The Best Part of Me by Jamie Hollins Read Free Book Online Page A

her.
    Quinn nodded and dragged her feet to where he stood. Their fingers touched for a moment when he handed over the post. She looked up and found him watching her with a troubled expression.
    â€œYou gonna make it?”
    She slowly nodded her head, entranced by his indigo eyes. Up close, he wasn’t so scary. He might act like he couldn’t care less, but his eyes told a different story. There was an intensity in them that should have scared her, but instead she found herself falling into them. Literally.
    She suddenly realized he was gripping her shoulders to hold her upright. Embarrassed, she straightened and held the post.
    â€œSorry,” she muttered, taking the level from where he had it pinned under his arm. She held it up to the wood and leveled it. “We better get that cement poured before it sets.”
    He turned and hefted the bucket of wet cement and filled the hole around the post. They worked quickly and quietly, setting all twelve posts in a quarter of the time it would have taken Quinn to do it on her own. In fact, she knew there was no way she could have done it on her own.
    It was past lunchtime, and an afternoon nap was probably in the cards. She grabbed two water bottles and handed one to Ewan.
    â€œAre you hungry? Can I make you a sandwich or something?”
    He unscrewed the cap and shook his head as he drank.
    â€œThanks for your help today. I really appreciate it.”
    â€œDon’t mention it.”
    â€œYou’re quite good with this manual labor stuff, you know. You have steady hands. I bet you’d be great in landscape or construction.”
    â€œI’m not much for the outdoors. I prefer dark, musty barrooms,” he replied. There was humor in his eyes even though it didn’t turn into a smile.
    â€œI love the outdoors, probably from the millions of camping trips my parents took me on when I was little. I could probably live in a tent if I needed to.”
    â€œI’ve been camping three times in my entire life and that was three times too many.”
    â€œYou probably don’t hike either?”
    He shook his head.
    â€œYou don’t know what you’re missing.” She smiled.
    He finished the bottle and squished it into a compact plastic ball before throwing it over to where her empty bottle sat on the grass.
    She was about to tell him that she’d see him on Friday night when she joined Erin and her friends at Katie’s. But before she could say anything, she heard the crunch of gravel under tires. They both turned and watched as her aunt pulled her old Honda to a stop in back of the house. Her aunt’s hard eyes were locked in their direction.
    â€œLater,” Ewan mumbled as he headed toward the driveway.
    Quinn hadn’t noticed the black Ford pickup truck parked in the drive. Ewan and his aunt didn’t exchange any pleasantries as he passed right beside her and swung up into his truck. He put the truck in reverse and backed out of the driveway. She heard the low rumble of his engine as the black truck disappeared down the road.
    She could feel her aunt’s heavy stare coming from the porch as Quinn picked up the empty water bottles and carried them to the trash bin in the garden shed. Her stomach grumbled and she knew it was about time to feed it. She was sure she was gonna get another lecture about staying away from Ewan McKenna.
    She smiled to herself as she tossed her gloves on top of the cooler. Had Ewan actually heeded her advice and pulled his head out of his ass? She guessed time would tell.
    But what a fine ass it was.

Chapter 5
    The boisterous hum and the sounds of clinking glasses on a Friday night surged like electricity through Ewan’s veins. The pub was busy, with almost every stool and table occupied, and it was only eight o’clock. On nights like this, he could feel his pockets getting heavy. When Ewan’s uncle had decided to get into the food and beverage industry, he’d known