Hoping for Love Read Online Free

and I used to spend hours plotting and scheming to get the hell out of here. It became rather confining as we got older. Lost a lot of its charm. But now, when I come back after a long stretch away…”
    “It’s home.”
    “Yes.”
    “You said ambition was
one
of your vices. What’re some of the others?”
    “I enjoy beer. A lot. I like women. A lot. I’m not a big fan of commitment or anything that makes me feel confined, thus my issues with living on an island for eighteen years.”
    “That’s quite a list, and I’m very impressed to discover you’re so flawed. But I’m sorry to inform you that none of your stuff can top the inappropriate laughter.”
    “Oh, come on! Doesn’t my womanizing or commitment-phobia count for anything?”
    “I’m afraid that just makes you a typical man.”
    “Ouch. That hurt.” He rested his hand on his chest. “I’m wounded.”
    “Sure you are,” she said, amused. “So your parents really won’t mind an unexpected houseguest?”
    “They really won’t mind. They have five kids. They’re used to rolling with it.”
    “Wow, five kids. Where’re they all now?”
    “Despite our confinement issues, two of my brothers are here. Mac, the one that runs the marina, is married to Maddie. He adopted her son, Thomas, who’s three, and they had a daughter, Hailey, during the tropical storm.”
    “I love that they named their daughter for a tropical storm. They’re sort of hexing themselves for the teenage years.”
    Evan laughed. “I doubt they considered that. My brother Grant is a screenwriter who used to live in LA until he chased his ex-girlfriend Abby back to the island—after she got engaged to someone else. Turns out Abby really digs the other guy, and Grant is now with Stephanie, who runs the marina restaurant. My sister Janey, who dated David for thirteen years, married Mac’s best friend Joe on the day she was supposed to marry David. The newlyweds are due back tomorrow from Aruba, where they went on their honeymoon. They’ll grab their pets and head for Columbus, Ohio where she’s in vet school at Ohio State.”
    Grace listened to his recitation with fascination. “What happened with David? Thirteen years is a long time.”
    “She caught him in bed with someone else.”
    “
Ouch
.”
    “As strange as it may sound, I think she’s grateful now that it happened. She and Joe truly belong together. He’d been in love with her for years, but she never knew.”
    “That’s very sweet.”
    “They seem really happy.”
    “So that’s two brothers and a sister accounted for.”
    “My brother Adam lives in New York City where he’s a co-owner of a tech company. He’s a computer whiz. We joke that all he needs to put a man on the moon is a laptop and an Internet connection.”
    “Is he married?”
    “Hell, no. He’s got the same commitment phobia I’m afflicted with. Owen has it, too. The three of us are united in our plan to stay single as long as possible.”
    “I wish you well with that.”
    “What about you? Tell me you aren’t going to let what happened tonight sour you on men. You had the misfortune to connect with one asshole. Doesn’t mean we all are.”
    “I know,” she said with a sigh. “I’ll take a week or two to lick my wounds, and then it’s back on the horse.”
    “That’s my girl.”
    Something about the way he said that sent a wave of yearning rolling through her. What would it be like to be his girl?
Don’t be ridiculous
. He just made it perfectly clear he’s not interested in anyone being his girl. Besides, he could have
all
the girls, so why would he want just one? Especially one who’d never even had a boyfriend until recently—and look at how that had turned out.
    He flipped the latch on a white picket fence and ushered her into a yard that was fragrant with roses.
    “Smells good,” she said.
    “My mom’s prize roses. We weren’t allowed within three feet of them growing up.”
    “I don’t blame