Something I Need (xoxo Nashville Book 1) Read Online Free

direction.
    “Well, it’s not there.”
    Misha disappeared into the apartment, leaving the door wide open.
    “Here.” Scowling, she shoved a piece of paper at Jonte.
    Jonte scanned it. Shit . It was a printout, confirming the transfer of money out of Misha’s account and into Jonte’s.
    “I’m…I…I’m sorry.” Jonte tripped over the words, humiliation clogging her throat. “It…it mustn’t have hit my account yet.” She sheepishly handed the paper back to Misha.
    “You don’t say?”
    “I don’t suppose last night’s offer of crashing on your couch still stands?”
    “No!” Misha slammed the door in Jonte’s face.
    Yeah, I deserved that.
    Jonte headed for the stairs, wanting nothing more than to curl up into the fetal position and stay that way forever. Or at least for a few hours. Less than twenty-four hours in Nashville and this trip was a complete fiasco.

    * * *
    C ash was busy clearing plates and glasses from the polished wooden bench, which sat underneath the open accordion windows. The late afternoon sun was moving on, and so had many of his patrons.
    A whistling walker caught Cash’s attention and he looked up. Cash nodded his head politely at the pedestrian and was about to return to the bar, his arms now fully loaded, when he froze.
    Christ. Across the road, looking like she was about to burst into tears any second now, was Little Miss Drama from last night. Jonte. The Aussie Dolly had gone on and on about, certain they’d see her again. Man, he hated it when Dolly was right.
    It would be an outright lie if Cash said he hadn’t thought of Jonte since last night. He had. A lot. There was just something about her. It was weird because women never got under his skin.
    Last night he’d hoped she’d make it here in Nashville, for her sake. But from the looks of it right now, he was confident her luck had not improved.
    She wasn’t his problem. There were four people in the world he gave a damn about, and that Aussie wannabe country star was definitely not on the list.
    But Cash hated seeing someone suffer almost as much as he hated country music. His nannie was a virtuous woman and, in raising him, had made him too compassionate for his own good. Only six months back, he’d helped one of his regulars, Benny, a despondent alcoholic in desperate need of rehabilitation, get a job working for his nannie and pop. But that had been a win-win situation, seeing as Pop was getting older and needed a hand running the ranch.
    Right now, all he had to do was turn around and no one would be the wiser. Life would continue, and the Aussie would either find her way or return home. At some point in the future, Dolly might whimsically muse about whatever happened to that Aussie, and that would be that.
    All done.
    The end.
    Finito.
    “Jonte!” he called out, surprising himself as her name left his lips.
    Shit!
    His stomach clenched. Regret wound its way up from his belly and wrapped around his heart, attempting to stop it. Damn it. What in the hell was he doing?
    Jonte looked up from the pavement she’d been glaring at like it had killed her pet fish or something, and their eyes connected. Her scowl softened, and recognition was followed by what appeared to be relief flooding her body.
    Cash’s own regret dissipated with that one look. He dumped the plates and glasses back on the bench and motioned for her to cross the street.
    “Hey.” She smiled now, stepping up onto the pavement and walking towards his open window.
    “Hi.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Everything okay?”
    “No, not really.” She bit down hard on her bottom lip and shook her head.
    “Another bad day?”
    “Yeah.”
    “Want a beer?”
    Jeez. Shut your mouth. Let her keep walking!
    She scanned the street, obviously wavering over whether to come in, and then finally looked back at him. “Sure.”
    Jonte made her way to the propped open glass door while Cash scooped up the dishes again and wandered into the kitchen. By