Nerdy Girl Nation (Nerdy Girl #1) Read Online Free PDF

Ellie?”
    “Yeah. You guys have been joined at the hip for years.”
    Seamus was a bona fide genius. When his teachers realized he wasn’t a brat, just bored with the work, they suggested his parents have him tested and see if the Boston School for the Gifted would be a better fit. He met Ellie Stanton on his first day there and had been her best friend ever since. Emma didn’t know Ellie personally, but from the way the De Lacy siblings described her, she was a match for Seamus in every way.
    “Nah. She’s more like another sister. Besides, we’re business partners. It would just be weird.” Seamus tightened his grip on Emma’s shoulder. “You sure you don’t want to give me a go? I am in my sexual prime.” He nuzzled her ear with his nose.
    Emma moved away with a laugh. “Number one, you are way to young for me. Number two, I used to change your diapers. And number three, you cannot hit on a woman at her mother’s funeral.”
    “I made you laugh, though, didn’t I?”
    Emma leaned back into Seamus’ arm. “Yeah, you did.”

    Emma escaped the cameras and the town of mourners after two long hours. The air on the back deck seemed to bring clean breath back into her lungs. Once she took a few large gulps, she realized how much she missed the scent of the east coast water wafting through the breeze.
    She sipped the tumbler of Irish whiskey she brought out with her and used the moment to think about her mother. Days at the beach. Weeks spent working on school projects together. Bedtime stories. College graduation. The mayoral swearing-in ceremony. All the smiles. The image of her mother’s devastated face when she walked into Emma’s hospital room twelve years earlier came out of nowhere.
    A tear slipped down Emma’s cheek as she remembered what little her brain retained of the horrible day. One moment, she ran toward her car, afraid to be late to school. The next, she woke up in an ambulance. Brief flashes of the events of the attack stayed with Emma, but her mind blurred the colors and sounds. She recalled the pain with perfect clarity. Ropes burned into her skin where they restrained her. Her bones lit on fire with each break. Most of all, her breasts throbbed when her assailant bit into her flesh, leaving a permanent reminder. Her memory loss seemed to be due to a blow to the head and concussion. Even after twelve years of therapy, nothing came back.
    “Penny for your thoughts, Emma Jean.”
    Emma gazed up into the hazel eyes of her first love. A warm smile complemented the rest of his comforting features. Six foot three with sandy blond hair and a muscular frame gave Emma an old familiar feeling of safety.
    “Derek. Hi.”
    He sat down next to her on the wooden steps of the deck. “How are you holding up?”
    “Still processing everything.”
    Derek slipped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. “That brain of yours is working overtime again.”
    “Always.”
    He slid his left hand into hers and she felt something unexpected. She picked up his hand and skimmed his naked ring finger.
    “Oh, I guess Annie never mentioned my divorce.”
    Emma gasped in surprise.
    “No. She didn’t say anything.” Emma didn’t want to imagine Derek’s picture perfect life. She asked her family and friends not to mention him either. Even though her romantic feelings for him disappeared long ago, she still wasn’t comfortable hearing about his love life.
    He threaded his fingers through hers. “Sarah Beth didn’t like small town life as much as she thought she would. She took a job in Seattle a day before she filed for divorce. I haven’t heard from her since we finalized everything six months ago.”
    “Wow.” Emma’s mouth gaped open in utter shock. If any man needed the label of husband material, Derek would be that man. He delivered the total package. Ryan-Gosling-gorgeous, charming, and intelligent. He worked as a history teacher at Marblehead High, lived in a beachfront home, and