Her Irresistible Troublemaker (A Town Named Eden Book 3) by Sonia Parin Read Free Book Online Page B

sure my cheeks are blotchy and I’ve sweated so much I must look like a drowned rat unfit for public consumption, but I’d kill for a chocolate muffin.”
    “You realize that’ll defeat the purpose of all this exercise.”
    “Baby steps.” They returned the tandem bike to the rental shop and strode across the street to the café, but as they neared it, Lexie felt second thoughts creeping in. She must look a mess. Then again, why would she care what she looked like?
    Ava gave her a gentle shove inside the café. “Don’t fuss. You look adorable in your polka dot shorts.”
    Lexie took a deep breath, put her blinkers on and arrowed her way to the counter.
    “You’ve just turned a couple of heads and all eyes were on your shorts. I want a pair. Where did you get them?”
    “It’s a little place called Le Thrift Store.”
    Ava chuckled. “That’s where all my impulse purchases go to find a new owner. Last time I went into a thrift store looking for a retro outfit to wear to a costume ball I fell in love with a skirt and bought it without realizing it was something I’d donated the week before. Now that I think about it, those shorts do look familiar.”
    “I should go shopping with you and make you buy stuff I like.” Lexie placed her order for coffee and a muffin. “I need a new dating outfit,” she shrugged, “Just in case… And I’m a bit short of disposable cash.” That reminded her about the chat she’d been meaning to tackle with Ava instead of meandering off into attraction la-la-land.
    She needed another source of income, preferably doing something she loved. For the last year, she’d been using her savings to get by and while the comic strip brought in a regular income, it wasn’t enough to splurge on impulse purchases. It definitely wasn’t enough to impress her parents. They still expected her to justify her leap of faith move to the city with a healthy bank account balance.
    “If you need money—”
    “I can always swallow my pride and ask my parents or my sister. But I’m rather attached to my pride, as well as my independence.” She shook her head. At twenty-five years of age she really needed to start focusing on creating a solid foundation for herself. “I need to get another job to supplement my income. Either that or cave in to my parents’ heartfelt desire and go back to school to study something practical.”
    Ava dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. “Your comic strip has a huge following. Why not turn it into a graphic novel?”
    Lexie frowned, and then widened her eyes. “You have to tell me how you come up with solutions without first tearing your hair out.”
    “Doing a graphic novel is the most obvious next step for you,” Ava explained in her breezy tone. “Surely you’ve thought about it.”
    “Well… Isn’t it early days yet?” She hated the uncertainty in her voice. In the last year alone she’d packed in a lifetime’s worth of achievements, turning a whimsical dream into reality. She’d been so shaken up by the car accident, she hadn’t stopped to think, to consider the negatives of taking such a huge leap of faith.
    If she’d been in full possession of her senses, she would have agonized over every detail, worrying about the unpredictable nature of trying something she knew next to nothing about, going around in circles until she talked herself out of even trying. Luckily, Ava had given her the necessary shove in the right direction, insisting she had nothing to lose and who knew what to discover.
    “Honey, you need to start taking a daily dose of Carpe Diem. Your fans would love to see more of Lulu McGee.”
    “I’m never short of ideas for Lulu’s weekly escapades. In fact, it’s always a struggle to keep it short.”
    “There you go. Problem solved.” Ava grabbed hold of her arm. “Before you scuttle off home to start working on your ideas, let’s see if we can find a table in the courtyard.”
    “You’re not giving me much of a