Falling in Love Read Online Free PDF

it.”
    “Sherry Johnson,” he said softly, “woman of mystery.” Paul didn’t press it. “One day, I guess we will just have to see how good you are, Star, but,” he good-naturedly flicked his finger across my nose, as if scolding me, “now, don’t change the subject.”
    I glanced down at the shades of grass in the speckled sunlight. I admitted, “I’m not sure I even know what love is.”
    Paul smiled at me, flashing his perfect teeth. “If that were true, then you could be in love with me right now and not know it.”
    I shrugged. “I suppose.”
    Paul refilled our wine glasses and glanced around. “I think we need some scientific procedure.” He plucked a daisy and began pulling off the petals. “She loves me. She loves me not. She loves me. She loves me not.” He kept going until he was down to “She loves me not” but he only had two petals left. Paul ripped them both off, crying triumphantly, “She loves me!”
    He leaned over and kissed me. His embrace lowered me backward onto the blanket as he kept our lips locked. Paul slid his hand to the side of my breast. I wanted so badly for him to take me right there. Amidst the beauty of that lakeside, I wanted him to make beautiful love to me. But I was worried about what he would think of me. Instead, my arm locked his hand at my side. “Let’s wait,” I said.
    Paul whispered, “For as long as you want.”
    Instead we spent the afternoon, enjoying the wonderful lunch of cheeses, fruits, French bread, local delicacies and a wonderful crème brulee that Paul claimed he had prepared himself. We fed each other grapes and strawberries, held hands and kissed chastely like school children. Then we walked along the lake and Paul told me of the history of Serene Lake.
    After admiring a breathtaking sunset that seemed to shoot flames across the sky, Paul took me to his favorite restaurant, Pete’s Takeout Pizza, a small dive near the beach. The place only had one eat-in table in the corner that we crowded into it and feasted on Pete’s Poppin’ Toppin’s, which was about three inches of everything that seemed possible to put on a pizza as well as some things that seemed impossible. It was delicious.
    By the time that Paul finally brought me back to Arlene’s, promising to pick me up at eight sharp for my first day of work, I was thoroughly and completely in love with him.
     
    My bliss soon ended when I went inside and had to face Arlene. She was in the parlor, ironing a blouse and didn’t acknowledge my presence. “Good evening,” I said, trying very hard to sound pleasant.
    Arlene didn’t answer.
    “I wanted to apologize about last night,” I said. “I got lost. That’s why I got home so late.”
    Arlene gave me a loathing look. “Sure you did.”
    “Thanks for not mentioning it to Paul.”
    She returned to her ironing. “He wouldn’t listen anyway.”
    I sat down on the sofa near her, trying to be polite. “I really do like Paul, a lot. And I like you, too.
    Arlene set down the iron and gave me a hard look. “Don’t try to sweet talk me, Missy. Did he tell you about his lovely little fiancé? She stayed with me once, and she’d sneak out at night, too. I tried to warn Paul but he didn’t hear a word. She finally broke his heart, just like you will.”
    “No,” I said. “I don’t want that.” I started to say that I loved him. I did but I didn’t think she would understand. I wanted, needed, desperately to tell her how much I cared for Paul and how I never wanted to do anything to hurt him.
    She wouldn’t hear of it. “I feel like a fool,” she said, “telling you the things that I did last night.”
    “No. I really enjoyed that. I want to talk again. I don’t want to go out.”
    Arlene shut off her iron and looked at me with contempt. “I’m going to bed.”
    She headed for the stairs. But I didn’t want to be alone, afraid of what I might do. “Please stay with me.” I was all but begging her but Arlene just kept