Between a Book and a Hard Place by Denise Swanson Read Free Book Online
Authors: Denise Swanson
company, but those duties seemed to be shifting. Noah just hoped the young man was able to handle the change.
After letting Lucky back inside, Noah headed for the refrigerator, grabbed a beer, and twisted off the cap. He chugged half the bottle of Coors Light, then set it on the counter and looked down. The Chihuahua sat patiently by his bowl, waiting for Noah to fill it with canned food and refresh his water dish.
Once Noah had taken care of the dogâs needs, he got a pizza from the freezer and stuck it in the oven. He hadnât had time to eat supper before the city council meeting and he was starving.
He frowned. If Nadine hadnât had her meltdown, he might be having a late dinner with Dev instead of a frozen pepperoni pie with only the Chihuahua for company.
Just when Noah thought heâd gained an advantage on Del Vecchio in the contest for Devâs affections, his mother pulled this new crap and heâd had to flake out on Dev. Deputy Dawg might be hindered by his ex-wifeâs presence, but eventually she would recover and return to St. Louis. Nadine wasnât going anywhere.
When Noah had realized that heâd have to stay with Nadine until she fell asleep, heâd texted Dev that heâd had an emergency and couldnât meet her. He hadnât had a chance to check his phone sincethen. While he waited for his food to heat up, he pulled out his cell and looked at his messages.
âSon of a bitch!â Noahâs roar startled Lucky, and the little dog growled before resuming his meal.
Taking a calming breath, Noah reread Devâs text.
Shit!
Heâd been right. St. Onge
hadnât
told Dev that her mother would be at the meeting, and she was blaming both Boone and Noah for the omission.
Noah quickly tried phoning Dev, but she didnât pick up, so he left a voice mail explaining that heâd thought St. Onge had informed her about Yvetteâs presence. While he was at it, he sent her the same message via text.
Glancing at his watch, Noah saw that it was after eleven. Dev was probably in bed, but just in case she wasnât and she called back, he turned up the sound on his cell so he wouldnât miss it.
The timer
ding
ed, and Noah grabbed a dish from the cabinet and a potholder from the drawer. He removed his dinner from the oven and slid it onto the waiting plate. After cutting it into wedges, he picked up a slice, blew on it, and took a big bite of cheesy goodness.
When he was a child, his mother had never allowed processed foods in their house, and Noahâs craving for the forbidden fare hadnât abated in the years heâd been on his own. As a doctor, he knew he should eat healthy, but this was his secret indulgence, and he wasnât giving it up anytime soon.
Savoring the rich tomato sauce and spicy pepperoni, Noah thought about how he would convince Dev that surprising her with her mother at the meeting had been St. Ongeâs fault, not his. He had slowly been regaining her trust, and this could be a real setback.
Had that been St. Ongeâs plan all along? No. Devâs BFF was too pissed about Del Vecchioâs ex-wife living with him to try to sabotage Noahâs relationship with her. So why hadnât he told Dev about her mother?
Noah finished his pizza, put the dishes in the sink, and then, too wound up to go to bed, he strolled into his den. Flopping down on the leather couch, he grabbed the remote. There was a commercial on, and as he waited for it to be over and
The Late Late Show
to return, he looked around the room.
This was the only spot in his house that felt like home. When heâd bought the place two years ago, heâd allowed the decorator free rein. But after sheâd finished and heâd written her a check for an obscene amount of money, heâd gradually added his own stuff to the den.
Heâd hired an interior designer because it had been simpler than fighting his mother. Noah had never liked
After letting Lucky back inside, Noah headed for the refrigerator, grabbed a beer, and twisted off the cap. He chugged half the bottle of Coors Light, then set it on the counter and looked down. The Chihuahua sat patiently by his bowl, waiting for Noah to fill it with canned food and refresh his water dish.
Once Noah had taken care of the dogâs needs, he got a pizza from the freezer and stuck it in the oven. He hadnât had time to eat supper before the city council meeting and he was starving.
He frowned. If Nadine hadnât had her meltdown, he might be having a late dinner with Dev instead of a frozen pepperoni pie with only the Chihuahua for company.
Just when Noah thought heâd gained an advantage on Del Vecchio in the contest for Devâs affections, his mother pulled this new crap and heâd had to flake out on Dev. Deputy Dawg might be hindered by his ex-wifeâs presence, but eventually she would recover and return to St. Louis. Nadine wasnât going anywhere.
When Noah had realized that heâd have to stay with Nadine until she fell asleep, heâd texted Dev that heâd had an emergency and couldnât meet her. He hadnât had a chance to check his phone sincethen. While he waited for his food to heat up, he pulled out his cell and looked at his messages.
âSon of a bitch!â Noahâs roar startled Lucky, and the little dog growled before resuming his meal.
Taking a calming breath, Noah reread Devâs text.
Shit!
Heâd been right. St. Onge
hadnât
told Dev that her mother would be at the meeting, and she was blaming both Boone and Noah for the omission.
Noah quickly tried phoning Dev, but she didnât pick up, so he left a voice mail explaining that heâd thought St. Onge had informed her about Yvetteâs presence. While he was at it, he sent her the same message via text.
Glancing at his watch, Noah saw that it was after eleven. Dev was probably in bed, but just in case she wasnât and she called back, he turned up the sound on his cell so he wouldnât miss it.
The timer
ding
ed, and Noah grabbed a dish from the cabinet and a potholder from the drawer. He removed his dinner from the oven and slid it onto the waiting plate. After cutting it into wedges, he picked up a slice, blew on it, and took a big bite of cheesy goodness.
When he was a child, his mother had never allowed processed foods in their house, and Noahâs craving for the forbidden fare hadnât abated in the years heâd been on his own. As a doctor, he knew he should eat healthy, but this was his secret indulgence, and he wasnât giving it up anytime soon.
Savoring the rich tomato sauce and spicy pepperoni, Noah thought about how he would convince Dev that surprising her with her mother at the meeting had been St. Ongeâs fault, not his. He had slowly been regaining her trust, and this could be a real setback.
Had that been St. Ongeâs plan all along? No. Devâs BFF was too pissed about Del Vecchioâs ex-wife living with him to try to sabotage Noahâs relationship with her. So why hadnât he told Dev about her mother?
Noah finished his pizza, put the dishes in the sink, and then, too wound up to go to bed, he strolled into his den. Flopping down on the leather couch, he grabbed the remote. There was a commercial on, and as he waited for it to be over and
The Late Late Show
to return, he looked around the room.
This was the only spot in his house that felt like home. When heâd bought the place two years ago, heâd allowed the decorator free rein. But after sheâd finished and heâd written her a check for an obscene amount of money, heâd gradually added his own stuff to the den.
Heâd hired an interior designer because it had been simpler than fighting his mother. Noah had never liked
Similar Books
Savage Enchantment
Parris Afton Bonds
Dead Letter Day
Eileen Rendahl
Command and Control
Shelli Stevens
Deception
Evie Rose
Tourist Season
Carl Hiaasen
Red Sun Also Rises, A
Mark Hodder
Wildcatter
Dave Duncan
Prince Charming
Sara Celi