Friends and Lovers Read Online Free PDF Page B

strong person.”
    “She is. I always admired her for it.”
    Their coffees arrived and they passed on ordering anything else for the time being.
    Lost in thought, Lauren poked her spoon into the whipped cream and twirled it around in the cocoa powder sprinkled over the top. She set the spoon aside and lifted the cup to take a taste. When she lowered it she found Wes watching her.
    “Everything okay?” he asked.
    “Just thinking.”
    “I’m here.”
    Lauren laughed. He was—a fact she found both strange and incredible. How could she tell Wes the truth? There was no way she could look him in the eye and confess that she’d carried this torch for so long that she was terrified, absolutely terrified, of getting any closer to him.
    Luckily, Wes didn’t push it. “How do you like working at the shelter?” he asked instead.
    Lauren looked at a distant point just over his shoulder and shrugged. “It’s rewarding.”
    “That’s convincing. Don’t you like it?”
    She brought her eyes back to his. “Just think about it for a second. I have a career because women and children find themselves needing protection from the very men who are supposed to love and protect them. It’s absurd. The really sad part is we don’t even have enough shelters to satisfy the demand.”
    “You’re joking.”
    “I wish I was,” she said. “We get far more calls than we can handle. It’s wrenching to turn a woman in crisis away for lack of space. You find yourself crossing your fingers, hoping she’ll be okay until something opens up, and praying she doesn’t become another statistic or news blurb.”
    “I never realized.”
    “You know, Sarah tried to get into a shelter with Will, but couldn’t. She had to get a restraining order and change the locks instead. It didn’t make a bit of difference.”
    There was a grave, understanding set to his face. “I’m sorry.”
    Lauren ran her fingertip along the table in little circles for a moment before heaving a heavy sigh. “So I fundraise, get the word out, pound on doors, and beg for support.”
    “We’re on the same team. What you’re doing is important.”
    “I know.” She studied him carefully and he raised his eyebrows.
    “Your turn. What else do you want to know?” said Wes.
    “Have you ever shot anyone?”
    “No.” He traced the handle of his cup slowly with his index finger and thumb. “I’ve drawn my weapon but never had to fire it. I’m lucky. I’ve known a few guys who had to deal with it afterward, and it isn’t easy.”
    “I’ll bet. What sticks with you?”
    “Grim pictures. They’ll pop into my head at the strangest times. The one that always gets me is the missing guy we found in a trunk three weeks later. Disturbing.”
    “How do you cope?”
    “I immediately turn the channel. Think of something else. Nature works best.”
    “And you still like what you do?”
    “I love it. Not all of it, but I know I’m doing what I was meant to do.”
    Lauren shook off the depressing mood. She was sitting across from Wes for crying out loud! “So what brought you back here?”
    Wes leaned back in his chair and shook his head, a confessor’s smile on his face. “I missed it, and I wanted to be close to my family again. My parents are getting older and Sherry’s about to have a baby. How could I stay away?”
    “I’m glad you couldn’t.”
    One eyebrow rose then Wes smiled at her. “I got to feel the baby move the other day.”
    Lauren shot up in her chair, a big smile on her face. “You did?”
    “He was all over the place. I’m not sure if I felt an elbow or a kick, but it was crazy cool.”
    “That would be so weird, like having an alien in your body.”
    “It is in a way.”
    “I suppose it is.”
    She took another sip, and when she lowered her cup Wes laughed and held out his napkin, dabbing her nose. “You have some whipped cream.”
    Lauren blushed with embarrassment. “Thanks.” She snatched up her own napkin and finished the job