The Marriage Prescription. Debra Webb

added. Beth slipped out, locked her office door and hurried down the corridor as she pondered that line of thinking further. He was just a guy she’d lived next door to her whole life and she’d gotten infatuated with him. If they had ever followed through on her teenage desires, she’d probably have found that there was nothing particularly special about him and moved on. Beth slowed as she exited the hospital. Would getting him out of her system be that simple?

      What had kept her from thinking of this before? A smile spread across her lips. The only thing that made Zach so godlike in her mind was his being just out of her reach. All she had to do was have him just one time and she’d know there was nothing special about him. The mystery would be unveiled. The tension broken. Kind of like Christmas as a kid. All that obsessing for months before it arrived, then—bam—it’s over.

      “Well, hell.” She stood in the middle of the staff parking lot, her hands planted on her hips. All this time she’d thought he was something special when he really wasn’t. He was just a regular guy. She’d built him into some kind of Adonis in her mind because he’d always stood up for her, been kind to her. And she’d never be free of that long-standing perception unless she proved to herself once and for all that it was just that—a perception.

      Anticipation tingled through her. Could it be that easy?

      There was only one way to find out.

      Now all she had to do was convince Zach to go along with her plan. A scowl tugged her features into a frown. He would never do it. They were friends, he’d insist. She thought of last night’s infuriatingly platonic kiss. She was like a sister to him. The little girl next door. But she was all grown up now. A grin tilted her lips upward. She wouldn’t play by Zach’s rules. She was going to be in control of this game.

      And seduction was its name.

      THE PARTY STORE carried a huge selection of birthday themes—none of which reached out to Beth. None said “Colleen Ashton.” Beth shifted her purse to the other shoulder and retraced her path down the only aisle that even remotely interested her. A vague possibility for the theme was forming in the back of her mind.

      With her elbow propped on one arm she rested her chin in her hand and sighed with disgust. Why the heck did they need a theme anyway? Couldn’t they just do it? All they really needed was a nice cake and a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday.” A smile tugged at her lips. And she knew just who could do it.

      “Decisions, decisions,” a decidedly male voice murmured right next to her ear.

      Beth shrieked and jumped away from the sound. Deep, rich laughter sent her fright rushing toward anger. She whipped around to find Zach grinning at her. The urge to stamp her foot was almost overpowering.