Mr. Wonderful Lies by Kaitlin Maitland Read Free Book Online Page B

a warm smile that showed a peek of his irresistible dimples and made his blue eyes dance.
    I picked the first words that popped into my head. “I didn’t really get to thank you earlier.”
    “Thank me for what?” He wrapped his towel securely around his waist and turned toward the door.
    I fell into step beside him and nudged him lightly with my shoulder. “For watching out for me this morning. You and Anna were right. It was a good idea.”
    “Anna is always right, remember?”
    “Yeah, it’s kind of hard to forget.”
    “So how did it go?”
    “He was really…” I searched for the perfect word and found it strangely difficult. “Terrific, I guess.”
    “You guess?”
    We paused at the bottom of the stairs and I was hyper-conscious of Hungry and Desperate’s evil stares on my back. “It was just like talking on the phone. He’s easy to talk to and we seem to be able to talk about anything. It’s great.”
    “But?”
    I glanced up, surprised. I hadn’t expected him to probe farther, but I’d forgotten how perceptive he was. “I still feel like I don’t know him as well as I’d like to.”
    Jared nodded slowly, running a restless hand through his damp hair. “Is it just that you get swept away exchanging comments and observations and don’t ever get to the gritty stuff, or are you withholding things from each other?”
    I’d come down to the pool to talk to Jared and make some kind of point I didn’t even understand to two barracuda women I didn’t care about. I hadn’t intended to have a heart to heart with him that would set me thinking about things I wasn’t ready to examine yet.
    A soft smile touched his handsome features. “You don’t have to answer that. It’s just something to think about, I guess.”
    Oh, he’d gotten me thinking all right. I bravely slapped a smile on my face and trotted up the stairs in front of him. I could hear him behind me, his bare feet treading softly.
    We entered the observation area right in front of the locker rooms under the watchful gazes of Hungry and Desperate. Jared nodded to them in an impersonal yet respectful way before turning back to me. “I’ve got a meeting later tonight with the partners, but call me later if you want to talk, all right?”
    My heart swelled and I forgot all about Hungry and Desperate. Reaching out, I wrapped my arms around his waist and pressed my face to his warm, bare chest. He smelled wonderful, a mixture of chlorine and his own personal spice. “Thanks, Jared. You’re the best.”
    He chuckled, giving me a squeeze before tugging a loose curl. “I know you and Anna aren’t on the best terms right now, but that doesn’t mean you don’t need a listening ear.”
    “Good luck with your meeting.” I pulled away and turned back toward the entrance.
    He disappeared into the men’s locker room and I left, no longer caring that I’d made my point and more with Hungry and Desperate. If I could even remember what point I’d been trying to make.

 
     
     

Chapter Four
     
    Sometimes when you think things are going perfectly, life takes a swipe at you and knocks you right on your ass. That’s why I was only marginally surprised that my kitchen sink sprang a major leak the following day.
    After dragging all the usual clutter from the cabinet and packing it with towels to soak up the mess, I grabbed my phone to call for help. Normally I would’ve immediately called Anna. When it comes to emergency home repair, she has half a dozen contractors in her mental rolodex that will move heaven and earth to do her bidding. It’s sort of a real estate perk. She throws regular business their way for her clients when it comes time to pass inspections, so she’s a preferred customer. But Anna and I weren’t exactly on the best of speaking terms.
    There was also my fledgling relationship with Ollie to consider. My mom, who with my dad had retired like a cliché to Florida years before, had always said the best thing about having a