Free Love Online (Truly Yours Digital Editions) by Kristin Billerbeck, Nancy Toback Page B

giggled. Linda patted his arm. “I think Tom’s doing great—socially and otherwise.”
    Tom offered Linda a smile of appreciation. “Why, thank you. I—” He sobered at the sight of Jess making a hasty retreat toward the exit. His protective instincts raised him out of his chair slightly, and he shifted in an effort to cover his jerky motion. None of his business anymore.
    Frank, never one to miss a trick, turned to Brittany, filling the awkward silence with cheery banter, and the two quickly resumed jabbering back and forth.
    Tom twisted in his chair toward Linda, opened his mouth, then snapped it shut. Where should he begin? He could start with an apology for not really being here tonight. But that would require further explanation—the truth—which in-cluded sixteen years of pining. He could almost hear the scrape of Linda’s chair against the wooden floor as she bolted for the nearest exit.
    “Do you want to go after her?” Linda spoke softly, but her words stung.
    “That obvious, huh?” Tom looked toward Jim’s table again. Dora stood there, her hand pressed to her cheek, no doubt apprising him of Jess’s disappearance. Dora would try to smooth things over, not unlike his efforts to protect Jess for far longer than he cared to remember.
    “Are you in love with—?” Linda asked without inflection.
    “ Jessica. I was.” I am? The double date seemed more a burden now than a blessing. He craved some private time with Linda, a woman who seemed not to judge him. But baring his soul on a first date would be the epitome of selfishness and more than he cared to share tonight. “You weren’t set up. I didn’t plan on coming here. We ended up—”
    “I know.” Linda smiled. “Brittany and Frank made the arrangements.”
    “Did I hear my name mentioned?” A grinning Frank waved his hand as if he couldn’t care less and picked up his chat with Brittany.
    Linda placed her hand on his. “Do you want to go for a walk after dinner? Just the two of us?”
    Tom shrugged. Even now his heart was dragging him toward the exit, out the door, to comfort Jess. “Frank’s right. I’m not very good company lately.”
    “Let me be the judge of that.” Linda’s blue-green gaze captured his in an expression that told him she held no animosity. “Brittany has to go home early anyway. How about that walk?”
    Tom nodded. “Sounds good.” And it did. He caught Dora’s attention and signaled for the check. Instead of coming to their table, Dora summoned him with a crook of her finger.
    He and Frank split the tab, walked to the door together, and divided into twosomes outside. “Good. It stopped raining.” Frank winked before departing with Brittany, their arms looped.
    As Linda walked beside him, Tom dipped his hand into the pocket of his suit jacket. The note Dora slipped him was still there. He wadded it up in his hand. He would read Jess’s letter—eventually. But now. Now belonged to Linda, and he intended to be the gentleman his father had taught him to be.
    Tom cleared his throat. “I’d like to apologize again. I don’t make a habit of being rude, but I—”
    “No apology necessary. I was in love once.”
    Linda’s hand brushed his, but he made no attempt to hold her hand. He’d been a cad all night.
    “By the way”—Linda smiled—“I think Jessica and I look a lot alike.”
    Tom couldn’t help grinning. “Believe me—I noticed.” Keeping Jess out of his thoughts when he was with Linda would be an uphill battle.
    “Why did you guys break up?” Linda stopped midstep, looked up at him, and grimaced. “Sorry—it’s none of my business.”
    “No, that’s all right.” They strolled one long city block after the other, mostly in comfortable silence, and ended up sitting at a wrought iron table at an outdoor café on Second Avenue.
    Maybe it was the warm May night or sipping cappuccino as a light breeze ruffled her shiny, dark hair, but talking to Linda came easy. He hadn’t bared his