How Sweet It Is Read Online Free PDF Page A

it,”
she said with a tight smile, embarrassed by the way money ran
through their hands like water. She changed the subject. “You
mentioned you went to Cal State. What did you major in?”
    He leaned forward and lowered his voice to a
conspiratorial whisper. “I really don’t want to tell you. It’ll
blow your image of me.”
    Delphine raised a brow. “Let me guess. You’re
a lawyer?”
    Brad put up his hands in mock horror. “As if!
Try business management.”
    “Seems a little dry for you, but I bet
you’ll find a way to make it interesting.”
    “See, you’re catching on,” he said, his gaze
caressing.
    She shook her head at his automatic
flirtatious manner, but began to relax. They spent the next several
hours chatting. After a while, she found herself warming to Brad’s
charm. She had to admit he had a sweetness about him, a kindness
that softened his roguish personality. Perhaps the amazing amount
of chocolates he consumed while they talked made him seem more
amicable.
    And he was apparently an
answer to her prayer, although she questioned God’s choice of
benefactors. Those eyes are definitely too
sparkly .
    Much later, when she noticed the pearling of
the sky outside her window, she realized she’d almost miss him when
they went their separate ways.
    Almost .

 
    Three
     
     
    As the plane taxied on the runway and came to
a stop at the gate, Brad sensed Delphine emotionally distancing
herself from him. He regretted it after the hours they’d spent
talking.
    He felt it was way too premature to end such
a blooming friendship. Yet he knew if he pressed to see her again,
she’d demur and slip away—this time maybe forever. Brad tried to
think of a way to detain her. Once the seatbelt light went off, she
rose to her feet, scooting past him to retrieve her carry-on.
    When he saw her stretching up to the overhead
compartment, it took a fair amount of self-control on his part not
to put his arms around her and pull her down onto his lap. He
chewed on a knuckle and wrestled with his conscience.
    From the seats in front of them, his parents
turned and gave him a speculative look. Brad started guiltily and
cleared his throat. “Delphine. Where can we drop you off?”
    She looked over at them all with wide eyes,
then lowered her gaze. “Thank you so much for your generosity, but
I had planned to take a shuttle home and—”
    “Nonsense,” breathed Elaine Larsen.
    Brad groaned inwardly, recognizing the avid
look on his mother’s face. She was ever on the lookout for
matrimonial prospects for the last of her unmarried offspring.
    His dad joined in. “Just tell us where you
live, Miss D’Arleux and we’ll be happy to take you there.”
    Delphine seemed to consider the notion, then
gave the slightest nod of her head. “Thank you.”
    Brad felt a moment of triumph. Now he’d have
her address. “Well,” he said brightly, “shall we?”
    After disembarking from the plane and
retrieving their luggage, they took a shuttle to the long-term
parking area and climbed into the leather seats of his parents’
Ford Excursion. His dad again asked for Delphine’s address. After
she gave it, she seemed to retreat back into her shell.
    Brad frowned at her behavior. Why had she
become so withdrawn all of a sudden? Couldn’t she tell they were a
nice family? Certainly not people to be afraid of. Frustration
gnawed at him when he saw the strained smile on Delphine’s pinched
face as his mother plied her with questions. He wanted to reach out
to her some way, but didn’t know how.
    God, for some reason, you brought her back
into my orbit. Please keep her here, okay?
    Nearly an hour later, his dad turned down her
street. The neighborhood appeared rundown, with groups of young men
hanging about, staring boldly as they drove by. Litter lined the
street and paint seemed to peel from every house.
    At last, they stopped in front of an old
stuccoed apartment building, obviously built sometime in the
twenties. The quaint