All I Want Series Boxset, Books 1-3: All I Want for Christmas, All I Want for Valentine's, All I Want for Spring Read Online Free PDF Page B

the wind when she saw the horror story walking towards her.
    I straightened my hair the best I could, already composing my apologies in my head. But what exactly did you say to someone when you’d left them sitting alone for over half an hour? Did you admit to falling asleep, or make up some emergency? I decided to go with the emergency option.
    I drew myself up to my full height, pulling my shoulders back as my mother always told me to. Then I pushed open the door and strode back into the restaurant with as much swagger as I could muster, only to be greeted by an empty table and a half-drunk glass of wine. I spun my gaze around the room but I had to face facts — Sienna had gone and I can’t say I blamed her.
    I sat down and exhaled, before getting the waiter’s attention as my stomach rumbled.
    “The other woman — has she left?”
    The waiter gave me a sad smile and a nod. “She go,” he said, turning his head towards the door. “And she cancel your food too.”
    Shit. This was not going to be good for my dating reputation. I put my head in my hands as my stomach rumbled again. Then I reached into my bag and grabbed my phone, pulling up Sienna’s number. I paused, my fingers hovering over the keys. Now I had the phone in my hand, what exactly was I supposed to say? ‘So sorry, I fell asleep in the toilet’? Try as I might, I couldn’t come up with a better plan. I decided to sleep on it.
    I put my phone on the table and glanced at my watch: just gone 9pm. There was still wine left, and I’d wanted to try this restaurant for a while now. Plus, I was starving as my stomach kept reminding me. I needed something to soak up the alcohol.
    I signalled to the waiter again.
    “Could I still get some food?”
    He nodded.
    I consulted the menu again, ordered and sat back. At least if the food was as good as the reviews, this night wouldn’t turn out to be a total disaster. Best to look on the bright side.
    Just then, ‘Last Christmas’ by Wham! began to flow from the restaurant speakers, presumably to rub salt in my wounds. I had nobody special to give my heart to. I was a sad, sleepy loser.
    I poured Sienna’s wine into my glass and saw someone waving out of the corner of my eye. I turned to my left.
    It was Melanie Taylor, a smile breaking out on her face as she saw me. She was sitting with what I could only assume was her new fiancée, just two tables along from me.
    Oh no, not now. Not when I looked like a starved raccoon.
    Before I could react, Melanie was on the move, reaching my table in seconds. Her closely cropped hair was sitting just-so on her head, and I wasn’t sure her smile could get any wider. Clearly, Melanie was loved up.
    “How are you?” Melanie already had her arms wide open, and her smile had changed to a concerned, pitiful expression that said ‘eating out alone again?’ I wanted to sink under the table. On top of everything, I didn’t need Melanie Taylor to rub her happiness in my face. However, I was out of luck.
    “I want you to meet my fiancée!” Melanie turned and beckoned her over with rapid hand movements. I heard a chair scrape back as I braced myself to be nice — after all, it wasn’t Melanie’s fault that love was shining on her, but not me.
    Within seconds, her new partner was standing beside her, giving me an awkward smile. Melanie Taylor had landed on her feet and no mistake. But hang on, there was something ever-so-familiar about her partner — a smile I knew, piercing almond eyes that I’d looked into before. It couldn’t be, could it?
    But before my sleepy brain could piece the puzzle together, Melanie had her arm around her girlfriend’s shoulders, her face radiating so much happiness, I felt the heat. However, my whole body heated up for a totally different reason now her girlfriend was up close and personal.
    I did know those eyes, that mouth.
    And from the narrowing of her eyes, she recognised me too.
    “Tori, I want you to meet Nic, my fiancée. Nic, this