Selling Grace: A Light Romance Novel (Art of Grace Book 1) Read Online Free PDF

charming, sexy model of a man already.
    Still, I owed it to myself to ask.
    Turning over a new leaf, I repeated to myself inside my head, drawing up my courage. Moving away from Barry, leaving the past behind. I'll just ask him out for a drink after work or something, really low-key. Maybe to go see a movie.
    Oh god. I don't know any movies that are playing. I can't even remember the last time I saw a commercial for a movie. Becca, what are you doing? Get ahold of yourself!
    "Becca?"
    I shot back to the present at the sound of Carter's voice. "Yes? Find something interesting?" My voice came out about half a dozen pitches too high, and I cursed my vocal cords for betraying me.
    Thankfully, he didn't seem to notice. "Actually, I was wondering if you had any lunch plans for today."
    "Lunch?" My voice sounded like it belonged to a chipmunk.
    He nodded. "You know, that meal that you typically eat around this time? There's a great little spot just around the corner, if you'd like to join me-"
    "Sure, I'd love to!" I answered, beaming up at him. I didn't know whether an angel had decided that I finally deserved some good luck, or if this was just the power of positive thinking, but I wasn't about to let this chance slip through my hands. Me, have lunch with a handsome man like Carter James?
    The only thing better would be if Barry happened to wander by and see how much better his replacement looked.
    "We could discuss some of the business I do with the gallery," Carter went on, and my hopes faded somewhat. Oh. He wanted to talk business, not tell me about how much he wanted to find a nice woman to sweep off her feet.
    Still, I'd take it.
    Continuing to smile, I stood up - and then felt the chill of the wooden floor on my bare feet. I glanced down at my feet, frowning, and then back up at Carter.
    "Er, do you think anyone will notice if I go barefoot?"
     

Chapter Five
    *
    Ten minutes later, I strolled nonchalantly behind Carter into a little open cafe around the corner, hoping that no one dropped their eyes down to take in my bare feet. I had tried slipping back into my ridiculous high heels, but I barely managed to take half a dozen steps in them before my ankle gave an alarming wobble and I retreated back to my desk.
    "I'm sure that no one will notice," Carter offered gallantly, although even I could tell that he was lying through his straight, perfectly white teeth.
    Eventually, I settled for walking over to the cafe barefoot but carrying my shoes along with me in one hand, so that I could slip them back on while sitting at the table. This way, I figured, no one would notice that anything was off if they happened to glance under our table and catch a glimpse of my feet.
    Perhaps to distract me from the curious sensation of the sidewalk under my exposed toes, Carter chatted as we walked, telling me about his business. It turned out to be more interesting than I'd expected; I never thought much about real estate before this.
    "I've never really thought much about real estate before this," I confessed, figuring that I ought to contribute to the dialogue. "When I had a house, I mean, I didn't deal with any of the purchase or anything."
    Too late, I wondered if this could end up leading the conversation down the wrong path. After all, that house had been owned not by me, but by my ex-husband. Nothing kills a flirty conversation with a new man like bring up the hated ex.
    "Most people don't really think about real estate, I'd say," Carter answered me, shrugging. "And I agree that it's definitely not a sexy profession. No woman dreams of falling for a hot, bare-chested real estate agent."
    I looked at Carter, imagining him with his chest bare as he swept me off my feet, and nearly walked straight into a lamp post as my brain short-circuited.
    "But at the same time," he continued, "it's definitely a place to make a living. There's a lot of money in real estate, after all, and lots of people who are more than happy to pay someone to not