Valentine Wishes (Baxter Academy Book 1) by Jane Charles Read Free Book Online Page A

senior year in high school. Brett kind of blushed when telling me.
    “Are you still involved in the Scouts?”
    “There wasn’t time in college.” He shook his head. “Maybe after school starts I’ll see if there is a troop that needs some assistance or a school in need of a leader.”
    “You really like it don’t you?”
    “Yeah. It’s the camping, being out in the wilderness, all that.”
    “Yet, you never had a banana boat.”
    He just chuckles and shakes his head. “I don’t know how we missed that.”
    “I’ve never been camping,” I finally admit. Though the idea of sleeping in a tent and relying on nature for all of my needs doesn’t exactly sound appealing. Unless I could spend the day in the wilderness with a comfortable hotel room to return to at night.
    “Maybe I’ll take you sometime.”
    And just like that, I amend my thoughts. Maybe being alone in a tent with Brett, or under the stars all night, wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
    The waitress returns, smiling at both of us in a knowing way again, and takes Brett’s credit card.
    “I’m going to burst.”
    “It’s a nice night. Do you want to walk a bit before driving back?” Then he leans in. “I feel fine, and we had a huge meal, but we did drink an entire bottle of wine. Not sure I should get behind the wheel yet.”
    I get that. Though I think I may have drank more than half the bottle myself. “Sure.” I like walking on the square around town. All the shops will be closed, but that’s okay. It should be a nice night and it isn’t like the square is small, but rather large compared to some of the other towns I’ve been in.
    “This is Saturday night.”
    Brett lifts and eyebrow. “Yeah.”
    “Did you know that bands set up on the square on Saturdays? I wonder who is playing.”
    “I’ve never gone.” Brett takes the check, adds a tip and signs his name before putting his card back in his wallet. “What kind of music?”
    “All kinds. Oldies, Big Band, British Invasion, Country, Rock.” I get out of my chair as he stands. “Family friendly lyrics are the only rule for bands wanting to play.”
    “Where do they come from? The bands.”
    “The young and newer bands come up from New York a lot. They are hoping to build an audience and gain fans.”
    “The others?”
    “Local bands from surrounding communities, who just like to play. They are probably hoping for gigs at weddings and dances.”
    He stands back and gestures for me to go ahead. “Shall we?”
    “Thank you for a wonderful dinner.”
    “You’re welcome. Thank you for your company.”
    As we leave the restaurant, once again Brett’s hand is at the small of my back, like he’s trying to protect me. I like it. I really do. He’s so chivalrous. The kind that you only read about in a romance novel. A little thrill runs down my spine wondering if one of my favorite heroes just stepped from the pages. He meets all of the qualifications. Good looking, strong, sexy. Now to just find out if there is a bad boy in there. Any hero I’ve loved definitely has some rake or rogue in them, which usually shows best during the slow seduction phase and more heated moments, when the hero’s one goal is seducing the heroine.
    I bite back a grin, hoping Brett can’t read my mind.
    The heroes in books usually have an issue or two to overcome too. Brett doesn’t seem to have any, but I only did just meet him yesterday.
    “What kind of books do you like to read?” I ask when we step outside. I assume he reads, but not everybody enjoys it.
    “Mysteries and thrillers.”
    “That explains why you picked your profession,” I say.
    I could swear he blushed again. “I like trying to figure out the who, the why and sometimes the how.”
    Dark suit, sharp tie, questioning witnesses. I can see it now. If he used those blue eyes, I’d confess to about anything.
    He takes my hand, weaving his fingers with mine, and a little thrill runs up my spine.
    “What do you like to