Everybody Knows (Sunnyside #1) by Jacie Floyd Read Free Book Online

“Next
stop’s the library. Let’s see if you’re, uh, ecstatic about that, too.”
    God, he hoped not. Much more of her ecstasy and
he’d be lost in a hypothalamic fog.
    Man, did he need to get out of town and get laid
soon.

Chapter Four

 
    Harper followed Zach down the
stairs and out the door of his sister’s house. The unbelievable place was
exactly the way she would want a house to look if she had a chance to buy one.
Exactly the way she wanted her temporary home to look after she moved in and
put her stamp on it.
    She wanted to put her stamp on the town, too. But
so far, she’d struck-out in that department. Five of the six people she’d met
that day didn’t seem to like her all that much, including three children. And
Zach seemed to be on the fence.
    Which was a mystery to Harper.
    Her mother and sister may be considered the
beauties in her family, but everyone she’d previously met in her life—from
guidance counselors to head librarians to apartment building
superintendents—had pegged her as likable, friendly, and enthusiastic. Almost
the human equivalent of a cocker spaniel.
    Gregarious overachiever had been her lifelong role
within the family dynamics, too. Her mother and Fiona were drama queens from
the get-go. Out of necessity, Harper had learned how to take stock of a situation,
smooth things over, and make everyone happy—with the possible exception of her
former fiancé.
    But this guy.
    Sheesh, except for that whole saving-the-dog
exercise, he seemed laid back to the point of comatose. Detached. Unflappable.
He clearly had a lot going in the brains department, and sometimes, for the
teeniest flash of a moment, he even seemed attracted to her. Like that one
distinct moment when she’d climbed out of her car, and maybe another one when
she’d asked to see the bedrooms. But he also seemed to find her a little bit
annoying.
    As they headed down the street, she side-eyed Zach
and had to admit he looked perfect in every way. Maybe a little too perfect. Perfect enough to be a
doctor. Most people admired doctors on general principle, but Harper suppressed
a shiver of distaste. Sure, being a physician was a noble calling and almost
everyone either wanted their kids to be one or marry one. But the medical
doctors she knew were stuffy, opinionated, and completely full of themselves.
    Or maybe that was just her father. Sometimes, she
found it difficult to disassociate the man from his profession.
    Until Zach had revealed his occupation, she’d been
confused by the contradictory vibes she picked up from him. But now, she
understood his personality better. His responses revealed similarities to her
father’s Doctor/God Complex. In charge of everyone and everything in their
universe.   Lesser mortals dare not orbit
too closely. They might manage to be present for the grand gestures, big
moments, or overall miracles, but couldn’t be bothered with the day-to-day
details that could be handled by others.
    Okay, message received. But too bad. If Zach
hadn’t been a doctor, they might have become friends. Or more . She cast another quick glance his way in time to see that
he was watching her and weighing his opinions. Apparently waiting for something
before he passed his final judgment. But waiting for what?
    Waiting for her to judge him and the town and find
them lacking, maybe. Waiting to see if she’d blithely trip on back home as soon
as the going here got tough.
    Boy, was he wrong about that. She’d do whatever it
took to make this work. She’d never wanted anything more.
    With another plunge into record-breaking heat and
humidity, Harper’s hair threatened to frizz up again like Little Orphan
Annie’s. As she tugged on the ends, Zach moved with purposeful strides beside
her and resumed his assignment as Official Town Greeter.
    He related facts and tidbits about the town,
pointing out landmarks. Apparently, the library was a total of three blocks
from her house. Three short blocks, not three long