The Back-Up Plan Read Online Free PDF Page A

if she should continue this conversation. Jason was a clown, Peter Pan in a Hugo Boss suit. He didn’t take much in life seriously and she was definitely giving him extra ammunition on the teasing front. If she weren’t so tipsy and tired, there was no way on earth she’d talk to him about stuff like this. As it was…
    “But what?”
    She bit her lower lip, then let the words slip out. “I’m lonely.”
    She waited for him to laugh, to say something silly, but instead silence met her pronouncement. Then he gave her a crooked grin that looked more understanding than entertained.
    “So am I.”
    “You are?”
    Jason nodded. “I spent my twenties and thirties swearing I had the ideal life. That I’d been the smartest of all my friends by hanging onto bachelorhood. I come and go as I please. If I want to spend a Saturday golfing rather than working in the yard, I do it. If I want to order pizza for dinner and sit on my ass drinking beer in my recliner every night, I do that too.”
    Kristen smiled. “It sounds like the perfect set-up. My life is the same. Eat whatever I want, wear pajamas all day on Sunday.”
    “Thought you didn’t wear pajamas. Sort of liked that image.”
    “Erase that from your memory. The last thing I want is you imagining me naked.” She pretended to gag at the thought.
    He chuckled. “Too late. I’ve gotten a glimpse of your boobies. My dirty mind is whirling.”
    “Can we please get back to the subject?” It was always like this with Jason. They’d be in the midst of a serious conversation and he’d find some way to take them off on a twisted tangent.
    He waved his hand, indicating she should continue.
    “All I’m saying is I hang out with the girls every Thursday for happy hour, spend money on whatever strikes my fancy and I have no one to answer to. That freedom is nice.”
    Jason leaned forward. “It’s very nice. But it’s not really enough anymore, is it?”
    He did get it. She turned on the couch, tucking her foot under her. “I want someone to talk to when I get home from work.”
    “Yeah. I think it would be nice to crawl under the sheets with a woman every night without having to go through all the legwork involved in trying to get laid, then all the fancy footwork required to get back out of the bed again.”
    Kristen grinned. “I can imagine it’s extremely difficult trying to talk a woman into sleeping with you.”
    He reached over and messed up her hair playfully. “It’s not that damn hard. I’m just sick of the games. I think being in a committed relationship would be nice for a change.”
    His comments left her reeling, though she felt bad for that. She’d been offended when he questioned her desire to get married, but now she was doing the same to him. She’d never in a million years found a single similarity between her and Jason, besides the fact they’d both passed the bar. Now she realized they were more alike than she knew.
    “Do you think we missed the boat? Waited too long?” The concern had plagued her lately. Maybe all the good men were taken.
    He shrugged. “I don’t know. I’d like to think not.”
    “I’m not even sure how to meet someone. I mean the guys that I’ve dated aren’t exactly my forever type. They’re okay to hang out with socially, but I don’t see myself marrying any of them.”
    Jason ran his hand through his short brown hair. He’d adopted a trendy look lately, wearing it a bit longer on top. She had meant to tell him the style suited him, but then decided his ego didn’t need any more inflating.
    “Well, take it from someone who knows, Kris. Bars aren’t a great place to pick up lifelong partners.”
    Tonight had proven that to her loud and clear. “I considered online dating, but I really don’t want to go that route.”
    “Yeah. Me either. So the answer is obvious. We’ll help each other.”
    She tried to decide if he was making a joke, but for the first time ever, she saw something in his eyes that