Holiday at Magnolia Bay (Southern Born Christmas Book 1) Read Online Free PDF Page A

been flirting with her, dating her, kissing her and, oh, God, last night he’d had his hands…there! Jenna squirmed in her chair as the bile rose to her throat. Macy had been right; Perry was using her. And she’d been stupid enough to fall for it. And to think, she’d felt guilty this morning about being attracted to a stranger on the beach when all this time, Perry had been playing her. Her fork slipped out of her trembling hand and clattered on the plate.
    “Pardon me,” she said automatically as she quickly reached for it again.
    “Jenna, Sugar, are you all right? You look a little peaked,” Evie asked.
    The last thing Jenna wanted was to upset her friend. Developing an international turtle hatchery had been a dream of both women for years now and Perry was their link to getting it established. If Evie suspected Perry wasn’t as honest as he should be, she’d never offer to fund the project. The problem was, Jenna wasn’t all that sure the Great Dr. Duhamel was sincere. It stung a little to think she could have been strung along so easily—especially following her relationship with Sam.
    Never again.
    Jenna Huntley was no longer every man’s doormat. From this moment on, she was playing by her rules. She’d keep her doubts about Perry to herself—for now. But she’d also keep a close eye on him if for no other reason than to make sure he didn’t take advantage of Miss Evie or anyone else.
    “She’s just a little wiped out from her early morning escapades on the beach, Aunt Evie. She’ll live.”
    Jenna risked a glance toward the head of the table. Drew was lounging nonchalantly in his godmother’s antique dining chair, his plate was now empty in front of him while another bottle of beer dangled from his finger tips. He gave the appearance of a man relaxed, enjoying a leisurely lunch, but Jenna knew his type well. This sort of man never fully let down his guard. He was just better than most at giving off the illusion that he had.
    She tried to avoid his eyes, but they were everywhere she looked. As she suspected this morning, those green eyes of his were seemingly all-knowing. They unnerved her— almost as much as they aroused her . Worse, she had no idea of the game he was playing; why he was flirting with her.
    “Oh my,” Miss Evie exclaimed. “Did something happen on the beach this morning?”
    “No,” Jenna said.
    “Yes,” Drew responded at the same time. “Something definitely happened on the beach this morning.”
    Jenna narrowed her eyes at him while Miss Evie, Perry and his fiancée studied them both. Perry stared at her with perhaps a bit more intensity than the others, fueling her ire even more.
    “It was nothing,” she said, continuing to look at Drew. The corner of his mouth turned up in a half smile as though he was glad she’d decided to play along. He’d engaged her in some sort of flirtatious battle that only he knew the rules to, much less the reason behind. “Just some little boys who got too close to the nest outside, that’s all.” She bobbed her head at him, conceding his point that she might have over-reacted a teensy bit this morning.
    Drew was all victory smiles now. He saluted her with his beer before taking a swallow.
    “Well, we do have to be vigilant if those babies have a prayer of surviving,” Miss Evie said. “The eggs are so close to hatching. And Lord knows what types of trouble some little boys can get up to.”
    Jenna watched in fascination as Drew tried to suppress a grimace at his godmother’s statement.
    “Ahem,” Perry said. He’d been attempting to charm Miss Evie throughout their lunch, while his fiancée surreptitiously studied Drew from behind her water glass. “Speaking of the turtles, Imogene and I would love to discuss our plans for the joint hatchery project with you.” He reached beside his chair to pull out his tablet, but Miss Evie stopped him before he could boot it up.
    “Not on a full stomach, Doctor. I need to take my daily