Finding Love: Incident at the Candy Apple (At the Candy Apple Series Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

to the private room. It was only then he saw the post-it note high on the door. Just as Ellie had said, it read that the room was out of commission.
    He ripped it off and crushed it in his fist. She must have stood on tiptoe in her shoes to attach that. Who carries post-its in their purse? He smiled as he suddenly pictured her heart-shaped face and lovely eyes.
    Once inside the room, he dressed and slipped on his shoes. Sadness descended on him as he pulled on his jacket. He didn’t want Ellie punished. In fact, when he thought of her kisses, he wanted her back in his arms. He took the elevator to Charlie’s office and rehearsed his plea.
    The door to her office stood open and Jake knocked on the glass panel before walking in. Charlie’s assistant, Paula, sat at a computer. She smiled at him. Jake almost had a thing with Paula once upon a time.
    Charlie turned to him. “It happened in room two, huh, Jake? She was seen before she turned off the camera. Audio was turned all the way down, but it can’t be turned completely off. If you’d called out loud enough, you’d have been heard. We’d have found you anyway at closing time. We check all the rooms before they’re cleaned at five a.m. I don’t get it, Jake. Why protect her?”
    Jake didn’t know for sure. He gazed at Charlie for a long time before he answered.
    “I don’t mind anymore that she did it, but I’d like to know why.”
    Charlie pursed her lips. “Without your formal complaint I can only give her a warning, but I’ll be keeping my eye on her for sure. She’ll be gone if she shows any signs of repeating this. Not been your year, huh, sweetheart?”
    Jake’s shoulders slumped as Charlie referred to his ex-girlfriend’s public dumping in the club, which included a scene he wished he could completely forget, where she’d accused him of rape. He’d been mortified, since he’d never done and never would do anything of the kind.
    There’d been all manner of inquiries that night, until she finally admitted to Charlie that it hadn’t happened and just wanted to hurt him. He’d been lucky that occurred before police were called. She’d succeeded in hurting him for sure. Jake didn’t know why, but it seemed there’d been a few people in his life who wanted to hurt him.
    Charlie gave him a gentle smile, and as if reading his mind she told him, “There are all kinds of shitty people out there, Jake. You’re young, intelligent,—frankly gorgeous. I don’t get why a woman hasn’t snapped you up. You need someone to tell you all this. I’ve been on surveillance when you’ve been in a private room and holy hell, what I wouldn’t give to be twenty years younger and in your arms. Take stock, Jake. Somewhere along the line you’ve lost the idea of your worth. I’m saying this because I’m older and I can.”
    Jake gazed down at his boots as he considered her words. It reminded him of being in the principal’s office at high school after Darren had landed the blame for a broken window in his lap and he’d refused to report his brother. He looked into Charlie’s face. “Thanks, Charlie.”
    Jake went down to the bar, thinking about Ellie as he rode the elevator. He thought about her kisses and the feel of her lovely body against his. I really liked her. I wish I knew why she did that. She must have been hurt—like me. Pity she decided to take it out on me. I’d still listen, if she chose to say why. I guess that’s my problem. I let people off too easily. Maybe I should start being as mean as they are.
    He sat at the bar of the club and talked with Tom. He’d known Tom for three years and they often talked about girls, or guys, because Tom was gay, politics, cars, and work. Jake asked Tom if he thought a change of personality to being harder and meaner might be the way to go.
    Tom laughed aloud. “Jake, be true to yourself and fuck the rest of them, if they can’t handle a nice guy they’re fuckwits.”
    Jake occasionally glanced around