Time Changes Everything Read Online Free PDF Page A

her finger. “Well?”
    His eyes darkened. “As a matter of fact --” Jake leaned over and wiped a spot of cream cheese off the side of her lip. Her eyes shut for a brief moment and she basked in his small, intimate touch.
    When she opened them, a beginning of a smile tipped the corners of his mouth.  “I don’t have a girlfriend, per se, but I date.”
    “Well, congratulations. Invite me to the wedding.” Amanda crossed her legs. Why did she let him get to her like that? Her body betrayed her in every way. She scratched a spot on the table and didn’t allow herself to look at him.
    “Like tonight for example, I have a date with a woman I met when I got my haircut a few days ago. There could be a real possibility of something.” Jake bit into his bagel.
    “Oh come on, what’s going on? Have you had a real girlfriend yet? You can’t count Leslie Deveroux from high school, either.”
    “I had a girlfriend in Dallas that lasted a few months.”
    She huffed. “You’re making progress then.”
    He rubbed his neck. “I hate to be tied down to just one woman. Been there, tried that. Doesn’t work.”
    “Really? Not even one?” Amanda set her coffee down.
    He sighed. “The last girl I broke up with practically stalked me for a month afterward. I can’t handle that kind of shit.” He pinched the top of his nose, between his brows. “I don’t want to be responsible for someone else’s sadness. It’s bullshit.”
    Amanda reached out and stroked his arm. “One thing I’ve learned on this adventure of mine is that we’re responsible for our own happiness. No one else can step in the way unless you let them.”
    Jake slid his chair up closer to her. “So, who was this man you almost married?”
    She bit down hard on her lower lip. “I don’t really want to talk about it.”
    Jake lifted her chin and looked into her eyes. “I want to know. We used to know each other backward and forward.”
    The yearning to know everything she missed about him nagged at the back of her brain, too. She wanted to talk to him for hours and find out every detail about his life. Like the old days. “His name is Dominic. He’s from Paris. I met him while working at a fashion show. The end.”
    “And? What happened? Why wasn’t he the one?” His powerful blue eyes stared her down.
    “Who really is the one,? How do we know?” Every woman wanted to know that answer. Did he? They stared at each other like a showdown in an old western saloon. The coffee machines whizzed in the background.
    He lifted his palms in defeat. “Don’t ask me. I’m the womanizer, remember?”
    Was he really that cold hearted? He had to want to get married one day. He wasn’t the type to stay single his whole life; he deserved better.
    “Don’t you want to get married eventually?”
    Jake pointed a finger at her. “Uh-un, you’re changing the subject. We’re talking about you.”
    “I’m serious. You can only date around for a little bit. Doesn’t it get boring?”
    “Hey, it’s not my fault that I go on a few dates and lose interest fast.” His face crinkled up as he thought about it.
    Amanda tightened her hair in her ponytail and sat up straighter. She moved her coffee cup forward and placed her hand on Jake’s. “Have you ever had a connection with someone?”
    His face hardened and he sighed heavily. “Sure, when I’m on top of someone in the heat of the moment. Bet that’s not the kind of connection you hoped to hear about.”
    She inched forward. “No, really, Jake. You’ve felt something for someone, right?”
    “And if I haven’t? Something’s wrong with me?” He tore his hand away from her and folded his arms across his chest.
    “I’m just sad for you. Connections with people are what life is all about.”
    He rolled his eyes at her. “Connections also hurt people. Look at my mom. When my dad left us, it almost destroyed her.”
    She threw her arms in the air. “Yeah, but in the end it was for the best.” She