Perfect Fling Read Online Free Page B

arm.”
    “No he’s not. He’s Jed, expressing his low opinion of me, same as always.” The minute the honest words escaped he could have bitten his tongue, mostly because he didn’t want her pity.
    But a glance at her narrowed eyes and tight expression showed anger, not sympathy. “He’s wrong, then.”
    She wasn’t defending Jed; she was sticking up for him. Warmth flooded his chest, but he ruthlessly squashed the good, clean feeling he wasn’t used to experiencing. He didn’t need her on his side any more than he wanted her to like him. He couldn’t do anything but hurt her sweet-girl reputation. He couldn’t do anything but hurt
her
.
    “Go to work,” he said gruffly, ignoring the flash of disappointment in her eyes at his response.
    And though he wanted to keep her at arm’s length, actually accomplishing his goal didn’t make him feel like he’d done her the favor he’d intended.
    After finishing up the porch and fixing a drawer in the kitchen he had noticed was falling off the hinge, Cole decided enough was enough. If he was going to live in this town, he needed more than his own company and the occasional conversation with someone on Nick’s crew. Though he didn’t know what kind of welcome he’d receive, Cole headed out to the police station for a visit with Mike Marsden.
    He’d avoided this particular reunion because, like Jed, Mike, the current Serendipity chief of police, knew about Cole’s past, old and more recent. And though Mike had done his share of undercover work, he hadn’t ever been as deep as Cole. But he’d understand enough to empathize—and Cole hadn’t wanted to discuss the last year in his life. But after his run-in with Jed, Cole needed a reality check and, if he was honest with himself, a friend. Even if that friend was Erin’s brother.
    • • •
    Stupid. Stupid. Stupid. If Erin’s head wasn’t already pounding, she’d smack it against the car window for good measure.
    Breathe,
she ordered herself, trying to pretend the breakfast bar wasn’t trying to force its way back up. What had she been thinking, sitting in Cole’s dad’s driveway, her head on the steering wheel, sick as a proverbial dog? Cole seemed to have bought the whole
I didn’t eat
bit, so she exhaled hard. She needed to tell him and she didn’t want to. Didn’t know how.
    With no meetings scheduled for this morning, instead of going to work, Erin decided to stop at The Family Restaurant to see her friend Macy Donovan. She decided it was time to confide in someone she’d known a long while and get advice on how to handle this from someone other than Trina, who Erin trusted, but who didn’t go way back with her.
    She pulled into the parking lot and paused, taking in the old building on the edge of town. Macy and her siblings had been trying to talk their father into remodeling and changing up the menu, but so far no luck. Still, the place was a town staple, and everybody seemed to show up here at one time or another, either for the food, the company, or a combination of both.
    Today, Erin needed Macy’s good old-fashioned common sense. She walked inside and settled at the counter, waving at her friend to let her know she was there. After seating an older couple, Macy made her way to the stool beside Erin and settled in.
    “Hey, hon. Long time no see. How are you?” Macy asked, tapping her long hot pink nails against the counter.
    “Truth?” Erin wasn’t in the mood to segue into it or beat around the bush.
    “Of course. What’s wrong?” She narrowed her gaze. “I should have known when I didn’t see or hear from you lately that something was up.”
    Erin nodded, leaning in close. The last thing she wanted was the Serendipity grapevine kicking in. “I need you to keep this quiet, okay?”
    Eyes serious, Macy nodded. “Cross my heart,” she said, doing as much with her fingers.
    Erin swallowed hard. “I’m pregnant,” she whispered, then immediately slapped her hand over Macy’s