Rent a Millionaire Groom Read Online Free PDF Page A

sit.”
    Phoebe and Daisy had discovered them by that time and were waving from across the room. “Uh, my friends are here. Do you mind if we say hello?”
    “Of course not. But I’d rather not join them tonight. We need to talk, to get to know each other.”
    “Yes, of course.” She led the way to their table, glad they weren’t going to have dinner with Phoebe and Daisy. James would only have eyes for her friends. They were so alive, so beautiful.
    “Hi, Phoebe and Daisy. This is James Dillon.James, these are my two best friends, Phoebe Lane and Daisy Redford.”
    “Evening, ladies.”
    Elise could tell how impressed her friends were with James. Which only reinforced her confidence in her excellent choice. Her sisters would be overwhelmed.
    She smiled at her friends, pleased at their approval.
    James’s arm came around her shoulders, surprising her. His warmth, the scent of his aftershave, the thrill she experienced when he touched her, distracted her. And filled her with concern. She didn’t want to become too interested in James Dillon.
    “You know, Elise, why don’t we join Phoebe and Daisy for dinner. Unless you two ladies object? Your food hasn’t arrived yet?”
    “No, we haven’t even ordered,” Daisy said. “George is rushed off his feet tonight.”
    “Good, then how about it, Elise?” James said, pulling out the nearest empty chair.
    Her heart fell. He was attracted to her friends. Maybe it was Daisy who drew him. Then they wouldn’t have to worry about finding a man for her. Or maybe it was Phoebe, with her starlet looks. James was probably used to starlets.
    “Elise?”
    “Oh, oh, yes, of course. That would be delightful.”
    And she fell into the chair he held out for her.
     
    J AMES THOUGHT E LISE had seemed very tense, until she smiled at her friends. So he’d decided Elise might be more forthcoming if she was relaxed.
    Now he knew he’d miscalculated. She was more tense than ever. What had gone wrong?
    He sat down next to her, trying to figure out how to get out of his decision.
    George rushed up. “The usual, darlin’s?”
    Elise frowned. “James hasn’t been here before. I don’t know—”
    “What’s the usual?” he asked, not much caring what he ate. He was more interested in Elise.
    “A chicken Caesar salad,” Phoebe explained. “But their burgers are really good.”
    “I’ll have a burger,” he said at once.
    George nodded in his direction. Then, after the three women said they’d have the usual, he moved on.
    “So, you three must eat here a lot,” he commented, hoping to see Elise relax.
    “Several times a week,” Daisy said. “After working all day, it doesn’t seem worth the effort to cook for one when we can come here and have a healthy salad.”
    “I know what you mean. If I didn’t have—” He broke off, reminding himself a struggling teaching assistant didn’t have a housekeeper. “Uh, if I didn’t have my mom nearby, I’d exist on hamburgers.”
    Phoebe chuckled. “I don’t think a man ever outgrows his need to go home to be fed.”
    “Which one of you has the art gallery?” he asked.
    Daisy looked at Elise, then back at James. “That’s me.”
    “I’ve been to it. I was impressed with your inventory.”
    “Oh, thank you. You’re interested in art?”
    “Depends—but I liked what you had,” he said.
    The other two grinned in response to his flattery, but Elise did not.
    It suddenly occurred to him that he didn’t know just how much Elise had told her friends. Did she want them to think he was a serious suitor? “Uh, Elise and I just met. I thought if we joined you two, you could tell me secrets about her.” He nudged Elise with his elbow, hoping to draw some response.
    “They know,” she said, not looking at him.
    James cocked an eyebrow at the other two women. “You do?”
    They nodded. Daisy added, “Elise told us because we’re searching for a man for me, and she used the book to find you.”
    James sat back in his