Gwynneth Ever After Read Online Free PDF

against black velvet.
    “What a gorgeous night!” she exclaimed. Then she shot an apologetic glance at Gareth. “Don’t mind me. I don’t get out after dark very much.”
    “It is beautiful,” he agreed, tipping his own head back. “You can even see all of Orion tonight.”
    Gwyn paused again, halfway down the steps. “You know the constellations?” She peered through the branches, but had no idea what to look for.
    “Some. I used to know more when I was a kid. I wanted to be an astronomer when I grew up.”
    She couldn’t resist. “So you became a star instead of studying them?”
    Lame as the pun was, he chuckled. “You could say that, I suppose. Did you find Orion?”
    “I think that would depend on what I’m looking for.”
    “Look for his belt first. Three stars in a diagonal line. Over there.” Gareth came to stand behind her, his breath stirring her hair, and pointed past the maple tree, toward the south. “Hold up your hand to block the glare from the street lamp. See it? Then up from there, you’ll see others forming an arc. That’s his shield. And the really bright one at the top is the tip of his sword.”
    “I’m not sure - ” Right. Like she could see anything through the haze of sudden oxygen deprivation. She shifted away a little. “Oh, wait. I found it!”
    She smiled at her own delight, her discomfort dissipating. “Thank you.”
    “You’re welcome. Now, I don’t know about you, but I’m starving.”
    “I passed that level a while back. Without becoming grumpy, I might add.”
    They continued down the walkway to Gareth’s car in the driveway. He unlocked her door and held it open for her. “I asked Sean to recommend a place and he suggested L’orée du Ruisseau . Do you know it?”
    Gwyn stumbled. She wasn’t sure she could cope with the idea of dinner with this man to begin with. But at L’orée du Ruisseau? An image of the restaurant loomed in her mind, tucked beside a stream in the hardwood forest of Gatineau Park. She’d only been once, years before for Sandy’s thirtieth birthday, but she remembered the ambience all too well. Cozy, casually understated, and way too intimate for dinner with a man she wasn’t likely to see again.
    Maybe she could suggest something else, such as her kids’ favorite fast-food place, instead.
    She raised her gaze to Gareth, who waited for her answer. “I do know it,” she admitted.
    “And?”
    “It’s beautiful.”

Chapter 5
    Gwyn toyed with her knife as their server presented the wine for Gareth’s approval, then poured it into their glasses. They’d been seated with quiet efficiency in a corner at the back of the restaurant, away from the curious eyes that had followed their progress between the tables. While the stares and whispers hadn’t yet diminished, they seemed less intrusive when screened by strategically placed greenery and soft classical music.
    Schooling herself to ignore the unfamiliar attention, she flexed the fingers of her other hand under the table. At least in a setting such as this, they wouldn’t likely be interrupted by an autograph-seeker.
    “To spilled pencils and new friends,” Gareth said, lifting his glass and smiling over the rim as the waiter departed.
    “To spilled pencils,” Gwyn countered, touching her glass to his, “and new friends who are willing to forget them.”
    They both sipped their wine, and then Gareth set his glass down.
    “How did the lesson go tonight?”
    “Jiu Jitsu? It went well. Maggie and Nicholas actually participated for a change. They usually end up rolling around on the mats in the corner.”
    “White belts?”
    Gwyn nodded. She rested her elbow on the table and settled her chin into her hand. “For another year or so.”
    “What about Katie?”
    “She tests for her green belt next month.”
    “Good for her. Was this something they wanted to do, or was it your idea?”
    “My idea, but they enjoy it. Jiu Jitsu and swimming lessons are non-negotiable. I plan on