Baby It's Cold Outside by Addison Fox Read Free Book Online

closely of Betsy and Mary Jo. The dulcet cadence of their words suggested the object of their comments should be scraped off the bottom of a shoe. A warm flush crept across her face and, unlike the slight embarrassment on the stage of the town hall, this had a distinctly different feeling.
    Like she was ready to do battle.
    Kate Winston came up behind the two women, rapidly shrugging into her padded winter coat. Her voice was stern, but her eyes were focused on Grier. “Come on, Trina, Sherry. Let’s get out of here.”
    Unwilling to leave the subject alone, Sloan turned toward the trio of women. The panic that had immobilized her in her parents’ kitchen, making her unable to defend herself to her mother’s friends, fled as her concern for Grier took over. “You sure? It sounds like you’ve all got something to say. There’s no time like the present.”
    Grier stood up, purse in hand, and reached for Sloan’s arm. Ignoring the tight grip that suggested she shut the hell up, Sloan kept her gaze level with Kate as she tried to avert her eyes.
    “She’s not welcome here,” one of the women added.
    Before Sloan could answer, Kate grabbed the redhead’s arm in a gesture surprisingly similar to Grier’s. “We’re leaving, Trina.”
    “But you were just—”
    “Leaving. Come on. Now.”
    The pack of women who’d surrounded Kate Winston when she’d sat down followed her out of the room. None but the redhead, Trina, spared them a backward glance.
    Was this really what Grier was dealing with up here? “What the fuck is wrong with them?”
    Grier dashed at the corners of her eyes. “I don’t know and I really don’t want to talk about it.”
    “But, Grier. This is ridiculous. You didn’t write your father’s will. Hell, you didn’t even know the man existed.”
    “She did.”
    Sloan caught the misery in Grier’s tone. “She did what?”
    “She did know my father. Because he was her father. Each and every day of her damn life.”
    “But—” Before she could finish the thought, the large man with the three-day scruff of beard walked up to them. Sloan didn’t miss the concern he focused on Grier as his gaze searched her face.
    “Everything okay?”
    The stiffening of Grier’s spine was the only indication she was rattled, but her tone was calm and cool as she turned toward the man. “Everything’s fine.”
    “You sure?”
    “Positive.”
    With that, Grier slammed her purse over her arm and marched determinedly toward the door.
    The gesture was so out of character for her friend that Sloan didn’t know what to do except follow Grier’s retreating form. She tossed a small, apologetic glance toward the guy as she wended her way out of their row of chairs.
    As she turned to offer him one last contrite smile, his friend walked up behind him.
    The breath caught in her throat as her gaze once again locked with his. Heat suffused her, even as the harsh winds of early December wrapped around her body from the open door.
    With one last glance, Sloan turned her attention to Grier. And wished like hell the big guy with the shoulders would choose to spend his evening in the lobby of the Indigo Blue.

Chapter Four
     
    F irmly pushing aside the unpleasant moments churned up by Kate’s bitchy friends, Sloan went into full-on hostess mode the moment she and Grier returned to the Indigo Blue. She’d play the room, introducing herself to everyone and flashing them her biggest, warmest smile. The one that said Sloan McKinley was both full of girlish charm as well as a damn good time.
    Ha.
    Fuck Trevor Stuart Kincaid the Fourth and the rest of the Scarsdale assholes who thought she was over the hill and a blight on their little high society.
    “Do you really think this will work?”
    Sloan stood at the bar next to Grier, surveying the townspeople as they filled up the lobby of the Indigo Blue. “Of course it will.”
    “But you invited the entire town back to the bar to drink for free on your tab.”
    “Only