Whiskey and Gumdrops: A Blueberry Springs Chick Lit Contemporary Romance by Jean Oram Read Free Book Online Page A

think I have what it takes and a partner isn't going to suddenly make me magically delicious."
    Frankie stood, his agitation returning. "Mandy, why can't you just..." He shook his hands as if he was trying to shake some sense into the air around him.
    "Just what?" she asked, crossing her arms, the table between them. "Why can't I what?"
    Frankie sat again, his body trembling with frustration. He took a deep breath, his body slowly stilling. In a low voice, he said, "Look. I know you worry about becoming a nothing in this town and never doing anything. Don't interrupt me."
    "I wasn't going to." Okay, so her pants were totally on fire, but she hadn't even opened her mouth yet.
    "And that you feel as though this town might not be enough." He met her eye and she sucked in a deep breath so she wouldn't be able to argue with him—so she would be forced to hear him out. "But I think you could do something here. Something big. You're great with the customers at Benny's. I hear about it all the time."
    "Really?" A shot of pleasure surged through Mandy.
    He kept his head low, his eyes on her, as though he was trying to calm a wild horse. "The stuff you don't know about business is stuff you could learn. I've seen you at Benny's. You've picked up at least three-quarters of what you didn't know. All you need is a little capital and somewhere to do this."
    Mandy let out a half-snort, half-sigh and rolled her eyes. "Frankie..." There was so much more than those two massive things standing in her way.
    "How much do you need?" He shifted as if he was going to pull his wallet out of his back pocket.
    "Frankie you don't have that kind of cash. And anyway, I couldn't take it from you. I can't partner with a friend. And besides, we'd butt heads and it wouldn't work out and then our friendship would suffer. Nothing would ever be worth that. Not even to be a big fish in this stupid little backwater town." She pulled out a chair, placing it in front of her. "I'm not borrowing money from you."
    "I didn't offer money. I'm offering my building."
    "I'm not taking your inheritance!"
    "I'm not giving it to you, you dolt." His eyes flashed with impatience. "Just use it. It's sitting there empty. I can't use it for my business so you should."
    "I can't do that."
    Frankie leaned forward, challenge lighting the amber flecks in his eyes. "Why can't you ever take anything I offer?"
    "I—I—" Mandy fumbled through her mind, looking for something to pull into her side of the argument. "I took your help when I customized my truck."
    Frankie snorted and leaned back, his arms crossed. "You paid for every little thing down to the fuses, Mandy."
    "I—"
    "You insisted you do favors for me as payback for my time. You always find ways to pay me back. Let me help you for once, Mandy. Without feeling like you have to pay me back. You keep saying I'm your best friend but there's no give and take with you, just give." Frankie stood, banging the table with his leg. "It's time for you to take. Like a real friend would."
    She opened her mouth to protest, but Frankie cut her off, stepping closer. "You even paid me back for the tomato juice and replaced the outfit I had to toss out. And you cleaned my garage. Most friends would let the other person help and give without feeling as though they had to make up for it."
    "That wouldn't have been fair," she protested, taking a step back. "I couldn't just show up, expecting you to help and inconvenience you and cost you—"
    Frankie came around the table, pushed away the chair she had between them and placed a finger over her lips, silencing her. His body stilled and so did hers. "If you want to be friends, then for heaven's sake, woman, let me act like one. Let me give you something in return." He slowly lowered his finger.
    Mandy's eyes prickled and she struggled to keep her voice steady. "I do...I get a lot from being your friend. Your friendship means everything to me. You don't understand. I—"
    He pressed his finger over her