Heartsville 02 - Unscripted (Nico Jaye) Read Online Free Page A

y’know, it’s not like you did it all on your own; it takes two to do the horizontal bop.”
    “Well, not really horizontal….” Teddy felt his face flush with warmth again. He hadn’t been horizontal, but yeah… he could see Aaron’s point.
    Aaron grinned widely. “Teddy, you hussy! I knew you still had it in you.”
    Teddy couldn’t hold back a small grin of his own as he tilted his head in acknowledgment. “Speaking of first impressions, you mentioned a random blind date later? You ready?” He popped a piece of the muffin into his mouth and raised his brows.
    Aaron rolled his eyes. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
    “Hey, don’t take it too lightly! Tory and Meili met on a blind date, after all.” Teddy couldn’t help sighing dreamily at the memory of Tory and Meili’s story. Tory’s friend Brandon, a dog walker, had set her up with his customer Meili. Meili’s love for her dog was so fierce she’d brought him along on the date, reasoning that anybody who didn’t like Rudy wasn’t going to be in her life very long. When the restaurant’s dog-friendly patio seating had been full, though, they’d gone for a picnic along the grassy river walk instead.
    Teddy sighed again.
    Love under the blue summer skies.
    “You thinking about your new beau, Romeo?”
    Teddy darted a startled look at Aaron, who quirked an eyebrow and took a sip of his coffee.
    “You’re sighing up a storm over there,” Aaron pointed out.
    With a quick snort, Teddy shook his head. “Carter Monroe is not my new beau. While he may be unfairly attractive, I hardly know him. What I do know is he’s still trying to shut down the Oasis, which simply can’t happen. I won’t let it happen,” Teddy said, narrowing his eyes.
    “Well,” Aaron said with a roguish grin, “it sounds like there’s more talking in your future. Lots of talking.” Aaron waggled his eyebrows.
    Rolling his eyes, Teddy smacked Aaron on the arm. “C’mon, I’m serious. I have to save the Oasis from being developed into cookie-cutter condos.”
    Aaron shuddered comically. “God forbid.”
    Teddy dropped his forehead into his hands and muttered to himself, “Fucking him yesterday probably wasn’t the greatest idea I’ve ever had. Or even in the top ten.”
    At the comforting pat to his shoulder, Teddy looked up.
    “The Oasis is a vital part of Heartsville, Teddy. I know that, and the rest of the neighborhood does too. You just have to make Carter see it. You keep it calm and professional, and just hope he does the same.” Aaron finished up his drink and made to stand. “From what I gather, Carter Monroe is pretty well known for ‘calm and professional.’”
    Teddy’s mind shot straight to how Carter sounded when he came. He felt his cheeks burn again.
    Aaron chuckled and clapped him on the back. “Good luck, and keep me posted.”
    “Thanks, Aaron.” Teddy watched Aaron move behind the counter and say something to Simon, who laughed and nodded. Teddy smiled to himself, thinking about how Heartsville’s community was more a family than simply neighbors.
    Deciding to take the rest of his muffin to go, Teddy grabbed it and set his plate on the sideboard. He had a lot of work to do, and now was as good a time as any to start.
     
     

Chapter Three
     
     
    Within a few days, Teddy was back in the swing of things. After some soul-searching, he’d chalked up his encounter with Carter as a horny one-afternoon stand, and like it or not, he recognized he was likely just one in a long line of notches in Carter’s bedpost. Rather than dwell on it, Teddy had concentrated on keeping things running at the Oasis and figuring out what he needed to do as its new owner. They managed to get the whole place decorated for Halloween only a week later than the usual schedule, and yesterday he’d received the copy of the deed from the estate lawyer. He felt on top of things because he’d already had it signed and notarized. It’d been a poignant moment, but