Out of Reach Read Online Free PDF Page B

driver!” before
taking a long swig.
    Turning a fierce glare on us, he warns,
“Behave,” before turning back to the game. We both break down
laughing and I wipe away the moisture leaking from my eyes as the
giggles fade.
    Our waitress returns with food and I wave
Kade over to join us as she expertly doles out everyone’s dinner.
“If everything looks okay, I’ll be back in a few minutes to check
on refills,” she announces before heading back to the kitchen.
    We dig in and I sit
enjoying the companionable silence. Well, I’m silent at least. Mark
and Dan are regaling us with stories of their trip to Las Vegas
last week for some pharmacy convention. Geez , I think, only three beers in and I can’t even remember the name ...
and it had a simple acronym. Inhaling a
few more fries to help offset the effects of the alcohol, I try to
refocus on the story. Apparently, in the pharmacy world, the fact
that drug reps can’t give away free pens and other random crap
anymore is a big deal.
    About halfway through our pitcher Melanie
gets up and heads off towards the bar.
    “Hey grab me a ...” Dan starts to yell
before I effectively kick him under the table.
    “Shush! Dan, leave her be,” I chastise him.
Rolling his eyes, he returns to his conversation while trying to
flag down the waitress. Shifting my chair slightly for a better
view, I watch Melanie. She was wearing her man-eater look when she
left the table, so I’m pretty sure I know what she’s about. I watch
as she slowly winds her way toward the bar. Scanning the crowd I
try to locate her intended target.
    “Care to make a wager?” Kade whispers next
to my ear.
    “You’re on,” I say. “Stakes?”
    He leans back in his chair, silent for a
moment before answering. “Loser pays for lunch sometime in the
foreseeable future.”
    “Deal,” I say. “Do we need to shake on
it?”
    Laughing, he barks out, “No, now pick your
mark.”
    Quickly I scan the crowd again, just to be
sure I haven’t missed anyone. “There, across the bar. The blonde
with the great smile, in the blue shirt. Do you see him?” I ask
Kade.
    “I see him,” he says. “And you couldn’t be
more wrong; you’re making this too easy. Are you sure you don’t
want to try again?”
    “No,” I say. “And don’t insult me. I think I
know my best friend a little better than you do. Who’s your
bet?”
    Kade takes my biting remark in stride. “You
see the table just behind your blonde?”
    “Yes,” I answer.
    “She’s headed for Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome
on the left.” Kade grins down at me and I just glare at him, more
than a little testy from his earlier comment.
    “We’ll see about that,” I say as confidently
as I can. He chuckles and we return to our drinks in companionable
silence to watch the drama unfold. Sure enough, after a few minutes
of circling the area until she’s sure everyone is aware of her, and
then flirting with the bartender who is an old friend, she heads
for the table in the back. We can’t make out what’s being said but
we can see in just a moment’s time she has become quite chummy with
Mr. Tall-Dark-and-Handsome. Speechless, my mouth falls open and I
turn to gape at Kade.
    Standing up smiling he says, “Better luck
next time,” and strides back to the bar to finish the Padres
game.
    Grabbing the pitcher, I begin to refill my
glass, more than a little shaken about what had just happened. How
did I miss the mark by such a wide margin? The whole thing has me
baffled I know everything about Melanie; there is no way I should
have guessed wrong. We have been inseparable since we were five
years old. In elementary school we started a perfume business
together. She manned the distribution and marketing department,
while I worked on production and packaging. There have been endless
summers of camping trips, bike rides, and lemonade stands. Melanie
was the one I cried to in junior high when my first crush at summer
camp turned me down after I’d asked him