Calling It Read Online Free Page B

story of five high school boys from tiny Inspiration, Iowa, had taken the country by storm seventeen years before. Literally. They’d come out of nowhere to win the Iowa state high school basketball championship despite the fact that most of their town had been destroyed in a horrific tornado right before the season had begun. Wash Fairfield, Max Deacon, Jason Pike, Cal Turner and, of course, Nate Hawkins.
    The story probably would have faded if not for the fact that they’d all chosen to stay together, turning down offers from bigger, well-known schools in order to attend the tiny Finley College, only forty miles from their home. There was a movie about them. Several books. And now, every time Nate Hawkins made the news the story came out all over again.
    Dorie swirled her chair so that she was looking out her window at the town’s central green, now picture-perfect with the falling snow. Though she’d already had a good job in Boston, the job ad for Inspiration’s library director had jumped out at her, taking her back to those years of watching the little-basketball-team-that-could. She’d come home that night to find a living room full of obnoxious men—several of whom she was related to—watching mud wrestling. The kitchen was full of dirty dishes and no fewer than five people demanded “Beer!” when she went in. Ignoring them, she had gone into her room to find some random guy passed out on her bed.
    She’d sent her resume in the next day.
    She’d never expected an interview, much less the actual job. And although she’d done enough homework to know that the Iowa Dream Foundation underwrote half the library’s budget—as well as that of a good deal of town services—it was also clear they were very hands-off. She figured she’d eventually meet one or two of them. But having Nate Hawkins himself sleep on her couch?
    Not even in her wildest dreams.
    Turning away from the window, she shut down the browser, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. In the light of day, it was hard to believe it had actually happened. She didn’t usually bother to flirt. She was blunt, a little clumsy at times and sometimes snorted when she laughed. She did not say things like, “I think you need another minute.” Not to men like him.
    Except she had said it. And even though she’d fantasized about him for years, it frightened her how normal he’d seemed. How easy it would be to forget that his real world was nothing like hers and that it was currently all-consuming. How easy it would be to fall into bed with him—to actually fall for him—and think he was falling back. And that was without even touching on the fact that he was her boss’s son.
    Oh, wow. Things had been so much less complicated when he was in dream form.
    Ugh. She knocked her head against the desk.
    “Um... Hello? Are you Dorie?”
    Dorie whirled around so fast that her chair almost shot out from under her. “Yes. Hi.” Chimes. She needed to get some door chimes. Plastering a smile on her face, she launched into the spiel for the occasional droppers-by. “I’m so sorry, but we’re not actually open quite yet. There will be a grand reopening in February. If you’d like to give me your name and address, I’ll make sure to send you an invitation.”
    Undeterred by Dorie’s attempt at a send-off, the woman came forward and stuck her hand out. “Sorry. I should have called first. I just dropped by on a whim.” They shook hands. “We spoke last night. I’m Fitz.”
    Oh. Dorie jumped up. “ You’re Fitz?” She knew she shouldn’t have sounded so surprised. She just hadn’t expected someone quite so young. “Was there a problem with my rent check?”
    Fitz shook her head and smiled. “Nope.” She took an envelope out of her messenger bag. “I actually have a check for you. I think Mama Gin mentioned that the Foundation had approved five thousand dollars in seed money?” Handing over the envelope, she added, “We can’t wait to see what