Finding Forever Read Online Free PDF Page B

It was still a little hard for Jordan to wrap her head around that, even though she’d always suspected Jake might have what it took to eventually make it big. Not that she was any great judge of talent. She just knew she enjoyed watching him, and he seemed to bring a certain depth to every role he played. “It’s not a date.”
    “Sure.” Beth rolled her eyes. “What exactly would you call it, then?”
    “Getting together for dinner with someone I used to know in order to explain all of the reasons why we should not be in each other’s lives.” She’d compiled a list of reasons in her head so she had them ready and could not be persuaded otherwise, not that she expected it to be a problem. It took Jake three days to return her call. Jordan was fairly certain he’d already come to the same conclusion and called her only out of courtesy so they could say goodbye.
    “You go right on telling yourself that.” Beth’s tone was mocking.
    “I will. Because it’s the truth.”
    “You know, when I first went out with Aaron, I insisted it wasn’t a date, either,” Beth said. “That was thirteen years ago.”
    ***
    Jake walked into the restaurant and scanned the seating area. No sign of Jordan yet, so he made his way to a corner booth. The red vinyl was worn, a piece of red duct tape slapped hastily over a tear. The linoleum of the table was chipped, but at least clean.
    When Jordan suggested a local restaurant to meet at, he’d expected something a little more upscale. Then again, maybe he shouldn’t be surprised. Jordan always struck him as a complicated woman. In a town where almost everyone was shallow, complicated appealed to him. He wanted to know her better. Unfortunately, just when Jake thought he’d get the chance, Jordan shut him out. He’d never understood why until she dragged him along to her meeting a few nights before.
    Her parting words seemed final enough that he was surprised to get back to his hotel after a long night sitting on the border with Agent Camacho to find a message from her. He wanted to call her back right away, but figured maybe two o’clock in the morning wouldn’t be the best time. Then he got caught up in long hours on the set, and three days passed before he could return the call. When she suggested they meet for dinner, he jumped at the chance.
    A laminated menu landed on the table in front of him, jolting him from his thoughts.
    “Welcome to Joey’s,” a college-aged kid said. “Do you know what you want to drink?”
    Jake hesitated. He knew what he wanted, but it probably wasn’t a good idea to order it. “Just a Coke, thanks,” he said. “I’m waiting for a friend, then we’ll order.” He picked up the menu and flipped through it as the waiter walked away.
    “If you like pizza, it’s the best in town.” Jordan slid into the other side of the boo th.
    “Pizza’s good.” Jake greeted her with a smile. “You look great,” he said, but that certainly wasn’t a shock. He still remembered the day he first walked into her office in Los Angeles to discuss his contract, surprised that lawyers could look like her. Fortunately, he’d kept that opinion to himself and stammered through the initial meeting, finding it difficult to concentrate on the contract.
    Jordan nodded. “Thanks. You don’t look so bad yourself.”
    Jake glanced down at his gray slacks and button -down shirt. “A little over-dressed, maybe.”
    “Yeah, I probably should have told you this place was pretty casual,” she said. “It’s nice to see a guy in something other than jeans and boots, though. I like a well-dressed man.” Her lips turned upward in a smile that reached all the way to her eyes. A real smile, not the phony Hollywood kind. Jake hadn’t seen one of those in a while.
    “So you deliberately withheld information about what kind of place this was, hoping I’d dress up?”
    “Maybe.” She shrugged.
    The waiter plunked Jake’s Coke down in front of him. “For you,