Beautiful Mess by Jennifer Preston Read Free Book Online Page A

too.”
    “He
was wrong,” Summer waved it off.  “It’s as simple as that.  He needs
to learn to stop babying you.  Just make sure you are careful.  I
don’t want to have to eat my words later.”
    “Okay,”
Bri nodded.
    “And,
you’ll be home by eleven.  Until I get to know this kid, no late nights
for you.”
    “Okay,
Dad,” Bri shook her head.  Her dad seemed to think that as long as she was
home before midnight she couldn’t get into trouble.  What parents didn’t
seem to get was the fact that if you wanted to get into trouble, you could do
so anytime of the night,  or the day for that matter.  But Bri wasn’t
about to argue about her curfew.  She gave her dad a quick peck on the
cheek, and rushed to her room to figure out was she was going to wear that
night. 
     
     
    A
little before seven, Bri parked her silver Mazda3, took a deep breath, and got
out of her car.  She had finally settled on a royal blue, ruffled,
halter-style tank and cream cardigan, with a pair of jean shorts and her
leopard print ballet flats.  Her long, normally straight auburn hair hung
in soft curls down her back.  She started towards the pier, scanning the
crowd for Cole.
    She
came to an abrupt halt when she spotted him, her mouth falling open.  Cole
stood there in a charcoal grey button up shirt, with the sleeves rolled up to
his elbows.  His dark jeans hugged his narrow hips, and a pair of dark
boots replaced his usual flip flops.  His black hair hung in his eyes as
he waited for her.  Bri had never seen anything hotter in her life. 
She had an almost irresistible urge to rush up to him and kiss him, hard. 
    Cole’s
luscious, begging to be kissed lips turned up in a smile as he finally spotted
her.  His eyes roamed over her from head to toe, before meeting her golden
brown eyes with an appreciative smile.  She started towards him, a blush
creeping into her cheeks.
    “Hi,”
she smiled, feeling suddenly nervous and shy.
    “Hi,”
he replied, and nervously shoved his hands in his pockets.  Neither of
them said anything for a moment.
    The
circumstances surrounding  their acquaintance had changed, and they were
both at a loss as to how to behave, or what to say.  A few awkward moments
passed, while Bri begged her brain to come up with something witty to
say.  Heck, she’d settle for a coherent sentence at this point. 
Thankfully, her brain finally bailed her out.
    “You
clean up nicely,” she smiled at him.
    He
laughed.  “Thank you.  You clean up pretty nicely yourself.” 
This seemed to break the tension, and they both visibly relaxed.  “Are you
hungry?  There’s a great Mexican place across the street.”
    “Sounds
fabulous!  I’m starving.”
    “This
way then,” Cole motioned her across the street and then fell into step beside
her.
    “Hey,
Cole, I realized something earlier.  I don’t even know your last name,”
she said, slightly embarrassed.
    “You’re
right,” he laughed.  “How did we miss that one? Coleston Marra,” he gave a
slight bow.  “Nice to meet you...?”
    “Ambria
Donnelly.”
    “Ambria? 
Wow, that’s really pretty!”
    “Thanks,”
Bri blushed at the compliment.  “Coleston Marra...” she considered his
name.  “I like it!”
    “Ambria
Donnelly… hmm.  I’ve got to be honest, I’ve heard better!” Cole
teased.  Bri playfully shoved his arm as they both laughed.  “Well
Ambria… do you mind if I call you Ambria?”
    “Nope,
not at all.”
    “Well,
Ambria, here we are,” he opened the door for her, and she walked into the
quaint restaurant.  They were seated at a cozy booth in the back.
    “Okay,”
Cole began with a smile, “I seriously want to know everything about you.”
    “Really?”
Bri asked.  “Why?”
    “Well,
because you’re interesting, and pretty, and completely different from all the
other girls I’ve known.”
    Bri
decided to pounce on that statement.  “Oh?  And you’ve known a lot of
girls, have you?” she