Free The Man You'll Marry by Debbie Macomber Page B

afternoon. She’d stopped off at PayRite, hoping Jill could get away for lunch. “Even Mark—”
    “Mark?” Jill’s coffee cup hit the saucer with a clang. “He went to see Jersey Boys? ”
    Shelly nodded sheepishly. “I guess I forgot to mention I ran into him, didn’t I? Actually he called me first and since we both had plans to attend the same performance, we decided to go together.”
    “Is there anything else you haven’t told me?” Jill’s eyes narrowed astutely.
    Shelly tried to hide her uneasiness behind a relaxed shrug, but how well she succeeded in fooling Jill remained to be seen. “We had dinner afterward…as friends. It didn’t mean anything. I did tell you he’s engaged, didn’t I?”
    “Unofficially engaged.” Jill was studying her closely and Shelly felt uneasy under her scrutiny.
    “We’ve been friends for a long time,” Jill remindedher. “I know you, and I know there’s something troubling you.”
    Shelly nodded. There was no point in hiding the truth from Jill. Her need to confide in a sympathetic, understanding person was the very reason for her impromptu visit to Jill’s workplace. Lunch had been a convenient excuse.
    “You won’t believe this,” Shelly said, cradling the coffee cup in both hands and keeping her gaze lowered. “I can hardly believe it myself.”
    “You’re falling in love with Mark.”
    Shelly’s eyes shot upward. “It’s that obvious?”
    “No,” Jill said softly. “But you look like you’re about to break into tears.”
    “If I wasn’t so darn irritated I would. Good grief, think about it. Can you imagine two people less suited to each other? Mark is so…so responsible…”
    “So are you.”
    “Not in the same way,” Shelly argued. “He’s so sincere and—”
    “Shelly, so are you.”
    “Perhaps, but I’m such a scatterbrain.” She grimaced as she remembered that was the very word Mark had used. “I’m disorganized and always late and I like to do things my own way. You know that better than most.”
    “I prefer to think of you as creative.”
    Shelly sent Jill a smile of appreciation. “That’s the reason you’re my best friend. I don’t mind telling you, Jill, I’m worried. Mark Brady may be the Rock of Gibraltar,but I doubt he’s got an original thought in his head. Everything’s done by the book or according to a schedule.”
    “You need someone like Mark in your life,” Jill returned. “Don’t look so shocked. It’s true. The two of you balance each other. He needs you because you’re fun and crazy and imaginative, and you need him because he knows his multiplication tables by heart and will remind you when it’s time for meals.”
    “The problem is, Mark’s the type of man who’d expect a woman to cook those meals.”
    Jill chuckled.
    “If the fates are determined to match me up with a man,” Shelly moaned, “couldn’t it be with someone other than an accountant?”
    “Apparently not.”
    “What really angers me is that I allowed it to happen. The first time he kissed me—”
    “He kissed you?” Jill feigned a look of horror.
    Shelly ignored it. “Yes. Twice. It’s only natural—our being curious about each other, don’t you think?”
    “I suppose,” Jill said quickly, no longer teasing. “So tell me what happened.”
    “Fireworks bigger than the Fourth of July. I’ve never experienced the feelings I do with Mark, and all because of a kiss.” She paused. “Well, two kisses.”
    “And does Mark feel the same thing?”
    “I—I can’t speak for him, but I assume it’s equally disturbing for him. He certainly looked as if he’d been taken by surprise.”
    “How do you get along with him otherwise?”
    “Fine, I guess.” Shelly took a sip of her coffee. “I’m sure I amuse him. But someone like Mark isn’t looking for a woman to entertain him, any more than I’m looking for a man to handle my finances.”
    “His opinion of you has mellowed, hasn’t it?” Jill asked, then