Neighbor Girl (Southern Girl Series Book 2)
Page 26
We’re from three different states. That would make it nearly impossible to get together more than two or three times a year if we moved back to our hometowns after graduation. That isn’t going to work for us. And that’s why we’ve settled on one place where all three of us could relocate.
We made that decision six months ago. The only thing holding us back are the final classes Brooke and Dillyn require for graduation. So close.
“Oh my God,” Brooke squeals.
“What?” I twist in my seat to see what has caught her attention at the bar. Chad Morris. Oh man.
“I haven’t seen him in weeks. And now he’s here.” Brooke’s hand goes to her chest. “I’m freaking the hell out, y’all.”
Chad is her brother’s teammate on the football team—starting quarterback for Alabama. Fifth-year senior. Her super crush for the last two years.
I think he’s into her too, but the timing has always been off. When she’d be single, he’d be dating someone. And vice versa. But now they’re both single.
Dillyn pats Brooke’s hand. “It’s okay, honey. Calm down.”
“What do I do?”
I’m no dating expert, but even I know what needs to happen here. “You’re going to slow your breathing, catch your breath, and then get up and go to the bathroom… to accidentally run into Chad at the bar.”
“Okay. Good plan. I can do that.” Brooke stands and smooths her clothing. “Shit, this isn’t what I would have chosen to wear if I’d known I was going to run into him tonight. And I would have put on more makeup. And curled my hair. Do I look good enough to go over there, or should I just forget it?”
Brooke has never looked less than perfect a day in her life. “You look fantastic. Don’t doubt that for a second.”
“I’m only here a few more months. I don’t know when or if I’ll get the opportunity to run into him again. I have to go over there and see what happens. Right?”
It’s a no-brainer. “Of course you do.”
Brooke looks back at us halfway to the bar and we both give her smiles and thumbs up. All of my fears for Brooke are pushed aside when Chad reaches out for her arm as she passes by him at the bar. “He looks happy to see her.”
“I think so too.” Dillyn watches as Chad pulls out the stool next to him. “You know this means we’ve lost her.”
“I hope so.” At least one of us will be getting lucky tonight.
“We may be minus Brooke but tonight is still about celebrating your job at Iron City. I want to hear more about it.”
That’s Dillyn. Always eager to hear about everything happening in my life.
“Like what?”
“Which one of the Iron City owners interviewed you?”
I grin. “The hottest one. Porter.”
Dillyn laughs. “I know you didn’t hate that.”
“I sure didn’t.”
“He’s not married?”
“Not according to my dad or the empty ring finger on his left hand. I checked it out when he was looking at my designs.”
“Still as good-looking as you remember?”
“I didn’t think it was possible but I’m pretty sure he’s even hotter than he was three years ago.”
His brown hair is shorter and a little spiky on top, sort of like he has a small faux-hawk. And his eyes… gosh… those eyes. The most unusual shade of light brown I’ve ever seen—like warm caramel instead of chocolate—with tons of golden flecks around the center. I’ve never seen eyes that color on anyone but him.
He towers over me, probably close to a foot. And I believe he’s even more muscular today than he was three years ago. His arms are huge and covered in black tribal tattoos that peek out below the stretched sleeves of his Iron City T-shirt. I could only see the lower half, but I couldn’t resist studying them, memorizing their intricate designs.
I was trying to be professional while I presented my artwork. That means I wasn’t able to get a good look, but I think I saw the edge of some ink at the neck of his shirt. Guys with arm tats like those don’t typically stop there. I bet he has all kinds of ink on his chest. God, I love that so much. Hot, hot, hot.
Time has been kind to Porter. He looks even better now than before.
“Porter’s the one you’ll be working with, right?”
“Yeah.”
“Your old crush is now your boss. You’ll be working side by side with him every weekday for the entire summer. This could be your big chance to make something happen.”
I love Dillyn’s romantic tendencies but she’s wrong about Porter and me. “He must be close to ten years older than I am. Maybe more. Probably not at all interested in someone my age. Plus, he was just a silly crush I had when I was a kid.”
“Bullshit. You had real feelings for this guy. You missed him like crazy when you left for college.”
She isn’t wrong. I did miss Porter like crazy, but I got over it; that’s what kids do as they mature into adults.
I was sixteen when Porter Beckman became my father’s new employer. I thought he was the most beautiful man I’d ever seen. And after being around him, I found out he was also one of the kindest.
Our lives profoundly changed after Daddy came to work at Iron City. We had medical and dental insurance for the first time. A real house. A decent car that didn’t stay stranded on the side of the road most of the time. We finally had all the things most people consider necessities and we were even able to afford some luxuries we’d always gone without.
Iron City Brewery changed my life. And I think that’s one of the reasons I fancied myself in love with Porter at such a young age. I confused gratitude for affection.
“Is he dating anyone?”
It was a job interview. Not a speed date. “I have no idea.”
“But you’re wondering.”
I shrug my shoulders. “I don’t know… maybe.”
Dillyn grins. “What did you wear to the interview?”
“Black skirt. Black and white blouse.”
Dillyn lifts a brow and her grin widens. “The short black skirt?”
I hate admitting that. “Yes.”
“The deep cut black and white blouse? The one that shows off your cleavage?”
I hesitate before answering. Even consider lying. “Yes.”
“What kind of bra?” The corners of her mouth turn up.
The bra is going to make this look bad. “Black lace.”
She cackles. “You. Slut.”
“Excuse me?”
She holds up one finger. “Short skirt.” A second finger goes up, forming a V. “Deep cut top.” A third finger rises, making a W. “Black lace bra you knew he’d see when you bent forward.”
“Means nothing.”
“I might believe that if you’d at least pretended to think about the bra, but you rattled that off without any thought at all. You wore that sexy short outfit to entice him.”
She’s sort of got me there. I could have worn any number of bras but I chose the sexiest one I had. That wasn’t by accident.
“I was dressed like a professional.”
“Like a professional what? Admit it. You dressed sexy so your boss would look at your tits and ass.”
Dillyn doesn’t beat around the bush. She plows straight through it.
I wasn’t exactly a beauty the last time Porter saw me. I wanted him to see me differently from that awkward teen girl he knew years ago.
And I think he did.
“I wanted to look good when I saw Porter again. What’s wrong with that?”
“No one said there was anything wrong with looking good for your interview. Did he notice? Act interested?”
“He was definitely looking.” I could feel his eyes all over me while I was setting up my presentation. And then I turned around and caught him looking at my butt.
And I liked it.
“Interested or not, it doesn’t matter. I’m only in Birmingham for the summer.”
“Which is the perfect recipe for a
hot… summer… fling.”
A hot summer fling with my boss… my dad’s boss? “More like a recipe for disaster.”
“You’re twenty-one years old, Frankie. An adult. It’s perfectly fine for you to have some no-strings-attached fun with a man.”
“It’s pointless to start a romantic relationship that has an expiration date.”
“That’s why it’s called a fling. It’s not intended to last.”
“That’s not why I applied for the internship at Iron City.”
“Then call it a job perk.”
The server brings my drink, interrupting our debate regarding a fling with Porter, and Dillyn lifts her glass of wine. “Here’s to landing an awesome internship at Iron City. And to the potential job perks that may go along with it.”
Hot summer fling? No-strings-attached fun? Sex without commitment?
Am I cut out for such things? I don’t know.
Do I want to find out? Absolutely.
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About the Author
Georgia Cates is the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal Best-Selling Author. She resides in rural Mississippi with her wonderful husband, Jeff, and their two beautiful daughters. She spent fourteen years as a labor and delivery nurse before she decided to pursue her dream of becoming an author and hasn’t looked back yet.
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Also by Georgia Cates
STANDALONES
Waiting for my Queen (available 3/3/20)
Dear Agony
Indulge
Sweet Torment
SOUTHERN GIRL SERIES
Bohemian Girl
Neighbor Girl
Intern Girl
BEAUTIFUL ILLUSIONS DUET
Eight-One Nights
Beautiful Ever After
THE SIN TRILOGY
A Necessary Sin
The Next Sin
One Last Sin
The Sin Trilogy Bundle
SIN SERIES STANDALONE NOVELS
Endurance
Unintended
Redemption
THE BEAUTY SERIES
Beauty from Pain
Beauty from Surrender
Beauty from Love
The Beauty Series Bundle
GOING UNDER SERIES
Going Under
Shallow
Going Under Complete Duo
THE VAMPIRE AGAPE SERIES
Blood of Anteros
Blood Jewel
Blood Doll
The Complete Vampire Agape Series