I'm Your Girl. J.J. Murray. Читать онлайн. Newlib. NEWLIB.NET

Автор: J.J. Murray
Издательство: Ingram
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Жанр произведения: Короткие любовные романы
Год издания: 0
isbn: 9780758257130
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      FIRST DATE

      “So, are you asking me out for New Year’s Eve, Jack?”

      He clears his throat. “I’d, um, rather ask you in person, Diane, and by then I ought to know where we can go. So, will you go with me or meet me somewhere for lunch tomorrow?”

      I smile. “Sure. How about Bandini’s on Market?”

      “Could I pick you up in front of the library at twelve-thirty-five?”

      “That would be great.”

      “Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

      “Great.”

      More silence, but it’s the kind of silence you swim in and enjoy, waves of silence filled with tingling, sweaty fingers and warm hands.

      “I’m glad you called, Diane.”

      “Good bye, Jack.”

      Click.

      I…have…a…date!

      I, a twenty-five year old suede sister with some junk in my trunk am going out to lunch with a six-foot, skinny, ashy, blond-haired, blue-eyed scarecrow.

      Lord, we are going to clash so badly!

      And, for some reason, I can’t wait!

      It’s about time I had some kind of life.

      Books by J. J. Murray

      RENEE AND JAY

      SOMETHING REAL

      ORIGINAL LOVE

      I’M YOUR GIRL

      CAN’T GET ENOUGH OF YOUR LOVE

      TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

      THE REAL THING

      Published by Kensington Publishing Corporation

      I’m Your Girl

      J. J. MURRAY

      KENSINGTON PUBLISHING CORP.

       http://www.kensingtonbooks.com

      For Amy

      Contents

      1. Diane Denise “Dee-Dee” “Nisi” Anderson

      2. Jack Browning

      3. Diane

      4. Jack

      5. Diane

      6. Jack

      7. Diane

      8. Jack

      9. Diane

      10. Jack

      11. Diane

      12. Jack

      13. Diane

      14. Jack

      15. Diane

      16. Jack

      17. Diane

      18. Jack

      19. Diane

      20. Jack

      21. Diane

      22. Jack

      23. Diane

      24. Jack

      25. Diane

      26. Jack

      27. Diane

      28. Jack

      29. Diane

      30. Jack

      31. Diane

      32. Jack

      33. Diane

      34. Jack

      35. Diane

      36. Jack

      37. Diane

      38. Jack

      39. Diane

      40. Jack

      41. Diane

      42. Jack

      43. Diane

      44. Jack

      45. Diane

      46. Jack

      47. Diane

      48. Jack

      49. Diane

      50. Jack

      51. Diane

      52. Jack

      53. Diane

      54. Jack

      55. Diane

      56. Jack

      57. Diane

      58. Jack

      59. Diane

      60. Jack

      61. Diane

      62. Jack

      63. Diane

      1

      Diane Denise “Dee-Dee” “Nisi” Anderson

      This game is rigged.

      I know it’s only solitaire, but these cards just don’t want to fall for me tonight. For seven games in a row, the ace I’ve needed to win has been hiding in the last pile on the right, and twice it’s been the bottom card.

      It serves me right for playing solitaire on Christmas Eve.

      Solitaire is a funny game. It takes a long time to win, and when you do, you keep playing—and losing—until you win again. It’s just something to do with my hands, to keep them occupied. “Idle hands,” my mama used to say to me, and I’d finish the phrase: “are the Devil’s playground.”

      I’ll bet even the Devil cheats at solitaire.

      Solitaire is kind of like life, I guess. You fuss and scratch to get into college, take the right courses, get the degree that you hope will take you through the rest of your life, get that diploma…then lose your mind trying to find a job that matches that diploma. I have a degree in library science, and, yes, it is a science to run a library. I figured that this country, with thousands of libraries, would have openings wherever I looked, especially for a suede-skinned sister like myself.

      I was wrong.

      While I was doing some part-time work at libraries in my hometown of Indianapolis, Indiana—and living with my mama, but that’s another story—I was sending résumés to libraries all over the country. Most never responded, and four wrote nice “no-thank-you” letters, leaving me with interviews in Chicago, Louisville, and Roanoke, Virginia.

      I had to look up that last place on a map.

      And, of course, Roanoke is where I ended up. My official title is Grade Four Clerk, because I actually have a library science degree. I’m a clerk. I’m not “Assistant Librarian,” not a “Media Specialist”—just a Grade Four Clerk, as if I’m working in an elementary school somewhere. I shelve books, reshelve books, scan bar codes, compile overdue lists, conduct reference interviews until my voice gets hoarse, and occasionally help coordinate Saturday morning readings for the kids. Yeah, that’s me behind the circulation or reference desk, eyeing every person wandering into the library, forcing a smile and making change for the copier.

      And…that’s…about…it.

      “Give me a king, please!”

      And I’m talking to a deck of cards on Christmas Eve.

      It’s better than talking to my mama, though. She