His Kind of Wonderful (Sugar Bay #2) by Kinsley Gibb Read Free Book Online

you should be careful. Derek is concerned about the guy’s reputation and how it’ll affect you.”
    She laughed. “That fear is completely ridiculous.”
    “I know how Derek can get so I won’t tell him what I heard but, seriously, watch yourself. You might not be interested in him but you don’t know how the professor sees the relationship. When a girl looks the way you do and spends time with a guy, he’s going to get ideas.”
    She pulled back. “Is that so?”
    “It is. You’re from the city but this is a small town and your reputation is serious business. It’s like a fucked up telephone game and if people start thinking you’re with a married man, it’s a hard thing to shake and it’ll come out worse than it is. Just stay away from the guy because it looked cozy and it’ll mess up our pretend situation.”
    She fought the juvenile need to roll her eyes and pushed off the swing again. “About that—I’m still waiting for an explanation.”
    Joe took over pushing again and she heard a heavy sigh. “I didn’t want to do it, but Lisa didn’t give me a choice and your name was the first that came to mind.”
    “The crazy lady from the bakery?”
    “Yep. She’s married to my mentor and lately, she’s been acting crazy—chasing me, flirting with me.” She heard the frustration in his voice and looked back at him. He shook his head. “She won’t take the hint that I’m not interested.”
    “Why not? She’s attractive—if you like the slightly unbalanced type.”
    “Please. Just like you don’t mess with married men, I don’t mess with married women. There are too many single women to go that route.”
    “True.”
    “Besides, I would never hurt George and if I tell him about her behavior, it’ll devastate him. But man—she’s ignored every avoidance maneuver I’ve tried.” His pushes seemed to be fueled by his frustration and soon she was flying higher than ever.
    “That sucks.”
    “It’s like she’s got an Armor All shell—everything rolls off if she doesn’t want to hear it. It’s the weirdest thing.”
    “And having a pretend relationship will somehow protect you.”
    “I hope so, but mainly it was so I wouldn’t have to participate in the bachelor auction.” She looked back and met his glare. He pushed the swing harder.
    “Oops,” she said, grinning. She was glad he couldn’t see her smile.
    “Yeah. Thanks to you and the crazy MacKinnon ladies, I’m in the damn auction I wanted to avoid in the first place.”
    “It’s for a good cause.”
    “I would have written a check.”
    “Yes, but now you can raise even more money. Imagine, the ladies of Sugar Bay will be clamoring for a chance to have an evening of your undivided attention.”
    “Call me a Neanderthal but I prefer to do the chasing.”
    “You are that,” she agreed and he grabbed the swing and brought her to a full stop. She turned in the seat and grinned when she saw his scowl. She couldn’t help but notice, even with the frown, he was still sexy.
    “So glad you find this amusing, Dani.”
    She stood and shrugged. “Hey. Gotta find joy wherever you can.”
    “True. Although I am glad it was your name that first came to mind. Any other girl would try to turn this situation into a reality but I know you won’t.”
    “I won’t?”
    “Of course not. You can barely stand me.”
    “That is true.” Not really but maybe she was a better actress than she thought. “What about Derek?”
    “Let me worry about him.”
    “It’s your face.”
    “Yeah, but what else can I do? Without George I might have ended up in jail or completely lost. I certainly wouldn’t be where I am now.”
    “He’s that important to you?”
    “Yeah. He is.” Joe’s voice had softened and he stared into the distance as if lost in the past. Dani was surprised to notice while they’d been talking, the sky had darkened as night settled around them. A few stars twinkled in the sky, some shone more brightly than others and