Time for Change Read Online Free PDF Page A

pretty.
    “Remember I want you to
phone me—”
    “Yeah, I know, you want me
to phone you during every stage of my date because you don’t trust me,” she
said, interrupting him before he got into the flow of his rant.
    “I trust you, not the chef.”
    Her door was knocked on, and
she headed toward it.
    “Please, stop worrying about
me. I need to get out and date. I’m not getting any younger, and I want a
family soon.”
    The silence on the other end
was deafening.
    “Don’t do anything stupid.”
    “I never do anything
stupid,” she said, loving his concern way more than she should.
    “No? Then what do you call
losing your virginity in college and the guy crushing you because of it?”
    She paused at his
accusation. Rachel had begged her sister not to tell him the truth. Yes, she’d
lost her virginity to a musician at college, but not once did he give her the
time of day after that. She’d felt cheap and hated the sight of herself when
she looked in the mirror.
    “Did Claire tell you about
that?” she asked.
    “No, I knew from looking at
you. You’re like an open book, honey. Please, don’t do anything stupid.”
    The knocking grew louder as
she listened to Chris on the phone. “Look, I’ve got to go. I’ll call you, I
promise.”
    She hung up at the first
moment. Closing her eyes, she tried to compose herself.
    “Are you there, Rachel?”
Richard asked, calling through the door.
    Unlocking the door, she saw
her date was stood, dressed in a suit and holding a single red rose dressed in
a suit.
    “Richard,” she said, forcing
a smile to her face.
    “You look beautiful.”
    “Thank you. You look very
handsome.”
    “You’re just saying that to
be nice.” He handed her the rose.
    “Erm,
thank you. Let me put this in a pot.”
    She left the door open,
wishing Richard stayed outside. Filling a little pot, she placed the rose
inside the water and headed back. She didn’t want to be on this date. The
thought of being with Richard for the rest of the evening didn’t leave her
thrilled.
    “Are you ready to go?” he
asked. She saw he was stood outside still.
    Taking a deep breath, she
nodded and headed out with him. She wasn’t surprised when he took her to a
Chinese restaurant as she’d not been very forthcoming with her ideal place.
Telling a prospective date that she liked eating with Chris didn’t sound great
to her.
    She glanced down at her cell
phone as they were seated. When she reached for the menu with the prices on,
Richard took it instead. All too soon she was being ordered something she
didn’t actually like and was having to listen to him talk about work.
    Nodding, mumbling and
pushing her food around her plate, Rachel was bored. She couldn’t stop looking
at the clock, wondering when she’d be able to call it a night.
    Richard leaned back after he
finished his meal. “I’ve got something to tell you,” he said.
    Looking up, she waited for
him to speak.
    He reached into his jacket
pocket and produced an envelope. She took it from him. Opening the envelope she
saw it was a lot of money. “What is all this?”
    “It’s a bet.”
    “A bet?” She closed the envelope, looking at him.
    “Yes.”
    “Okay, Richard, you’re going
to have to bring me up to speed because at the moment, I’m not really sure what
you’re trying to say to me.”
    “You were part of a bet.”
    She stared at him, wondering
if this was some kind of joke. “What the hell are you talking about?”
    “No one could get in your
pants. You’re not dating anyone, and so a bet was set up. The first man to get
you on a date and fuck you, got the money,” Richard said.
    Rachel felt sick.
    “Why are you telling me
this?”
    “I got the winnings, but
there’s another pot for getting you into bed.”
    Glancing around her, she
felt the tears fill her eyes. She hated the feeling of being alone. “You only
asked me on a date for money?”
    “It was nothing personal.”
    Standing up, she left