His Kind of Wonderful (Sugar Bay #2) Read Online Free Page A

nearby. Lisa was fifteen years younger than her husband and five years older than Joe. An attractive woman, Lisa was completely indulged by her husband. According to George, her flirtatious behavior was part of her charm.
    Joe shook his head. He wasn’t exactly a Neanderthal but he couldn’t imagine standing by while the woman he loved threw herself at another man. But George was a good guy so who was he to judge?
    “You look good Joe.” Lisa slid a hot pink nail along his forearm. The crystal encrusted acrylic sparkled in the sunlight.
    He stepped back. “Thanks.”
    George gave him a side look as if he didn’t understand Joe’s behavior.
    “What can I do for you, Mrs. Strickland?”
    “For starters, you can cut the Mrs. Strickland crap. Call me Lisa for the hundredth time. You make me feel so old.” She sent a coy look to George. “Am I old, George honey?”
    “No, baby.” George’s smile was tolerant, as if he didn’t mind reassuring her.
    Joe sighed. “Okay, Lisa. What can I do for you?”
    “The Sugar Bay Ladies League is putting on an auction to raise funds for a few charities around town.”
    “Sounds admirable. How can I help?”
    “By signing on as one of the bachelors for the big auction.”
    John, Brandon and Kyle whistled behind him and even George grinned until Joe glared at the lot of them. Only George had the decency to rub his mouth in order to hide his smile. The others didn’t bother. The bastards were either married or had a steady girlfriend, so they were safe. Assholes .
    “I don’t think so.” He crossed his arms over his chest. “I’ll be happy to write a check though.”
    “A check would be fine but why not participate to raise more money? It’s for a good cause.”
    “Of course it is,” he paused, wracking his brain for a better excuse, “but my girlfriend wouldn’t like it.” He felt the stunned silence behind him. Even George gave him a surprised look. He rubbed his neck and out of the corner of his eyes, he caught the questioning looks the guys gave one another. One by one they shrugged and leaned closer like a bunch of gossips they were.
    “I didn’t know you had a girlfriend.” Lisa’s blue eyes looked confused. A furrow narrowed down her forehead.
    He shrugged. He didn’t know either but he wasn’t crazy about being auctioned off and he definitely didn’t want to spend more time with Lisa.
    “What’s her name?”
    “Dani,” he said, rattling off the first name that came to mind.
    Someone spewed water behind him and he glared a warning at Kyle.
    Where had that come from? Derek was going to kill him.
    “She from around here?”
    “She’s relatively new. She moved here for school and is working on her PhD.”
    “Wow. A nerd.” She narrowed her eyes at him, with hands on her hips. “Didn’t know you had a thing for them.”
    He rocked back on his heels and shrugged. “Smart is sexy.”
    Brandon snickered behind him, muttering something about the twin cheerleaders he’d squired about last fall. Joe grimaced. Sweet as they were, there hadn’t been much in the brain department between the two of them. He ignored the nosy group behind him and hoped they’d keep quiet until Lisa went away.
    “I’m thinking about going back to school for a marketing degree. Isn’t that right, George?”
    “Sure is.”
    The smirk Lisa sent Joe was disturbing. She didn’t seem to care about her husband’s feelings at all. Joe remained silent, done with the conversation.
    “Fine. If that’s how you feel about it,” Lisa said with a sniff.
    He nodded, glad it was over and she’d somehow accepted his rejection with minimal fuss.
    George stepped towards his wife and hugged her. “Sorry, baby. If I’d have known about his girlfriend, I’d have saved you a trip.” Lisa wore a pout that might have been cute on a five year old but not on a grown woman. She brushed George away and walked towards the door. George followed before he turned back. “Joe, bring your