Up All Night Long: From Lust to Love (Romance Anthology) by Ali Parker Read Free Book Online

back at Kari. "The next guy doesn't deserve the predisposed emotions from the last. He deserves a chance, just like Lisa does, or I do, or you do..."
    Lisa clapped her hands. "Enough of this emotional shit. Let's wrap it up and go grab a beer at Addey's. I love that place and I'm going to miss it. I need fried pickles and ranch. Who's down?"
    Kari raised her hand in the air as Sicily stood and helped her up. "We are. Let's go shower up and then get greasy."
    Sicily laughed and took another look around. "We did it. You're all packed up and everything is clean. A beer and some greasy food is high on my list of things to do."
    "Only thing missing is getting it on." Lisa waggled her eyebrows as Kari laughed and walked past her toward the door.
    "No one wants to hear you talk about the ‘d’," Sicily chided, walking out into the hall with Lisa and Kari behind her.
    "The 'd'? How old are you?" Lisa laughed.
    "Vulgar is what you are." Sicily laughed back and reached over to push at Lisa.
    Kari slipped in between them and held up her key. "I'll mail this back later next week. I'm thinking it's going to be a while until I'll need a place of my own for the ‘d’ or anything else."
    Lisa elbowed her and waggled her eyebrows. "You might be surprised. I hear the men in Maine go crazy over us city girls."
    "Who told you that?" Sicily asked, moving down the two flights of stairs in front of them.
    "They did." Lisa shrugged and jogged down behind them.
    "I hate they ," Kari responded, looking back to smile at her two friends.
    "Wait... I'm serious. I want to know who they is. I've been asking this for years and have yet to get a real response." Sicily pulled the keys to the U-Haul out from her pocket and jiggled them. "Anyone want to drive this behemoth?"
    "I want to ride a behemoth, not drive one." Lisa laughed and pulled the door open to the passenger side. "Shotgun."
    "So damn crude," Sicily murmured before walking toward the driver’s side.
    "At least she's authentic about it." Kari slipped into the backseat and let herself melt into the worn leather chair, her back aching, her muscles tired from moving. Marc was scheduled to help them first thing in the morning at Lisa and Sicily's house. They had some large furniture that would have to be loaded in the truck and with everyone quitting their jobs, money was tight.
    She would be glad to get on the road. Two weeks of saying goodbyes to everyone was getting to be a little much. She closed her eyes and let herself drift off, her dreams of the blue waters of Maine she'd witnessed on the Internet earlier during the week. A sailboat would be nice, as would a sailor.
     
    *
     
    "Hey, sleepy, get up."
    Kari yawned and stretched, the sound of Lisa's voice pulling her from her peaceful dreams. The large truck was parked crooked across the driveway, Sicily cursing her bad parking skills and Lisa trying to calm her. Kari got out of the back and walked toward the house, her need for a shower driving her to reach the door first.
    "I call shower first," she muttered, lifting her hand in the air.
    "Oh, hell no," Lisa and Sicily joined in unison. Kari just laughed and shrugged.
    "This is why no one wants to live with me."
    Lisa moved in front and unlocked the door to the small townhouse. "You lived with us some in college and you were extremely considerate. One year by yourself and you've turned into a turd?"
    "Yep!" Kari jogged past Lisa, pulling her clothes off as she did. She reached the top of the stairs and slipped into Lisa's room, the wall hangings and curtains all put away. The room looking bare and unattractive, the once wine-colored walls now painted white as was most likely requested by their landlord.
    "You better not be getting in my... Are you kidding me?" Lisa bellowed as Kari slipped into the bathroom, locking the door behind her as she laughed.
    "You snooze you lose. You know how this works." Kari looked at herself in the mirror for a few minutes, pulling at the tie that held her