The Icing on the Cake Read Online Free PDF Page B

graciousness.
    Finally Mom hugged me and said in a tone that made my cheeks turn pink, “Well, I guess we’d better leave you two alone.” Then she turned to Isaac. “It was a pleasure to meet you.”
    “Good to meet you too,” Isaac replied genuinely. He then nodded toward Mom’s friends. “It was good to meet all of you.”
    The women took turns bidding me and Isaac good-bye and giving me little he’s-a-cutie looks behind Isaac’s back, and then they were off in one pastel swoop.
    “I’m so sorry about that,” I said once Isaac and I were alone.
    “About what? They were great.”
    “They sure liked you,” I said.
    “Your Mom’s real nice. Now I can see where you get it.”
    I looked down at the floor. “We should get some food,” I said quickly. I picked up the leather-bound menu that was on the center of the table and began looking it over.
    “So, this place isn’t too crowded for you after all?” Isaac asked with a grin.
    “No, it’s just right,” I answered meaningfully.
    Isaac and I looked over the menu and decided to split a turkey croissant sandwich.
    As we ate, we made small talk and then talked about the article. Then, as we sipped on smoothies—mine a Pineapple Mango Delight, Isaac’s a Strawberry Banana Dream—the conversation turned more serious.
    “Can I ask you a question?” I asked Isaac.
    “Okay.”
    I tried to form the question in my mind before asking it, so it didn’t sound like I was prying. “Can I ask what happened to your brother?”
    Isaac leaned back in his chair. “Sure you can ask that. When he was on his mi—I mean, when he lived in Guatemala for a couple of years, he got hurt trying to save a girl during a flash flood.” Isaac managed a weak smile.
    I carefully chose my next words. “That must have been terrible.”
    “Yeah, but he’s a rock. He’s handled it better than I ever could have.” It was obvious in Isaac’s voice that he really admired his brother.
    I nodded silently.
    “Thanks for coming to lunch with me,” Isaac said, sounding pretty eager to change the subject.
    “Thanks for the invitation.”
    “Will you have dinner with me sometime?” he asked out of nowhere.
    I played with the straw in my smoothie as I considered the question.
    Annabelle, you’re setting yourself up to get hurt, my brain immediately piped up. No sense dating a guy if he can’t take you to the temple.
    Everyone has to eat, I told my brain.
    I could eat dinner with a work colleague if I wanted to. And if he just happened to be gorgeous and charming, well, there was nothing I could do about that now was there.
    “I would like that very much,” I answered.
    “How about tomorrow night?”
    “Tomorrow is perfect,” I replied, still playing with my smoothie straw.
    “Pick you up at six?” Isaac looked over at me in a terribly adorable way.
    I listened carefully to my feelings. In this day and age a girl can never be too careful, and Dad has always told me to exercise caution when it comes to letting men pick me up at my home. Luckily for me, I didn’t have any uneasy feeling about Isaac. In fact, I had some pretty good feelings about him.
    “Six would be wonderful,” I said. I wrote my cell number and address on a sugar packet and resisted the urge to draw a big heart on it before handing it to Isaac.
    “Great,” Isaac said as he simultaneously put the sugar in his pocket and stood up from the table. He offered me his hand and helped me out of my chair.
    I moved toward the door, and Isaac followed close behind, opening the door for me. I’ve found that this is a tricky maneuver for most guys, but Isaac handled it perfectly.
    Outside the café, Isaac told me he was going to go to a nearby store, and I explained that I was heading back to La Bonne Violette to get my car. Then I stood still on the sidewalk for a moment trying to figure out how to say good-bye. Should I hug him? Should I shake his hand? Should I give him a little punch on the shoulder? I finally