Suddenly in Love (Lake Haven#1) Read Online Free PDF

squinted toward the lake. “I’ll take care of him. You scratched yourself.”
    “What?” Mia glanced down to where he pointed. There was a thin red scratch across her bare abdomen. “Oh.”
    “Mrs. Yates is home now. But she’s leaving again, so hurry if you want in. That terrace guy’s truck broke down. I’m going to take him into town to get a part.”
    “Yeah, well, don’t go before you run the bum off. He threw his cell phone into the lake!”
    “That’s littering,” Drago said gravely.
    Mia hesitated. “Yep. It’s littering all right.”
    “I’ll handle it,” Drago said, and began walking toward the bluffs. He was so big Mia had no doubt that the man at Lookout Point would scramble down the path to the lake and his death-star car and get the hell out of here. What was it about summer people that made them think they owned the world around them?
    Mia moved on to the house, but just as she reached the front door, it suddenly swung open, and two white balls of fluff that could easily be mistaken for house shoes rushed out, yapping and trying to bite her feet. Behind them came Nancy Yates wearing turquoise-blue silk palazzo pants with big, showy white flowers printed on them. Her voluminous white silk top hung to her thighs and was trimmed in fringe. She wore her graying blonde hair in a ponytail down her back, and a gold chain from which a Tao symbol dangled around her neck.
    Behind Nancy were two women, but Mia scarcely had a moment to register them because Nancy suddenly grabbed her in a big bear hug. “Hello!” she said cheerfully.
    The gesture startled Mia—they were not on a hugging basis, seeing as how they scarcely knew each other—and she stood stiff armed, uncertain if she ought to hug her back or not. “Ah . . . hello,” Mia said into her shoulder.
    Nancy suddenly let her go and stutter-stepped backward to have a look at Mia.
    Mia self-consciously adjusted her bag on her shoulder.
    “Now that’s an interesting look,” Nancy said, not unkindly. “I can always count on you to be creatively attired. Oh! Where are my manners?” she asked, apparently unconcerned that the dogs were still growling at Mia and she was pushing the one with the blue bow off her leg. “Do you know Tess McDaniel?” she asked, and waved grandly at the two women behind her.
    One of them, who Mia had to assume was Tess McDaniel, smiled thinly as her gaze flicked dismissively over Mia’s clothes. “Hi,” Mia said.
    “Tess owns Diva Interiors in Black Springs,” Nancy said, and to the two women, she added, “Mia is Beverly McCauley’s niece. She’s an artist.”
    “Oh no,” Mia said quickly. Heat flooded her cheeks—she could only claim to be a failed artist. “No, I’m . . . I mean, not really. I’m working for Aunt Bev right now.”
    “Well,” Tess said, presenting her hand in a manner one could possibly interpret to mean she wanted it kissed. “How nice to meet you.”
    Mia took her tiny hand and, uncertain what to do with the delicate thing, gave it a bit of a shake.
    “We’re off, sweetie! We’re going to have tea at a delicious little place in Black Springs,” Nancy said. She leaned over, picked up each dog, one by one, kissed its nose, tossed it inside, and did the same to the other dog. “Magda’s already left for the day, so be sure and lock up when you go. There’s just so much to fix up around this old place, isn’t there?” She didn’t wait for Mia’s answer, but hurried off with Tess and the other woman, who apparently didn’t merit an introduction.
    Mia watched them go. Nancy Yates was the antithesis of the person Mia would have expected to buy this house. This house was steeped in American history. Nancy Yates looked as if she were steeped in Malibu.
    The thing about the Ross house was that it was the oldest and grandest historic estate around Lake Haven. Every day Mia came to work, she noticed another interesting architectural detail, like the forward-facing peacocks