Champagne and Lemon Drops: A Blueberry Springs Chick Lit Contemporary Romance by Jean Oram Read Free Book Online

lap, then giving up, placed it to the side and held
the bowl at chest level, carefully spooning stew into his
mouth.
    "So," Nash asked casually, his cheeks pink.
"I'm part of the rumor mill now?"
    "Oh, shoot. Sorry, Nash." Beth placed a hand
on his arm. "I was just so pissed off. But don't worry. They won't
believe me." She let out a laugh. "Me with a city boy? No offense,
but not on your life."
    ***
    Beth sat on the passenger side in Nash's
shiny BMW and waited for him to finish gassing the car so they
could leave town. She tried not to pet the leather seat peeking out
from under her. It was so smooth. So soft and luxurious it made her
feel as though she should be dressed up in a ball gown and on her
way to some fancy fundraiser where people gave cheek kisses as
freely as hellos. She inhaled the car's aroma, certain the new car
smell enveloping her was from the interior's lack of age rather
than a tree-shaped air freshener like her Gran used to keep in her
Plymouth. Plus, the scent of Nash's car didn't make her feel ill in
the way Gran's car had on a hot summer's day.
    Nash slid into the driver's seat, a gust of
cool morning air following him in. "All gassed up. Sorry, I should
have filled the tank before picking you up. It completely slipped
my mind. I'm still not used to being so far from everything and
having to worry about gas."
    "That's okay," she sipped the takeout coffee
he passed her. "I'd rather wait than be stuck in the middle of
nowhere."
    "How is it?" he asked, waiting while she
took another sip of her coffee. "I chose the freshest looking brew,
but none of it looked great."
    "It's fine." The coffee was hot and a bit
bitter, but it was warm and caffeinated. Perfect for an early
morning drive to the city. She smiled over the brim of her cup. He
seemed as nervous as she was.
    He cranked the engine and an almost-silent
purring filtered into the cab.
    "Have you been to one of these before?" she
asked. The way he had been talking about the outreach training and
info sessions and got everything organized for them so quickly she
figured he had to have been to a million of them.
    "Yes. I helped get an outreach started
during one of my practicums while I was in med school."
    She looked out the window as they pulled out
of the gas station and tried not to shrink down in her seat as
community members gawked at her riding alongside Nash. He nattered
on about the expertise of the people running the information
sessions and Beth's mind drifted. She was going to miss her first
coffee date with Oz tomorrow. What if he was ready to ask her back,
but she wasn't there to leap into his arms?
    But he'd told her to go follow her dreams,
too—if only to make him feel better about his own adventures. And
although opening an outreach for community members wasn't a dream
she'd always had, the idea of doing something new with her job was
exciting. Plus, maybe if she didn't show up for their coffee date
Oz would realize how much he actually needed her and that his feet
were, in reality, plenty warm.
    "Do you think he's going to need a long
time?" Beth asked out loud.
    "The speaker? They usually have three hour
sessions with a break in the middle."
    "I meant... never mind."
    "...Oz?" he asked gently.
    She nodded, watching the mountains give way
to foothills and meadows as they drove further from town.
    "I mean... have you ever talked to anyone
who had a temporary break before they got married? Did it work
out?"
    Nash frowned and shook his head. "I haven't.
But you know, Oz has been through a lot lately. It's not uncommon
for people our age to need a bit of time to figure out what they
want in life. I think it's admirable that he's doing that. You
wouldn't believe the people I've seen with health problems because
they've swallowed the truth about their lives for so long. It's
like it festers inside." He turned to her, his blond hair glowing
in the early morning light.
    "He said everyone has a secret dream." She
turned to him, curious. "Do you