Bet On Love by Barbara Witek Read Free Book Online

“You’ve always had the best family. It’s refreshing to see some things don’t change. And for the record, you’ve got a good point there.” Which meant Kara’s thoughts were way off base, and I had been right all along.
    Cole and I together was a bad idea.
    ***
    “What’s really going on?” Abbey asked the next day as we sat on the secluded flagstone patio to have a late lunch. Thick rows of trees lined Cole’s property on three sides. I thought I could see remnants of a tree house in one of the large maples toward the back.
    “Nothing is going on.” Cole handed her the bag of pretzels. “Shelby has some business meetings and things she needs to take care of.”
    “Right,” I added, tossing Cole an “uh-oh” look. “This was so unexpected, I forgot about work.”
    “I’m not buying it.” Abbey narrowed her blue eyes. “Are you guys married or not?” She pushed her plate away and leaned back in the chair, crossing her arms over her hot pink T-shirt.
    “Yes, we’re really married,” I said, pushing my own plate of food aside. This was only the first of many difficult discussions to come. Once again, Cole and I weren’t thinking when we decided me heading back to the west coast was a good idea.
    “Dad, you’ve never kept anything from me. The blind dates, the repeat dates, the Mary Beth ‘incident’.” She air quoted. “But this whole Vegas thing was a surprise. Why?”
    “It’s just one of those things, honey.” Cole stretched his arm and played with her ponytail. “Adult stuff that’s hard to explain.”
    “Try me, Dad. I’m not five years old.” She leaned forward, the brown strands slipping through his fingers.
    “Mary Beth incident?” I interrupted, feeling a slight twinge of jealousy over the fact that the two of them had shared some kind of past history worthy enough to be entitled an incident. “I knew there was a reason why you were skirting the subject.”
    “Wait a minute, you two talked about Mary Beth? Wow, Dad, I’m impressed. You told me you would never bring it up again. Must be you really do love her.” Abbey pointed in my direction, and I held my breath.
    “You’re great-grandmother brought up Mary Beth.” Cole’s intense stare made me nervous. “Shelby tried to talk about her, but I wasn’t biting. For everyone’s information, we are not going to discuss the crazy woman now or ever. Are we clear?”
    “Crazy woman?” I arched a brow. “Sorry, but that’s not clear at all.” I fluttered my lashes at him, knowing exactly what he’d meant by “clear,” but I couldn’t help toying with him a bit. Call it payback for all the times he teased me.
    “Yeah, she is highly obsessed with Dad.” Abbey kept her voice low, delighting me with an answer. “She filled his car with balloons on his birthday, and he found her half-naked in the back seat.”
    I choked on my iced tea.
    “Abbey, that’s enough,” Cole warned.
    “She doesn’t seem to get that my dad isn’t interested,” Abbey kept talking as though she hadn’t heard a word he’d said.
    “Oh, I see,” I said, trying to hide my amusement.
    Cole was not amused in the least as he grumbled something inaudible and dropped his half-eaten turkey sandwich on the plate.
    “And you thought she was my type,” he added, before taking a sip from his glass.
    “Sorry.”
    “Wait a minute.” Abbey the super-sleuth raised a finger to the mid-afternoon sunshine, eyes wide as if she’d just found a clue. “If you two are really married and in love, then why are you telling my dad that Mary Beth is his type?”
    “Oh, well, I...uh, a little help here?” I motioned to Cole, who seemed to be thoroughly engrossed in watching me squirm. Now , he was amused? Well, I wasn’t in this alone, and he wasn’t going to make me the bad guy. “Are you going to tell her, or should I?”
    “Just what are you saying?” He broke out of his trance, his handsome face daring me to say the words.
    “Would somebody