Apples & Oranges (The This & That Series) Read Online Free PDF Page A

independent as my father.
    Losing Fletcher to Lexie hadn’t ruined my mojo. The truth was, I’d never really had it in the first place.
    “Maybe you should go out with his nephew,” Candace suggested, pushing out a stoo l and sitting down next to me. “Whatever his name was. You said he was cute in a gawky kind of way.”
    “It was Trey.” I blew a strand of hair back from my eyes. “And he was cute. But he was also nineteen.”
    “Whatever.” Lexie laughed. “You always say you’re looking for a cougar opportunity.”
    Rolling my eyes, I dropped another handful of peas into the bowl. “Please. It’s called a cougartunity . And nineteen it too young for my blood.”
    Candace shook her head. “My ear doth deceive me.”
    I snarled down at my hands. “It shouldn’t even matter that he doesn’t want me. I don’t want him, either.”
    “But he was hot.” Lexie popped a pea in her mouth. I shot her a look, so she added, “I mean, that’s what you said. And usually when a guy is attractive, you’re all over that like white on rice.”
    “Hot doesn’t really begin to cover it.” I used a pea pod to feign fanning myself. “Seriously, you guys. Demo had the whole rough-around-the-edges thing happening.”
    “Dee-mo?” Lexie scrunched up her nose. “What kind of name is that?”
    “Greek, right?” Candace looked at me for confirmation.
    Nodding, I tugged open another pod. “It’s short for Demetrious. And I can’t for the life of me remember his last name, since it had about forty-two syllables.”
    “ Antonopulous,” Candace said triumphantly.
    I gaped at her. “How did you know that?”
    She tossed a handful of peas into the bowl triumphantly. “Triple D’s garage, right?”
    “You were stalking me today.” I smiled despite myself. “You watched me walk around with no shoes, sweating like a sumo wrestler running laps. What kind of a friend are you?”
    “Shut up. I did not.” Candace laughed, tucking her long blonde hair behind her ears. “One of Brian’s patients recommended that place, so he took our minivan there last year. He met Demo once or twice.”
    My stomach twirled. What the crap was that about? I didn’t even know the guy, much less like him, and I was whirling like a top at the mention of his name. This was embarrassing. “Oh, yeah? What did you think?”
    Lexie’s eyes widened. “You like him.”
    “I do not.” I shoved a pea pod into my mouth. “He and I were not exactly simpatico. Complete opposites. Like apples and oranges, we were.”
    “Yes, you do.” She snickered. “Your voice cracked. Besides apples and oranges are both fruit.”
              “Apples are sweet, and oranges are acidic. Totally different. And my voice cracked because that Demo character’s got the keys to my car,” I lied. “So, Candace, as you were saying…”
    She and Lexie exchanged a look. “Well,” she said. “Brian told me he was a bit gruff.”
    Snorting, I reached for the fresh ears of corn I had to shuck. “That’s an understatement.”
    “But he does excellent work.” Candace reached for a corn. “The van purrs like a kitten now. And Demo does work on trade when people can’t afford him. Brian said he once put in a new transmission for a veteran just for serving our country.”
    One of my eyebrows pricked upward. So there was a nice guy underneath Demo’s hard, crusty exterior. It was too bad he was such an ass, because it was impossible for anyone to know there was a nice guy in there.
    “He sounds pretty great, Mar.” Lexie folded some crème fraiche into the shelled peas. “Maybe you should consider asking him out.”
    I pressed a hand to my chest. “ Me ask him out? You’ve got to be kidding me.”
    “Marisol doesn’t ask men out.” Candace ripped a leaf off of an ear. “They always ask her, remember?”
    “Oh, that’s right.” Lexie grinned at me. “No wonder you’re so bent out of shape.”
    “I’m not bent out of shape.”