Fringe Benefits by Sandy James Read Free Book Online Page A

him, Mal?” Jules smirked. “Don’t want to get arrested for serving beer to a minor.”
    Dani followed the gazes of the Ladies to Nate. He stood with the other men, holding tight to a bottle of Miller Lite and chuckling at whatever they were talking about. “A few of the teachers haven’t met him yet, so he keeps getting asked for a hallway pass.”
    “A definite baby face on that one,” Beth said. “Have you asked him to move in yet?”
    “For pity’s sake, Beth.” Dani shot her a frown. “He wouldn’t be ‘moving in.’ He’d be my tenant.”
    She was an idiot for even thinking about having him so close, but ever since their night out, she could think of nothing but having Nate live in her basement.
    I’m an idiot
.
    Problem was, she was fascinated by him. Each school day, they shared a common prep period, which gave them time to plan for their sophomore classes. They could also talk books, something few of her friends, even the Ladies, could manage. To have someone share her hunger for literature was rare. And special.
    And there was, of course, the kiss that had curled her toes and haunted her dreams with images of the passion she thought she might find in his arms.
    A real idiot
.
    “Move in. Become your tenant. Pure semantics,” Beth countered. “He’d be upstairs with you for stuff like laundry. And you didn’t answer my question.”
    “Her lack of answer
is
the answer,” Jules said. “She wants him there but can’t find the courage to ask. Want me to talk to him? We’re going out to see a few houses Monday after school. Could discuss renting then. I’ll even draw up a contract for you.”
    With a shake of her head, Dani decided to stop being passive-aggressive. She was a grown-up; it was time to start acting like one.
    She wanted him close? Fine. She’d admit it, if only to herself. So she’d offer him a way to be near that didn’t threaten their working relationship. “No. I’ll ask him when I drive him back to his hotel.” The thought of him going back to that pit made her stomach knot. “Definitely asking today.”
    “He’ll be a helluva lot happier with you,” Jules said. “Your apartment is great—”
    “Because my husband’s a genius,” Beth said with a smile.
    “—and he can stay there while we search. I’ve got several places that are perfect for him, but it’ll be at least three weeks before we can close any of them. Most are fixer-uppers, so he might want to get a few things updated before he moves.” She fixed her intense green eyes on Dani. “You really are helping him out. That long-term place is—”
    “Horrible.” Dani couldn’t help but feel guilty for not suggesting her apartment sooner. “I know. I know. I’ll ask. I promise.”
    Three weeks. The perfect amount of time to decide if this infatuation was simply that.
    *   *   *
    Nate smiled at something Ben Carpenter said. The man had a great sense of humor, as did the other two guys who were clearly taking Nate’s measure.
    He tried to keep all their relationships straight in his mind. Connor Wilson belonged to the redhead, Jules. They were parents to the two dark-haired boys. They sold real estate, and she was taking Nate out to look at houses Monday. Seemed like a nice couple for salespeople. Most were pushy; these two weren’t. Very, very helpful, but definitely not pushy.
    Ben went with Mallory, the thin lady with the great smile. She’d helped him with locker duty, and for a tiny thing, she could use her voice to get a kid’s attention pretty damn quick. Ben was the one who was going to help if Nate got a fixer-upper. Since he couldn’t afford something like the Ashfords’ home, he hoped Ben was as frugal as Nate’s mother had taught him to be.
    The cute brunette with the curly hair—Beth—was married to Robert Ashford. He was the one Dani said used to be a teacher but now built homes, and Beth still taught at Douglas. He’d constructed Dani’s house. Maybe one day she’d let