Entice - By Ella Frank Page 0,89

more with Josh? He’s one of the most amazing men I know,” Rachel asked.

Shelly felt her temperature rise as she faced that very logical question. Instead of answering Rachel, she went on the defensive. Always a great move among friends. Not.

“Why don’t you date him then, if he’s so wonderful? Or maybe you’re afraid he won’t follow orders?”

Rachel’s eyes narrowed as Lena moved to stand between the two of them.

“Alright, kitty cats, sheathe your claws,” Lena said.

Rachel was the first to speak. “I just don’t understand. He’s attractive, successful, and kind, and you’re going to just let him move away.” She stopped, shaking her head. “For a doctor, I thought you’d be smarter than that.”

Shelly blinked at Rachel as she continued pointing out all of her faults, but Shelly had blocked out all the sound. All she kept hearing was, You’re just going to let him move away. Those words repeated over and over in her head.

Finally, she snapped to. “He’s moving away?”

Both Lena and Rachel nodded.

“He told us last night at dinner,” Lena confirmed.

Shelly walked back into the dressing room like a zombie.

He is moving. He’s leaving.

She would never have to see him again. She would never have to worry that he was going to be at Lena’s and Mason’s or down at Exquisite.

She should have been thrilled, but as she stood in the dressing room, she felt as though her heart had made that final crack, and it was now completely broken.

***

Josh was sitting on his couch with a beer, watching the Cubs.

His afternoon couldn’t have gotten much better than that. He had finally taken the plunge the other day and gone down to the bank to apply for a loan. When Cole had called to tell him he had been approved, he had felt elated.

Finally.

Finally, something was going the way he had planned. He had worked things out with his crew, currently working on Mason’s renovation, and arranged it so he only had to be present once a month.

Ahh, the beauty of owning your own business. If you want to work on other projects, you are free to. You have no one to answer to, except your employees and the person that hired you. As long as you can deliver your services and pay your staff, then the sky is the limit.

However, Josh didn’t want to go to the sky. No, he had somewhere more specific in mind.

Just as he took another sip of his beer, there was a sharp knock at his door. Looking out the window, he tried to see who was there, but whoever it was must have been standing close to the door.

Sitting up, he placed his beer on the coffee table and went to answer it. When he pulled it open, he was surprised to see Shelly standing there, but in the back of his mind, he had known, or suspected, that she would eventually show up.

She stood there on his porch, wearing a bright yellow T-shirt, a pair of cutoff jeans, and white flip-flops. She had her hair pulled to the side in a messy-looking braid. She looked cute, refreshed, and so utterly appealing that he almost felt like nixing his whole plan.

But, no, in the long run, he felt that what he was doing was for the best, and it would eventually work out for him. Right?

“Shelly? This is a surprise,” he told her.

***

Shelly looked Josh over as he stood there holding the door open. It was true. She didn’t know him as well as she wanted to. It was also true that it was her fault.

As she stood there taking him in, she thought it was highly unfair that she was just now realizing the enormity of her own stupid mistake.

“Is it true?” Shelly asked with no greeting whatsoever.

He stepped aside, and Shelly walked in past him.

Taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes for a moment before continuing into his front hall. When he shut the door, she turned and saw him standing there, watching her.

“Is what true?” he questioned slowly.

Shelly knew he had to know what she was referring to, but he wanted confirmation. So, she gave it to him.

Dropping her bulky leather bag on the floor, she asked, “Are you really leaving Chicago?”

She watched as he nodded, but he stayed where he was, not making any move toward her.

“Yes, it’s true. I’ll be leaving in a couple of days.”

Shelly sucked in a deep breath, not realizing until that moment how much that admission was going to