Head Over Heels Read Online Free PDF Page A

Veronica’s mind.
    â€œYes, indeed. He’s so charming and easy to work with, and he doesn’t drink up all the profits like the first guy I hired.”
    Charming? With everyone except her, maybe. And please, easy to work with? “You think he’s a sweetheart ?”
    Marissa laughed. “Okay, I’ll admit he doesn’t look like your basic sweetie pie—”
    â€œI’ll say. He reminds me of one of those vampiresthat’re so popular on television these days. And not the new-age sensitive ones who’re always trying to reform their wicked ways, either. He’s more like the badass archvillain one that pillages his way through the populace.”
    â€œNah, too tan,” Marissa disagreed. “I wouldn’t mind being pillaged by him, though.” Then she laughed and leaned forward to give Veronica a quick hug. “Oh, V, it’s so good to have you back. You always did have a unique way of looking at things.”
    â€œI’m not sure how I feel about being back,” Veronica admitted, “but it’s sure good to see you. And I’m in desperate need of your knowledge of the citizens of Fossil.” She scrubbed her hands up and down her khaki-clad thighs. “The Tonk’s shorthanded and I’ve been informed I have to lend a hand there until we can get the waitress shortage straightened out.”
    â€œHoo, boy.” Marissa gave her a commiserating smile. “I can only imagine how you must have loved hearing that.”
    â€œOh, yeah.” She made a face. “From the time we were big enough to wield a mop, Crystal and I must have given up half our Sundays to clean that place.” Her antipathy for the Tonk was all tied up with memories of her father—his charm, his lack of ambition, and his innate chauvinism were all inextricably woven in her mind with the family bar. “Of course, I don’t have to tell you that. God knows I vented to you often enough about Daddy’s idea of a woman’s mission in life, and Mama’s reinforcement of it when she refused to make him lift a finger.” She shrugged apologetically for dragging the subject up yet again. “I’ll work the Tonk because I have no other choice if I want the placeto sell. For Lizzy’s sake I’d like to get every penny out of it that I can, so she’ll have the freedom to choose what she wants to do with her life. But the instant I find a replacement waitress, I’m outta there.”
    â€œUm, I sure don’t want to discourage you, sweetie, but the economy’s been excellent around here the past couple of years. And that means it’s harder to fill the lower-paying jobs, so it might take a while.”
    â€œSwell.” Veronica’s stomach dropped, but she squared her shoulders and shoved the disheartening news aside. “Is that why I came home to find Cooper Blackstock living in Crystal’s house?”
    â€œYeah. The vacancy rate for rentals is almost nil, so I figured why not stick him in that empty house, where he’ll be nice and handy to the Tonk.”
    Because he disturbs me . An image of the way he’d looked this morning popped into Veronica’s mind: all smooth-shaven hard jaw, blond hair standing on end, and those dark brows pulled together in a scowl. He’d taken up more than his fair share of the kitchen table as he’d sat across from her, his shoulders blocking her view.
    Then she shook the image aside. She’d deal with Blackstock later; right now she had real problems. “God, Mare, I feel like I’m in the middle of a Twilight Zone episode. There’s a part of me that always worried Crystal would come to a bad end, but it was nebulous stuff, you know? Like her driving drunk and crashing the car, or one of the men she played her eternal games with suddenly flipping out and hitting her. Blackening an eye, maybe, or splitting her lip.”
    She looked at her friend