A Sweet Possibility (Archer Cove Series Book 2) Read Online Free Page B
Author: Natalie Charles
Did you still want that quiet you asked for?"
"Nate, come on. Tell me about it."
He suppressed a grin. It was kind of hot when she begged for things. "I just saw a "For Rent" sign this morning." He hesitated. "Do you want to stop by, or do you need to sleep it off first?"
"Stop by, for sure! I told you, I only had three mimosas." She reached over and pinched his arm. "Jeez, aren't you supposed to have a layer of fat here? What am I supposed to pinch?"
"I'm in training. I have a marathon in the fall."
"Ugh. Running." She rolled her eyes. "Miserable."
They had known each other since high school, and in all that time, Nate had been running long distances and Jessie had been wrinkling her nose at it. He went tocollege on a track scholarship, and he couldn't imagine giving up running now, after all these years. It was his time alone with his thoughts. When he met with new clients, they often asked him how they were supposed to fit exercise into their busy daily schedules, and he'd explain that if they stuck with it long enough, their lives would simply make room.
"It's not that bad," he said. "You should try it. You might like it."
"What, running? The horrors. Not unless a tiger is chasing me."
"I can roar, you know. Mrs. Burgess demands it."
Jessie groaned. "I'll bet she does. Oh my gosh, you should date Mrs. Burgess. Wouldn't that be funny?"
Nate cursed silently. Sometimes he wondered if he and Jessie actually spoke the same language. If they did, he must be using it wrong, because she so clearly missed everything he thought he was saying to her.
Date Claire Burgess? In a word, no. Was she attractive? Sure. But she was also a headache and a diva, and attractive wore off quickly. And oh, by the way, he happened to be in love with the girl sitting right beside him. You know, the one he rearranged his entire schedule for because she got wasted at a Sunday morning baby shower. The one who happened to be sort-of dating his best friend, which made things just a little awkward. Okay, a lot awkward. Terrible, really. His best friend on the planet was dating the girl of Nate's dreams, and he couldn't bring himself to even think about what that actually entailed. Better not to think about them dating at all.
"Why would I date Mrs. Burgess?" He didn't mean to sound weary, but he sure felt it just then.
"You would date Mrs. Burgess," Jessie explained in her overly patient tone, "because then we could throw amazing parties. Think about it. We could do a party for every season, and in the summer we'd have an intimate gathering on her yacht. What's she call it?"
"The Magpie."
Jessie's mouth dropped. "No, she doesn't! Well, that would have to be renamed. I'm not throwing a summer solstice party on a boat called The Magpie."
"You want to talk about horrors," he deadpanned.
They were only a block from Maple Street, where Dinardo's Deli used to be. Jessie was considering her fingernails, which she'd painted a bright pink. "You know about structural things, right? I mean, you can tell me if this space is good to rent?"
"I can give you the basics."
She nodded and returned her hands to her lap, apparently satisfied with that answer. Nate liked to think he was good for something other than collecting her rent checks. Which he hated to do. It was weird to be a landlord to the girl of his dreams. He'd been all set to let Jessie live in that cottage for nothing until she'd insisted on paying him rent. It barely covered the property taxes. But he knew Jessie. Really knew her, because her life was one giant open book. He knew that she could barely rub two pennies together, between working at a little bakery and investing just about everything she made into her chocolate business. If he hadn't offered her the cottage, she never would've been able to afford to move out of the apartment above the bakery. She deserved a nicer space than that.
"And here we are!"
They came to a stop in front of the brick facade and empty storefront where
"Nate, come on. Tell me about it."
He suppressed a grin. It was kind of hot when she begged for things. "I just saw a "For Rent" sign this morning." He hesitated. "Do you want to stop by, or do you need to sleep it off first?"
"Stop by, for sure! I told you, I only had three mimosas." She reached over and pinched his arm. "Jeez, aren't you supposed to have a layer of fat here? What am I supposed to pinch?"
"I'm in training. I have a marathon in the fall."
"Ugh. Running." She rolled her eyes. "Miserable."
They had known each other since high school, and in all that time, Nate had been running long distances and Jessie had been wrinkling her nose at it. He went tocollege on a track scholarship, and he couldn't imagine giving up running now, after all these years. It was his time alone with his thoughts. When he met with new clients, they often asked him how they were supposed to fit exercise into their busy daily schedules, and he'd explain that if they stuck with it long enough, their lives would simply make room.
"It's not that bad," he said. "You should try it. You might like it."
"What, running? The horrors. Not unless a tiger is chasing me."
"I can roar, you know. Mrs. Burgess demands it."
Jessie groaned. "I'll bet she does. Oh my gosh, you should date Mrs. Burgess. Wouldn't that be funny?"
Nate cursed silently. Sometimes he wondered if he and Jessie actually spoke the same language. If they did, he must be using it wrong, because she so clearly missed everything he thought he was saying to her.
Date Claire Burgess? In a word, no. Was she attractive? Sure. But she was also a headache and a diva, and attractive wore off quickly. And oh, by the way, he happened to be in love with the girl sitting right beside him. You know, the one he rearranged his entire schedule for because she got wasted at a Sunday morning baby shower. The one who happened to be sort-of dating his best friend, which made things just a little awkward. Okay, a lot awkward. Terrible, really. His best friend on the planet was dating the girl of Nate's dreams, and he couldn't bring himself to even think about what that actually entailed. Better not to think about them dating at all.
"Why would I date Mrs. Burgess?" He didn't mean to sound weary, but he sure felt it just then.
"You would date Mrs. Burgess," Jessie explained in her overly patient tone, "because then we could throw amazing parties. Think about it. We could do a party for every season, and in the summer we'd have an intimate gathering on her yacht. What's she call it?"
"The Magpie."
Jessie's mouth dropped. "No, she doesn't! Well, that would have to be renamed. I'm not throwing a summer solstice party on a boat called The Magpie."
"You want to talk about horrors," he deadpanned.
They were only a block from Maple Street, where Dinardo's Deli used to be. Jessie was considering her fingernails, which she'd painted a bright pink. "You know about structural things, right? I mean, you can tell me if this space is good to rent?"
"I can give you the basics."
She nodded and returned her hands to her lap, apparently satisfied with that answer. Nate liked to think he was good for something other than collecting her rent checks. Which he hated to do. It was weird to be a landlord to the girl of his dreams. He'd been all set to let Jessie live in that cottage for nothing until she'd insisted on paying him rent. It barely covered the property taxes. But he knew Jessie. Really knew her, because her life was one giant open book. He knew that she could barely rub two pennies together, between working at a little bakery and investing just about everything she made into her chocolate business. If he hadn't offered her the cottage, she never would've been able to afford to move out of the apartment above the bakery. She deserved a nicer space than that.
"And here we are!"
They came to a stop in front of the brick facade and empty storefront where
Readers choose
Niall Ferguson
Niki Savage
Kristi Avalon
Elisa Adams
Jesse Browner
Susan Grant
Georgia Cates
J.R. Gray
Nevaeh Winters
Lynn Kurland