Free Not the Marrying Kind (Destiny Bay Romances - Forever Yours) by Helen Conrad Page B

you always have to order those things, I can't understand.” Shelley shuddered.
    “It could be worse,” Robin answered. “Just think of what a meal would be like with that patient of yours, the tarantula-spider guy.”
    Shelley laughed. Though she never referred to her patients by name, she sometimes told Robin anecdotes about her day. She'd almost told her about Michael Hudson the night after she'd met him, but something held her back. Even now, as her gaze quickly skimmed the tables of the large dining room, looking for a sign of him, she hadn't told her roommate why she'd agreed to come on this vacation with her, and why she'd insisted on staying at the Bay Vista Grand.
    They'd arrived late Friday afternoon and had joined the other guests at the TGIF cocktail party around the outdoor fountains. They'd dined in the Boar's Head, then gone on to spend a few hours in the disco downstairs. Robin had found a man as athletic as she was, and the two of them had danced continuously, while Shelley had turned down more offers than she'd obliged with a dance, growing progressively more and more exhausted by the effort her friend seemed to be putting out.
    They'd slept, spent Saturday sailing, playing tennis, and walking the length of Balboa Island before showering and dressing for dinner again at the Boar's Head.
    Michael Hudson had never appeared.  
    Just thinking that made her shudder.   Of course he’d never appeared!   There was no reason he should be here.   The only thing to tie him to this place was a stupid matchbook. When she thought about it now, Shelley had to smile at her own adolescent behavior. For all she knew, he'd picked up the matchbook in a bar in Timbuktu. Why she'd been compelled to come here she wasn't sure. It was ridiculous, and she was glad now that she hadn't told Robin the truth.  
    Besides, she really didn’t want to see him.   She’d sworn off even thinking about him.   Hadn’t she?   But, with a silent groan, she knew it wasn’t any use pretending.   If there was some way to know how to find him…
    No!   She wouldn’t let herself think that way.   He was so over for her.
    No, he wasn't here. And yet she'd still dressed as though she hoped to see—well, someone special. She'd borrowed another dress from Robin, a light chiffon in rainbow colors that was tight across the bodice and swirled around her legs as she walked.
    “We've got to find you a man,” Robin was saying now, sprawling across her chair like a friendly puppy. “I mean, what did we come for anyway?”
    Shelley smiled at her friend. “I came for a little relaxation and a little fun, to get my head out of my psychology texts and see what the rest of the world's been up to while I've been drowning myself in case studies and personality evaluations. Why did you come?”
    Robin grinned. She was not to be dissuaded from her path. “To find you a man. And look what happened. I was the one who ended up doing all the dancing last night.” She shook her head sternly. “No, tonight we find one for you.”
    “Oh, Robin,” she moaned. “I'm so full, I don't think I can walk, much less dance. Let's pass on that tonight.”
    “Not on your life. If we don't get busy, we'll end up leaving before we have anything to show for this whole vacation.”
    “I've got a start on this summer's tan,” she answered hopefully. “Won't that count?”
    They paused while the waiter refilled their coffee cups.
    “No more for me,” Robin said. “I want to run up and change my shoes. This pair is killing me. I'll never be able to dance in them. I’ll meet you back down here in a few minutes.”
    Robin hurried off while Shelley sat alone at her table, watching the other diners. A couple across the room was obviously in love. She wondered if this was their honeymoon. Something about the way they sat—so close together, their heads almost touching—pulled at her heart, making it twist painfully in her chest.
    The time sped by and Robin