September: Calendar Girl Book 9 Read Online Free PDF Page B

twice trying to convince myself even though I couldn’t shake the ugly feeling I had.
    Gin clasped her hands together, placed her elbows on her knees, and rested her chin on her laced fingers. “What are you going to do?” She didn’t say it in a way that was meant to harm, but knowing there was nothing I really could do sent an arrow straight through the heart. The man I loved was missing, had been incommunicado going into three weeks, and no one had heard from him. And worse, I seemed to be the only one really worried. Maybe that alone was my clue that I was making a mountain out of a molehill.
    I shrugged and leaned back in the chair, leaning my head back on the hard plastic ridge and staring at the ceiling tiles. “I don’t know. Max has a call into Aspen Reynolds, a friend of his…”
    “Wait, what? Back the truck up. Put that fucker in reverse! The Aspen Reynolds. Aspen Bright-Reynolds of AIR Bright Industries? The ridiculously beautiful blonde, big cowboy husband the exact opposite of her, Aspen Reynolds? Has the most adorable toddler in the world named Hannah?”
    “Um, yeah. And that’s really weird that you know that much about a woman I just met.”
    She stood. “You met her?” Her hand went to her hips and she struck a seriously pissy pose. Oh, no, man, I did not need this shit today. Gin’s attitude can only be handled in small bursts, and I didn’t have the mental wherewithal to deal with it today. “I can’t believe you. I swear, all the time, you get put in these positions where you could help me, your bestie, your top skank, and it’s like my name is Skipper! As in…Skipped Her!”
    I pressed both hands into my temples. “Gin, tell me why me knowing Aspen is such a big deal.”
    She made a sound between a groan and gag. “She’s the biggest in the industry. Models, magazines, actresses, big time Vegas shows…” She added an emphasis on the Vegas Shows.
    “So she runs some shows and you want in on them?” I stated plainly so we could get to the point of her frustration faster. The quicker I dealt with it, the better.
    “You make it sound like I’m being all greedy or something. Seriously, Aspen runs a lot of stuff in both our industries. Everybody knows her. She’s like one of the richest women in the world, and she’s only thirty!” Her voice rose as her excitement grew.
    I remembered back at the ranch, when I’d met the leggy blonde. She was sweet, wore really nice clothes, but paired them with flip-flops. That right there told me that clothes were something she put on just like the rest of us, but she enjoyed the creature comforts after a long business day. The blonde also lived on a modest ranch out in the boonies just outside Dallas—next door to Max. They had a nice ranch, but it wasn’t like the Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous or anything. It was a nice country place with awesome land, horses, a few steers, but mostly it was just a quiet place to live for the small family of three.
    “Woman seemed pretty normal to me.”
    Ginelle sliced a hand through the air. “She’s not normal. Perfect, yes. Normal, no. She’s literally my girl crush.”
    I squinted. “I thought I was your girl crush.” I pouted.
    A bit of the tension left the room when Gin laughed and plopped back in the chair. “She’s my fantasy girl crush. You think you could introduce me?”
    “Yep. If we’re ever at Max’s ranch and they’re home, of course I can.”
    She clapped her hands together and stared dreamily at the wall behind my head. “That would be awesome.”
    Whatever. “You’re a nut.”
    “Mmm, nuts,” she moaned.

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    T he next day , my phone rang as I was pulling the dead flowers out of the arrangements Pops had received. The daises that Judi Croft had sent on behalf of Wes, even though Wes still didn’t know what was going on, had stayed strong. Their pretty white petals and yellow middles reminded me of really good times. I hoped that was a metaphor for the resilience of