Fixed up in February (Spring River Valley Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page B

impressed. That’s a vast improvement over your last date.”
    “Shut up. Where are your cables?”
    “In the back.” Jared pulled his truck up to Max’s car, and together they worked on the jump start while the snow fell around them.
    “So was this the fill-in date for Cassie?”
    “Yeah. You wouldn’t believe the night I had. The restaurant caught fire, the girl almost got a concussion, and she probably would have left me out here to freeze to death.”
    “Sounds like one of your dates. What did Cassie promise you to go out with her?”
    “The cost of dinner, which I ended up cooking for her in her own apartment.”
    “Screwed. Hey, how about we go pick up something at the diner and you can charge it to your cousin? I’m starving.”
    Max’s car engine roared to life. “Sure, but you might have to jump me again.”
    “No problem.” Jared started to roll up his cables and stowed them in the storage compartment behind the cab of his pickup.
    “Thanks for this, Jared. I appreciate it.” Max said as he pressed his foot steadily to the gas to rev his engine.
    “Least I could do for a guy who had the worst date of his life. Right?”
    Max shook his head. “Not the worst.”
    “You said she wanted you to freeze to death.”
    “And I’m sure she’s still hoping I will.” Max eyed the cozy glow of the second-floor living room window and thought of the smooth swell of Audrey’s plump lower lip giving beneath his. His nerves were still on fire from that half kiss, and he wondered what would happen to him if he ever actually took that live wire in his arms and made love to her.
    “Sounds like the worst date ever to me.”
    Max grinned and gripped the steering wheel. “Nah. I think it’s going to turn out to be one of the best.”

Chapter Five
     
     
    “Are you sure you don’t want a ride to the ER?” Harper asked as Audrey climbed into her car the next morning.
    “I’m fine. It looks worse than it is.” She set her sore foot down on the floor of the car, leaned her head back, and closed her eyes. “Besides, I have to be at work at six tonight. I’ll go in a little early and have one of the resident s take a look at it.”
    “Are you going to be able to drive your car home? I can call Grant to come and help us.”
    “No, he’s busy. Don’t bother him.” Audrey knew Harper’s boyfriend Grant had a big event scheduled tonight at Taverna Fiora, the catering hall he ran. He’d be busy setting up and coordinating the kitchen staff and the decorations which Harper helped design.
    “It’s not a big deal.”
    “I’m fine. Drive.” Audrey attempted to glower at her friend. “You worry too much.”
    “Somebody has to worry about you. You go on a blind date and the next morning you can barely walk and you have a head injury.”
    “My head is fine.” Aside from the monster headache, but she figured that had more to do with lack of sleep than anything else. She’d spent a good portion of the night lying awake, thinking of pithy remarks to zing Max Shannon with and watching late night TV to keep her mind off the electrifying touch of his lips.
    Harper pulled her car into the light Sunday morning traffic and headed for Colette’s where they faced digging Audrey’s car free of the ten inches of snow that had fallen the night before. “All right, now that you can’t escape, give me all the details of last night. All I know is he was a nut job , and you’re practically in traction. This has to be some story.”
    Audrey contemplated her evening. She still wasn’t sure how to categorize this last dating disaster. On a scale of one to ten, did it fall above or below the guy with the pet goat? “He’s basically a wise guy, always cracking jokes. I was never sure if he was insulting me or trying to flirt.”
    “Seriously? I thought Cassandra knew what she was doing. Everyone I’ve talked to since I met her says she’s phenomenal.”
    “Well, she dropped the ball last night. He was a fill-in