by Smoak, Ivy
Emergency Plan F
By Ivy Smoak
Copyright 2015 Ivy Smoak
All Rights Reserved
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CONTENTS
Title
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
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ARC Team
Also by Ivy Smoak
Copyright
Chapter 1
Rosie
I tore the paper out of my typewriter and crumpled it up. I hadn't even written three lines, but I could already tell it was headed in the wrong direction. How was I supposed to write a romance novel when the romance in my life had become so monotonous? My publisher definitely didn't want a manuscript about a boring married couple in their late twenties whose idea of a romantic evening was cooking a TV dinner and watching an episode of whatever procedural happened to be on that night.
The sound of the front door opening gave me the perfect excuse to procrastinate.
My husband, Connor, was downstairs in the kitchen making himself a turkey sandwich.
"What brings you home so early, stud muffin?" I said as I walked over behind him and ran my hands over his abs. I had forgotten how nice they were.
"Stud muffin?" he asked with a laugh. "Are you trying to get me to make you a sandwich or something?" He turned to look at me.
"I was thinking about having something else for lunch." I bit my lip for added effect.
"Oh yeah, I forgot about the leftover lasagna. Is there enough for both of us?"
"I was kind of in the mood for some afternoon delight." I ran my hands down to the waistline of his pants and yanked on his belt loops.
He quickly kissed me on the forehead. "Sorry, honey. I'm going to have to take a rain check on that. I have to be out of here in ten minutes if I want to be on time for my meeting."
And that's exactly why I'm struggling to write a romance novel. "Okay, no problem. I'm going to..."
A loud beeping sound interrupted my sentence.
"What was that?" I asked.
"Sounds like a truck backing up. They better not be starting more construction out there."
"I'll go check it out." I walked to the dining room, pulled back the curtains, and looked outside. There was no construction. Instead, the beeping was coming from a moving truck backing into the driveway next door.
"Well, what is it?" called Connor from the kitchen.
"Looks like that house finally sold."
"Which one? Next door or across the street?"
"Next door."
"Oh yeah? Can you see who's moving in?"
I put my face closer to the window to try to get a better angle. There were at least three guys covered in varying degrees of sweat moving furniture out of the truck. One of them was decent looking, but the other two were awful.
"Sweet Lord," said Connor, who had finished making his sandwich and joined me at the window. "Does that guy have a mullet?"
"It would appear so."
Just then, a black BMW pulled up in front of the house and a girl stepped out of the passenger seat. She was wearing jean shorts and a tank top and had her dark hair pulled back into a long ponytail, but she still somehow managed to look glamorous.
"Oh thank God," said Connor.
A pang of jealousy ran through me. "Calm down there, Tiger."
"Relax. I wasn't checking her out. I was just excited that those frat guys aren't our new neighbors."
"Who said anything about you checking her out? But now that you're getting defensive about it, I kind of think you're guilty," I joked.
"So what's the etiquette for meeting new neighbors?"
"I'm pretty sure the people moving in are supposed to bring us an apple pie or something so that we accept them into the neighborhood. After all, we were here first."
Connor laughed. "I think you have that backwards. We should probably go out and introduce ourselves."
"I really think I'm right on this. But she looks like she's kind of dumb, so she probably won't bother to greet us properly. That's okay though, she's probably horrible at baking. Definitely wouldn't make for a good housewife. Anyway, we should just stay away from her and never talk to her unless she brings us a pie." The sight of the guy stepping out of the driver's seat made me lose my next thought. He was at least six feet tall and his t-shirt showed off his perfect arms. His blondish-brown hair was shaved close on the sides and then longer on top and combed towards one side. Five o'clock shadow covered his strong jaw line. "On second thought, maybe you're right. It would be fun to go meet the new neighbors."
"I see how it is. Now that a guy gets out of the car you want to go right over and meet them." Connor glanced down at his watch. "Whatever we decide to do, it'll have to wait until tonight. I'm late for my meeting."
Chapter 2
Connor
My meeting seemed to drag on forever. Was it really necessary for all twelve of us to be there while my boss reprimanded Frank for always leaving the coffee pot empty? No, it wasn't. But my boss said we had to be there, so that was that.
Things finally wrapped up about 4:30 and I hurried back to my office to do a little research about our new neighbors. A quick search on Redfin revealed that the house next door had sold yesterday for $140,000. Geez, I didn't realize it was a fixer upper. Or did the real estate market tank without anyone knowing? I had thought our houses were worth closer to $700,000.
I started scrolling through the pictures, expecting to see the house in total disrepair, but I found quite the opposite. The foyer was tiled in marble with a curved staircase leading to the upper floor. The gourmet kitchen had new granite countertops, beautifully tiled backsplashes around the counters, and even one of those fancy stainless steel hoods over the range. The master bathroom was almost more lavish, if that was possible, featuring a glass two-person shower, a separate tub with jets, and double sinks.
How the hell did this house sell for so cheap?
I looked back at the top of the page and realized my mistake. It sold for $1.4 million, not $140,000. Next I had to see what kind of people could afford such a house.
I scanned the rest of the info on the site, but it didn't list the buyer. The county website, however, did.
Sean and Phoenix Sullivan.
I'm sure I could have just asked Sally, our super nosy neighbor, everything about them, but looking them up on Facebook was a lot easier and not nearly as annoying. Sean didn't appear to have one, but Phoenix had a page for her fashion blog with over a million likes. I flipped through some of the pictures. She looked incredible in all of them. There were even a few where she showed off her perfect body in a bikini. I wish Rosie would wear bikinis like that.
The alarm on my phone sounded to tell me that it was 4:45, which meant my boss had probably left for the day. That meant I could leave for the day too.
I hit every red light possible getting home, but eventually I made it. The moving truck was gone, but the Sullivan's black BMW had taken its place in their driveway. Hopefully Rosie would still want to go meet them tonight.
The sweet aroma of apple pie filled my nose as soon as I stepped in
the door.
"Have you been baking?" I said loud enough for Rosie to hear me no matter where she was in the house.
"Is that you, honey?" she called from upstairs. She appeared at the top of the stairs a second later, wearing a tank top, skirt, and heels.
"What's the outfit all about?"
"Oh, you know. Just want to make a good impression on the new neighbors."
"And by the neighbors, do you mean Sean?"
"Who?" asked Rosie.
"Oh, that's the guy's name. I did some light stalking at work to see who they were."
"And by that, do you mean you wanted to see who the girl was?"
"No, but if you're wondering, her name is Phoenix."
"Phoenix? That's a stupid name." Rosie rolled her eyes.
"What's really stupid is that they bought that house for 1.4 million dollars."
"How is that possible?" asked Rosie.
"You'll see in a few minutes when we go over. Ready to go meet them?"
"Yup. Just have to get the pie out of the oven. What about you?"
"Let me go change real quick." I ran upstairs and rummaged through my dresser for something to wear. Besides for my business suits, it had been a while since I dressed up in something nice. Sweat pants and a t-shirt had become the norm around the house. I eventually came across a pair of some tight gray dress pants and a black v-neck Rosie had bought me a long time ago. Freshly brushed teeth, a spray of axe body spray, and a pair of loafers were the only other things I needed. I was dressed and ready to go in three minutes flat. And I hadn't even known what I was going to wear beforehand. Why did it always take girls so damn long? Maybe I could watch some of Phoenix's fashion videos to find out. And to see more pictures of her in a bikini.
"What's the outfit all about?" said Rosie as I came downstairs. She was already at the door with the pie all ready to go.
"Oh, you know. Just want to make a good impression on the new neighbors."
"Well, you look fantastic. I love your butt in those pants." She squeezed my ass with her free hand.
I returned the favor as we went out the door. She really did have a great ass when she wasn't wearing sweatpants. Maybe I can take advantage of that later tonight.
We rang the doorbell and waited. After a few seconds the door swung open.
Phoenix was standing there in the same tank top and jean shorts as she had on earlier, which looked even better when I was a few feet in front of her rather than peering through my dining room window. Just like Phoenix, the marble foyer and staircase looked more impressive in person.
"Hi!" she said with a big smile. Sean was a few feet behind her.
"Hi," replied Rosie. "We saw you moving in earlier so we just wanted to come introduce ourselves. And bring you this pie."
"I'm Connor, and this is Rosie," I added.
Sean stuck his hand out for me. "Great to meet you, Connor. I'm Sean, and this is my wife Phoenix."
"Did you guys want to come in?" asked Phoenix.
"Sure, we'd love to," I said.
We followed Sean and Phoenix into their living room, which somehow was already perfectly decorated with a baby grand piano and the most comfortable couch I'd ever sat in.
"I'm going to go cut up this pie," said Phoenix. "Rosie, did you want to come help me?"
"Sure."
"Great! How big do you guys want your slices to be?"
"That depends on what kind it is," said Sean. "If my nose is correct and it's apple, then I'll take a huge slice."
"Me too," I agreed.
"Alright. Two huge slices of apple pie coming right up." Phoenix took the pie from Rosie and they both walked out of the room.
There were a few seconds of awkward silence before Sean spoke up. "So what do you do?"
"Sports marketing," I said. "You?"
"I'm a contractor, but that doesn't sound nearly as exciting as sports marketing."
"It's pretty boring most of the time. Except when I get box seats to an Eagles game and get to hang out with the players afterwards."
Sean's eyes lit up like a kid in a candy store. "Holy shit, are you serious?"
"Yeah. Wait, are you an Eagles fan? I don't want to be rude, but if you're a Cowboys fan I'm going to have to leave right now."
"Dude, don't even talk about the Cowgirls here. The only time that word can be spoken here is if it's immediately followed by an insult."
"So if I said, 'The Cowboys play football like a bunch of dainty little girls,' that would be permissible?"
"Yup. Man, I can't wait for football season. I'm renovating the basement to be the ultimate man cave. Eight leather recliners, 150 inch TV, and a bar with a built in griddle to ensure we have a limitless supply of fresh cheesesteaks. Phoenix insisted on decorating the rest of the house, but the basement is all mine."
"150 inch screen? Do they even make those?"
"Yeah. It's gonna be epic. I was actually planning on starting work on it tonight. Phoenix was going to go shopping to get some stuff to review on her blog, so I figured I'd order some cheesesteaks and start ripping out some of the old drywall. You in?"
"Sure, let's do it."
Chapter 3
Rosie
We had all four slices of pie ready to go and Phoenix was about to pour the milk when Connor and Sean sprinted through the kitchen towards the basement stairs.
"Change of plans," said Sean. "Connor's going to help me with the basement. Just ordered us some cheesesteaks. Have fun shopping!"
Before Phoenix could respond, the boys had disappeared into the basement.
"Good thing I didn't pour the milk yet," said Phoenix.
"What are they doing in the basement?" I asked.
"Sean has some sort of man cave planned. I told him he could do whatever he wanted down there as long as I got to decorate the rest of the house."
"Well you've done a beautiful job decorating. Are you an interior decorator or something?" Or are you just a trophy wife?
"No, no. I do like decorating, but my real passion is fashion. I actually have a fashion blog. It's fun, but really it's just a great excuse to buy whatever clothes and makeup I want without Sean getting upset. Although he's still not thrilled that we have an entire room dedicated to my shoes."
"Geez, maybe I should take up fashion blogging too."
"Speaking of buying clothes and makeup for my blog, did you want to come shopping with me tonight? I had been waiting to buy stuff so that we wouldn't have to move it, but now that we've moved, I can go wild."
"I don't know..."
"Oh come on, our husbands won't even know we're gone. They're going to be building stuff and eating junk food all night. Why can't we treat ourselves to a little shopping?"
"Okay, let's do it." I couldn't believe I was going to go shopping with this bimbo that my husband clearly thought was sexy, but maybe it wouldn't be the worst night of my life. And anyway, it had been months since I went shopping with my friends.
I thought we were going to the mall 10 minutes away, but instead Phoenix took me to some boutique in the city.
"What is this place?" I asked as we got out of Phoenix's BMW.
"This, Rosie, is the best bikini store in the world. I've never come here and left empty handed, and I don't expect that streak to end tonight."
When I saw the selection, I understood why she never left empty handed. The walls were covered in mannequins showing off all sorts of bikinis and some one-pieces that somehow looked sexy. Some of the suits had so many straps that I was certain I would accidently strangle myself and end up in the hospital if I tried to put them on by myself.
"Since it's your first time here, let's start by finding one for you. Do you want a bikini or monokini?"
"Are monokinis the sexy one-pieces?"
Phoenix laughed. "Yes."
"Since when did those become sexy?"
"I don't know, a few years ago maybe."
"Let's go with a bikini," I said. "The monokinis are weird."
"Ok
ay, what kind of bottom? Thong..."
"Are you trying to get me thrown out of our pool?! I can't wear a thong there."
"You can always wear one at our pool. You're welcome to use it any time you want. But I guess that means you don't want a thong?"
"No! Thongs are underwear, not swimsuits."
Phoenix laughed again. She seemed to take great pleasure in my lack of swimsuit fashion knowledge. "How about I just pick one out for you?"
"Sure."
"Okay, come with me. I have the perfect suit in mind. I hope they still have it." Phoenix grabbed my arm and pulled me towards the back of the store. Eventually we stopped in front of a mannequin wearing a snakeskin bikini. The top had extra straps that went in the mannequin's cleavage and made its boobs look bigger. The bottom was super cool with three straps on each side instead of just being a normal bikini bottom. "How's this?"
"It's pretty cool..."
"Great! Try it on." She grabbed one off the rack, handed it to me, and dragged me over to the dressing room.
I closed the door, pulled my clothes off, and started to undo my shoes.
"Don't bother taking your shoes off," said Phoenix from outside the dressing room.
Is she watching me under the door? "But heels and a bikini is going to look ridiculous."
"It's not ridiculous if you want your butt to look amazing."
Fine. I put the bikini on and looked in the mirror. Phoenix was right about my ass looking amazing, but the cut of the bottom revealed way too much of it. It was one step away from being a thong.
I opened the door to let Phoenix see.
"Spin around," she said.
"I'm not sure I'm comfortable with mooning you."
"You won't be mooning me. That's one of the more conservative bikinis here."
I reluctantly spun around.
"Wow, you have to buy that."
"How much is it?" I looked for a price tag but couldn't contort my body enough to find it.
"Free."
"Free?"
"Yeah. I always get a buy five get one free here deal. So that'll be my one free."
"No way," I said. "If you're getting five bikinis, the least I can do is pay for mine so that you get one free." I can't let this bimbo buy my friendship.
