Return of the Jerk (Sweet Life in Seattle, Book 2) by Andrea Simonne Read Free Book Online Page A

flashy like some of the women he’s dated—but sexy all the same.
    Problem was she was so quiet—even after they got married. Occasionally, she’d relax, but it was hard being around someone who was too shy to speak and, unlike some men, he preferred it when a woman didn’t hold her tongue.
    He had a feeling she’d changed after seeing that article Tori sent him about her wedding cake business, though. And he was right. Not shy at all. She’s been giving him shit ever since he got here yesterday.
    “You know I was only teasing earlier,” he tells her. “Knew you baked wedding cakes.”
    Blair gives him a scathing look. “Right.”
    He chuckles. “I saw that article in Seattle Magazine . Tori sent me a copy.”
    “She did?”
    “See, I’m not lying.”
    “You read it?”
    “Yeah, I read it.” It was a short article, one page, but there was something about the picture of Blair in it that he couldn’t take his eyes off of. Just kept staring at it. She was wearing a white chef’s coat, so you couldn’t even see her body. It was shot from the side, with her grinning into the camera, and the way she looked? Damn. Sassy and hot. Just the way he liked his women.
    And that’s when this strange thought floated into his head.
    She’s your wife.

    They arrive at Tori’s house and Blair is glad Road let her drive. It helped calm her down. Maybe she is still in love with him. So what? The fact is she hasn’t met anyone else and if she did, she’d probably fall out of love with Road in an instant.
    Or maybe I’m destined to be in love with him forever.
    She sighs.
    Blair parks Isadora in the driveway right behind Tori’s blue minivan. Ironically, Tori’s ride looks like something a soccer mom would be driving around in, though she’s the furthest thing from a soccer mom Blair can imagine.
    Unless dogs and cats are going to start playing soccer.
    “Thanks for letting me drive,” she tells Road as they walk to the front door.
    “No problem. Want to tell me what got you so down?”
    Blair shakes her head. “It was nothing.”
    Road rings the doorbell and immediately, a choir of dogs starts barking inside.
    A few moments later, Tori swings the door open with a big grin on her face. Her light brown hair is pulled into a messy ponytail, and she’s wearing jean shorts and a black Def Leppard T-shirt. “My two favorite people!”
    Blair grins back. Tori’s enthusiasm is always contagious. She has a way of making every event feel like an occasion.
    Tori hugs Road. “I’m so glad you’re here! I missed you, big brother!”
    “Missed you, too.”
    Then she grabs Blair. “Where have you been, stranger!”
    “Tori, I just saw you three days ago.”
    By now, a trio of dogs—‘the boys’—has come to the front door to investigate, sniffing and pawing at her and Road. Blair reaches down to pet each in turn—Eddie, the golden retriever, then Duff, a fat pug mix, and finally Tommy Lee, a tiny Chihuahua. Most of Tori’s animals are from PAWS, a no-kill shelter in Seattle, and are mutts that nobody wants. Some have been abused. Tori, with her big heart, is a sucker for every hard-luck case.
    Road and Blair follow her into the living room. Despite all the animals, her place is clean and smells like the apple-scented candles Tori likes to burn.
    Music is playing on the stereo. Blair recognizes Ratt’s “Round and Round.” Tori has a love of all things ’80s, especially ’80s hair bands. There are two cats, one black and one white, named Joan and Lita. Both cats eye them from the top of a carpeted cat house.
    “I made lemonade,” Tori says. “And oatmeal raisin cookies.”
    Oatmeal raisin is Road’s favorite cookie. Blair is annoyed with herself for knowing this. She wishes she didn’t have all these lists in her head about Road. His favorite color (red), his favorite movie ( Terminator ), his favorite number (7)—yes, Road has a favorite number and she knows what it is. He probably doesn’t even know it