The Man Every Woman Wants Read Online Free PDF Page A

Laura could not keep the sarcasm out of her voice.In her experience, lying to their girlfriends was second nature to men like Ryan.
    â€˜Yes, really. But I can see you don’t believe me.’
    â€˜Does it matter what I believe? It’s all irrelevant anyway, because I’ve decided not to accept your kind offer.’
    â€˜And why’s that?’
    â€˜Because it can only lead to further complications. Gran’s eightieth birthday is coming up soon. If her health improves, the family is sure to throw her a party and she’ll expect me to attend, along with my newly found Mr Right. I can’t honestly expect you to go along to that as well. By then, we’ll be asked eternal questions about when we’re getting engaged and when the wedding’s going to be. Everything will snowball and you’ll wish you hadn’t started it in the first place. Much better I go home this weekend and say we’ve already broken up.’
    Ryan shrugged. ‘If that’s what you want to do. But it wouldn’t worry Erica.’
    â€˜If you think that, Ryan, then you don’t know women very well. I think I should go now,’ she added, becoming nervous that people from her work would start arriving any minute now. ‘Thank you for the drink, and for your offer. It really was very nice of you. But not a good idea.’
    She finished her drink and stood up. ‘I’ll see you next Friday at three,’ she said.
    â€˜I tell you what,’ Ryan said before she could escape. ‘I’ll give you my private mobile-number just in case you change your mind. Do you have a biro in that bag of yours? I’ll bet you do,’ he added with a quick smile.
    â€˜Yes, but…’
    â€˜Just write it down, Laura,’ he said with a hint of exasperation. ‘You never know.’
    â€˜Oh, very well,’ she said, and did what he asked, writing the number he gave her down on the back of one of her business cards.
    Then she bolted for the exit, thankfully not spotting anyone she knew on the way out. Laura was out of breath by thetime she made it to the quay and onto the Manly ferry for the ride home, glad to subside into a seat in a private corner, glad to be alone with her still-whirling thoughts.
    But, once her head settled and her heart stopped beating like a rock-band drummer, Laura knew she’d made the right decision, knocking back Ryan’s offer. It was ridiculous to keep such a deception going, no matter how tempted she’d been.
    What was that other saying, now? ‘Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practise to deceive’?
    As she’d spelled out to Ryan, it would have been extremely difficult to carry off such a pretence without their dislike for each other shining through somehow. No, she’d done the right thing. The only thing. But she still winced at the thought of telling the family that she’d lied about finding Mr Right. She did have her pride.
    No, she’d do what she originally said she’d do: make some excuse why Ryan couldn’t join them this weekend. Then later on, if Gran continued to recover, she could say that they’d broken up because Ryan refused to get married. That would save her pride too. If Gran didn’t recover—Laura’s heart contracted fiercely at this thought—then it wouldn’t matter. Gran would at least have died happy.

CHAPTER FIVE
    B Y THE time the ferry docked at the Manly wharf and Laura started off up the hill for the walk home, she’d become reconciled to her decision, except for one small regret. It would have been seriously satisfying to go home with a man like Ryan on her arm, she thought with a rather wistful sigh, just to see the looks on the faces of her aunt and uncle, both of whom never let an opportunity go by to point out what a loser she was in the dating department.
    Of course the truth was that they didn’t like her. Uncle Bill had resented her