Her Charming Heartbreaker Read Online Free PDF Page A

“Is that
her name?”
    The edge of his lip
quirked up. “I’ve been trying to figure out what Eddie stands for.
So far, I’ve come up with Edaline and Edith.”
    “It’s Eddie.”
    “But it’s short for
something else.”
    “Do I look like I want
to tell you?” In her mind, she’d always been Edwina, but that
wasn’t something anyone needed to know. She wiped a spot on the
counter. “It’s an old-fashioned name.”
    “Did you ever give it a
chance to grow on you?”
    “Did you,
Theodore?”
     
    * * *
     
    Theo checked the
rear-view mirror and caught himself smiling. Eddie had warmed up to
him without losing her spark.
    He’d probably lived
more than half of his thirty-one years in hotels, courtesy of his
nomadic lifestyle. He traveled regularly between the U.S. and the
U.K. dealing with his parents’ respective business interests and
taking care of whatever chaos they created.
    In all his travels,
Theo had never encountered anyone like Eddie. At first glance,
she’d confused him with her cold shoulder act. Then again, he’d
been spoilt, always getting the green light from women happy to
engage him in conversation as a lead up to something mutually
satisfying—the sort of offer he only took up if he was staying in
one place long enough to make it worth everyone’s while. Now Eddie
Faydon seemed okay with him, engaging him in easy chatter. It
didn’t mean she was getting ideas. She probably wanted to break up
the tedium…
    Theo brushed his hand
across his face. She did have an intriguing smile… “Stay on track.”
He’d driven out after breakfast. As Eddie had pointed out, the
roads around Eden were tricky, mostly because they lacked road
signs. Also, the houses were set well back from the road and most
didn’t have numbers.
    He pulled up on the
side of the road and checked his cell phone. The reception wasn’t
great but it was good enough. From the start, he’d thought it would
be a good idea to let Claire Muldoon know he was on his way. But so
far, she hadn’t picked up his calls and he didn’t want to leave a
message. His overcautious mind told him it wouldn’t be the wisest
move. Maybe he could say something without mentioning his father’s
name...
    He dialed the number
and when the call went through to voice mail, he hesitated.
Forgetting the lines he’d rehearsed, he hung up.
    “Losing your touch?” It
only ever took one phone call to sort out anything from a damaging
leak to the tabloids to the most sensitive ego on the verge of
career suicide, namely his mother. He dealt with difficulties on a
daily basis. Sometimes, moment to moment. He faced dart-wielding
redheads without batting an eyelash. Leaving a phone message should
be a walk in the park for him.
    Leaning against the
steering wheel, he could just make out the roofline and a corner of
the house. The last couple of times he’d tried, she hadn’t been
home. He supposed he could walk up to the front door, knock, and if
no one answered, he could leave a written message—introduce himself
and pave the way. Theo decided to go with that plan, but as he
opened his car door, a car emerged from the tree-lined driveway.
The driver glanced his way but didn’t pay him much attention as she
drove off toward town, leaving Theo no choice but to follow.
     
    * * *
     
    “If you’re going to put
your pride on the line do it with a stranger and start small. Have
a fling, or better still, a one-night stand.”
    “Golden advice from a
woman in love.”
    Eddie’s gaze bounced
between Sophie and Helena Wright. The two sisters had organized the
hairdressing appointment as a lead up to Sophie’s wedding but
mostly as part of their monthly get-together, which looked about to
be cut short because at the rate they were going, they’d be tossing
hair curlers at each other.
    “Shouldn’t we discuss
veils and flower arrangements?” Eddie asked hoping to diffuse the
eruption before it blew up in their faces and ruined their girls’
day