Love a Little Sideways by Shannon Stacey Read Free Book Online

only hope he’d covered it in time. Liz wasn’t for him, and any kind of flirting or innuendo was strictly off-limits in the future.
    “Chief.” Barbara had her arms crossed, giving him the look that had almost made his first-grade self wet his pants. “Meeting.”
    “On my way.”
    It wasn’t far to the town hall and the weather was nice, so Drew decided to walk. He’d still make it in time, as long as nobody tried to stop him on the sidewalk and bend his ear. Halfway there, he heard a familiar horn and turned to see his car coming up the street.
    He watched as the Mustang rolled by, doing at least five miles per hour under the speed limit, and his body tightened when Liz gave him a saucy grin and waved.
    He’d been right when he lent her the car. Seeing her drive it—seeing her fingers curled around the wheel so perfectly molded to his hand—triggered some deep, primal thrill inside of him. Maybe because, out of all of his belongings, the car was the most personal and seeing her in it meant something he didn’t want to analyze too much. Or maybe it was just seeing a sexy woman in a sexy car. Either way, he liked it.

Chapter Four
    Nobody could pull together an impromptu family dinner like Rosie. Liz was summoned to the lodge Friday night because Mitch was home, and Ryan and Lauren were driving up. They usually met Lauren’s ex-husband halfway from their home in Brookline, Massachusetts, so her son Nick could visit his dad, but Ryan had cleared his afternoon to make the drive up for dinner.
    His truck, with Kowalski Custom Builders painted on the side, was already there when she drove up the lane and she parked between it and Katie’s ancient Jeep.
    The aroma made her stomach growl the second she opened the front door, though she felt it rather than heard it due to the noise level. In honor of her return home, Rose had made a traditional New England boiled dinner and the blend of ham and cabbage and other goodies made Liz’s mouth water.
    When she stepped into the kitchen, the conversation and laughter stopped as everybody had to give her a hug and welcome her home. She went down the line, from Mitch and Paige to Ryan, Lauren and Nick, then to Katie, who squealed and threw her arms around her.
    “Josh told me you seemed lonely when he visited you in New Mexico. I’m so glad you came home where you belong.”
    “Me, too.” Though Katie had spent a lot more time outside than Liz growing up, they’d been the only girls against four boys, so they’d been thick as thieves.
    Josh, the only sibling younger than she was, pulled her into a quick hug. “Sorry we’re eating on the early side. We’ve got guests coming in tonight and the first ones will probably get here about six.”
    “I don’t mind.”
    “You all go sit down,” Rosie said, making a shooing motion with her towel. “It’s almost ready and I can’t move in this kitchen with you all underfoot.”
    Liz trailed the others into the big dining room, where Rose had already set out the good dishes. She cringed a little because the good dishes couldn’t go in the new dishwasher Andy had installed for her and that was a lot of hand-washing.
    There was a lot of shuffling before everybody was seated where they wanted to be. Even though he was the youngest, as the one who’d stayed and run the lodge, Josh had sat at the head of the table since their dad passed away. Mitch sat at the foot and they all paired off around the table.
    Somebody had counted wrong, Liz thought as she looked around the table. There were two seats across from her she guessed were for Rose and Andy, who would help her serve, and then there was a place set next to her with nobody in the chair.
    Then Drew walked in and it made sense. And lucky her, she got to sit next to him since everybody else was paired off as couples.
    Once everybody had hollered out a greeting to Drew and he’d popped into the kitchen to say hello before being shooed back out, he pulled out his chair and sat