Lauren Layne

It was him.
The man was gorgeous in the sort of way that made women stop and stare. The tall and lean athlete’s body was as impeccably dressed as ever in a trim, perfectly tailored black suit. No sign of a tie today, although there often was one.
His dark hair was perfectly styled, the clean-shaven face showing off a strong jaw and symmetrical lips.
And the eyes…green today, although they often could burn blue.
But Emma didn’t have to look at the man to know all of this.
She knew it all from her memories. Bad memories.

She’d quit caring about anything having to do with Alex Cassidy long ago.
Say…right about the time he left her at the altar.

And Alex Cassidy didn’t think he was biased just because these women—most of them, anyway—were his friends.
But they were his friends. Good ones. Just when he’d started to think Manhattan was the loneliest, most foul place on earth, he’d stumbled on the unexpected:
Friendship.

And then there was Emma.
Emma, whose every feature he knew by heart, even without glancing at her.

Julie, Riley, and Grace were here. And until they’d wiggled their way into her life with their happy enthusiasm and unfailing loyalty, Emma hadn’t realized just how horribly alone she was.

Emma glanced around at her friends, who all looked ready to sign over their life’s savings to her, if she’d just say the word.
She swallowed, feeling unusually emotional.

Sometimes it bothered her that just because she didn’t show her emotions, people somehow thought she didn’t have them.
And that simply wasn’t true. She felt things. Deeply.

And right now, Emma was feeling an acute sense of gratefulness for these girlfriends who’d somehow welcomed her into their group, stunted emotions and all.

Because, strangely enough, he suspected that he and Emma understood each other better than anyone else.

“Maybe,” he said, studying her. “Or maybe it’s about you…and one of the guys.”
She blinked. “What do you mean?”
His smile was kind. “Just that I figure at some point, some guy must have been able to make you smile. And I always wondered if it was the same guy that made you stop.”