Scrumptious Read Online Free Page A

once.” Olivia’s smile was Mona Lisa annoying.
    “You never told me!” She leveled an accusing glare at her friend.
    “Total non-starter. It was before I met Keith.” Olivia continued, “Joe goes through women like other guys go through socks. I’m not one of them.”
    “I want to be one of them,” Marlene said fervently.
    “Good for you.” Olivia stood. “Are we done here?” she asked, her hand on the knob.
    “Yeah, I just wanted to make sure. I’ll be out in a minute.” Marlene caught her arm. “Olivia? Are you sure you’re all right?”
    “Yes.” Her voice was flat.
    “Promise?” Marlene pressed.
    “Yes.”
    Marlene waited for a couple seconds. “You did the right thing.”
    “I know.”
    She could see from the steady look in Olivia’s eyes that she did. Really. Olivia sighed quietly.
    “It’s okay, Marly. I’m fine. I just feel like an idiot. It’s not just Keith’s girlfriends. It’s all the other stuff. We met in culinary school. He got good grades, top of the class. I learned to cook. Why didn’t he? How did Keith get around that one simple thing?”
    Marlene had a few theories, but she kept them to herself. She was just glad Olivia had come to her senses. “You knew how to cook when you got there.”
    “I guess I did.” Olivia bit her lip. Her eyes were doubtful. “He was charming, right? I mean, I’m not crazy. I’m not an idiot. I was head over heels for the guy. Keith had something, right? Something?”
    Marlene wrapped her arms around her. “Yeah, he had something. He talked a good game. He really did. He had me going for a while too.” She ended the hug with a hard squeeze. “Not as long as you, though. Seriously, are you sure you’re okay?”
    “I knew it was coming.” Olivia brushed her bangs out of her eyes. Then she squared her shoulders, opened the door, and stepped out, shutting it behind her. Typical. No more discussion. Once Olivia made a decision, she moved on and shut the door behind her.
    Marlene turned to the mirror and saw a frown on her face, so she blew a breath out through puffed cheeks to erase it. Her heart ached for her friend, even though she knew love was a loser’s game. Anyone reckless enough to get married should expect disappointment. Her own father had only stuck around long enough to leave at the worst possible time, and her mother still hadn’t learned her lesson. She was about to marry number five. Other than celebrities looking for publicity, who actually did that? That kind of optimism was lethal. It was much safer to stay single and move on to the next guy before things got complicated. The world was full of next guys. In fact, there was one waiting for her in the bar.
    Now that Keith was gone, she would happily resume her place on the line and work doubles until Olivia hired someone to make the desserts. Starting tomorrow, she would help Olivia put her life back together. Tonight, however, she was going to play with Joe.
    “Go get him, girl.” She practiced a smile in the scarred mirror over the bathroom sink, then opened the door and stepped out into the bar.
    ***
    As the girls crossed the bar to the ladies room, Joe saw them catch a wave from three guys in the back. Marly dropped a kiss on a long-haired guy’s cheek as they passed the table but didn’t stop to chat. Joe’s eyes narrowed.
    “Marly is a force of nature,” the bartender commented, snapping Joe’s gaze from the low waistband of Marlene’s jeans, where her pants dipped almost but not quite far enough to display the dimples he was imagining at the base of her spine.
    “I can see that,” Joe said, looking at him as he set the drinks on the bar. He took Joe’s twenties, making change for his tip. Color tattoos wound all the way up the bartender’s arms and down to his wrists. He had three piercings that Joe could see and a shaved head. “Is that a warning?” he asked.
    “Hell no. I’d never warn anyone away from Marly. I like her too much. Everyone