an eye? Neither Paul nor I can say.”
    “We’re good friends, Mags. He’s certainly
shared—”
    “Gossipin’ just like I thought. Our Lars
just needs to meet the right woman. That’s all it is. The right
woman changes everythin’.” She tilted her head to the side, smiling
at Jane. “Do you play euchre, Jane?”
    “Euchre?”
    “Aye. It’s grand. As long as you’re in town,
come play with us. With Lars workin’ so hard on your group, we need
a fourth.”
    “Who’s the third?”
    “Lars’s brother.” Was it Jane’s imagination
or did Maggie’s cheeks just turn a little pink? “Nils.”
    “His brother?”
    “Aye. ’Twill be fun. Tomorrow night.
Seven-thirty, and all the warm milk you like.”
    Jane smiled. Regular people doing regular
things. She was never invited to do regular things with regular
people.
    “Thanks. I’ll be here.”
    “See you then, Jane.”
    Jane walked home slowly, warm and drowsy
from the cool, fresh air and warm milk filling her belly, but she
couldn’t shake Paul’s words : the cat’s meow…the ones who pass
through .
    She couldn’t shake the disappointment she
felt in learning that Lars was a player.
    If that’s what Lars was all about, Jane had
best steer clear of him or she’d be in for some heartbreak when
Samara hit town, because Samara specialized in flings. And she
always got what she wanted. Always. Regardless of the collateral
damage. And Jane wasn’t interested in another Ben Abaz
situation.
    It was probably just that she was overtired,
but she felt so sad, hot tears gathered in her eyes as she pulled
the covers over her body and settled her head on the pillow. He
hadn’t treated her like Samara Amaya’s ugly-duckling cousin, and it
felt unusual and special. She’d had such a good time with him and
he had seemed so…different.
    But, he’s not Jane. He’s not different.
    She flipped to her side, staring at the seam
of light under the bathroom door, willing herself not to think
about him anymore. But, try as she might, her last thought as her
eyes drifted closed was of Lars holding her hand in the car, and
she moved that hand to rest on her chest, curled up longingly
against her heart.

 
    CHAPTER 3
    Lars stood in the doorway of the second
bedroom watching Jane sort and organize shoes, jewelry and
clothing, baffled that any one person could possible require so
much stuff for a four-day stay. It was ridiculously
self-indulgent and he wasn’t impressed.
    Jane said she needed about twenty more
minutes and then she’d be done. He checked his watch as he headed
into the living room to wait for her, plopping down on the
couch.
    She seemed a little different this morning,
but he couldn’t put his finger on how. More professional, more
businesslike, yesterday’s repartee missing from their exchanges.
She was perfectly friendly but reserved; he couldn’t account for
the change, but the longer it went on, the more he missed the warm,
minx-y Jane from yesterday.
    When he’d picked her up this morning, he
noticed right away how much a good night’s rest brightened her
eyes. Her hair was still drying from a morning shower which made
her curls look tighter and springier, but he suspected they’d
soften as the day went on. The dark circles under her eyes were
gone, and her lips had tilted up in a polite smile as she made her
way into his truck.
    “Morning, Jane!”
    “Good morning,” she’d replied, buckling
in.
    “You ordered sun and we delivered!”
    “Yes. It’s a lovely day.”
    A lovely day? The Jane from yesterday
would have made a snappy comment about how he must have a direct
line to God and could he order a cup of hot coffee to appear in her
hands next.
    She didn’t smile at him, or offer any
further conversation, but busied herself with her phone, checking
texts and typing back, two un-manicured thumbs moving like
lightening.
    “Did you sleep