Love, Exes, and Ohs
Page 1
Table of Contents
Title Page
COPYRIGHT © 2015 VIOLET DUKE
OTHER BOOKS BY VIOLET DUKE
BOOK DESCRIPTION
DEDICATION
CHAPTER ONE
CHAPTER TWO
CHAPTER THREE
CHAPTER FOUR
CHAPTER FIVE
CHAPTER SIX
CHAPTER SEVEN
CHAPTER EIGHT
CHAPTER NINE
CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER ELEVEN
CHAPTER TWELVE
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
CHAPTER NINETEEN
CHAPTER TWENTY
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
EPILOGUE
LOVE, SIDELINES, AND ENDZONES
SWEET TALK BOXED SET
ALSO BY VIOLET DUKE
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
LOVE, EXES, AND OHS
(A CACTUS CREEK NOVEL)
BY
VIOLET DUKE
COPYRIGHT © 2015 VIOLET DUKE
All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, this book and any portion thereof may not be reproduced, scanned, transferred, or distributed in any print or electronic form without the express written permission of the author. Participation in any aspect of piracy of copyrighted materials, inclusive of the obtainment of this book through non-retail or other unauthorized means, is in actionable violation of the author’s rights.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, media, brands, places, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events is purely coincidental.
The author acknowledges the trademarked status and registered trademark owners of all branded names referenced without TM, SM, or (R) symbols due to formatting constraints, and is not claiming ownership of or collaboration with said trademark brands.
Ebook ISBN: 1941198937
Ebook ISBN-13: 978-1-941198-93-3
Praise for NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author
VIOLET DUKE
"Violet Duke made me laugh and cry in this incredible romance. One of the best I've read this year. Emotionally charged with wonderful characters, I just couldn't stop reading until the very last page!"
--New York Times Bestselling Author J.S. Scott
“A fast-paced, heartfelt, and fun read!"
-- New York Times Bestselling Author Lauren Blakely
"Heart-melting and guaranteed to make you laugh and cry before you finish the last page."
-- New York Times Bestselling Author Sawyer Bennett
"A unique trilogy and spin-off that will take you on a roller coaster of emotions. I couldn't put these books down!"
--New York Times Bestselling Author Carly Phillips
OTHER BOOKS BY VIOLET DUKE
The CAN’T RESIST Series
RESISTING THE BAD BOY *
FALLING FOR THE GOOD GUY *
CHOOSING THE RIGHT MAN *
FINDING THE RIGHT GIRL
KEEPING THE REBOUND FLING (Winter 2015)
HAVING THE REAL THING (Spring 2016)
*Three-Book serial trilogy, also available in the NICE GIRL box set
The CACTUS CREEK Series
LOVE, CHOCOLATE, AND BEER
LOVE, DIAMONDS, AND SPADES
LOVE, TUSSLES, AND TAKEDOWNS
LOVE, EXES, AND OHS
LOVE, SIDELINES, AND ENDZONES (Spring 2015)
LOVE, STILETTOS, AND CUFFLINKS (Fall 2016)
LOVE, MEDDLING, AND MISTLETOE (Fall 2016)
* * *
-- The Spencer Brothers are coming! --
The UNFINISHED LOVE Series (Cactus Creek Reunions)
Book 1 & 2: Caine & Addison (Summer 2015)
Book 3 & 4: Gabe & Hannah (Fall 2015)
Book 5 & 6: Drew & Skylar (Winter 2015)
Book 7 & 8: Max & Kennedy (Spring 2016)
* * *
-- Coming in 2016 from Penguin Random House --
The FOURTH DOWN Series (Cactus Creek Nights)
JACKSON’S TRUST (Spring 2016)
BENNETT’S CHANCE (Summer 2016)
DONOVAN’S HEART (Fall 2016)
BOOK DESCRIPTION
He may very well be the perfect ex...
Isaac McKnight has had enough loss in his life to know never to take anything for granted. So when the perfectly-imperfect-woman-for-him puts an end to their relationship out of the blue, it's Isaac that makes sure they remain friends. Now a year later, whether it's at his gym or her brewpub, or the dog park they visit every weekend--though neither of them own a dog--he and Xoey are steadily getting sucked deeper into buddy-zone galaxy, with its dangerous proximity to watch-me-settle-down-with-someone-else abyss. It's a reality he's resigned himself to. That is...until one drunken confession changes everything.
But she's looking for the perfect oh...
For Xoey Montenegro, history has taught her that sometimes, it's Prince Charming who vanishes without a trace. And fairytale love? Highly overrated. Heck, give her a real and perfect 'oh' over that fantasy any day. So as far as rock-solid tequila-fueled plans for her love life go, coming up with a match-finding formula based on the qualities of the men responsible for her three most epic ohs seems brilliant. Except for the fact that one-third of her genius little man-quation is all about her friend Isaac. Actually, more than a third if Xoey were being honest with herself--which she's not. Because full honesty would require thinking not just about how perfect Isaac really is, but also about how perfect the fourth epic oh she's kept buried deep in her past once was.
An easy enough thing to keep ignoring...until her past isn't past tense anymore.
DEDICATION
To my incredible assistants who man Camp Violet, my spectacular shelf team, my five wonderful eretailer reps, the amazing folks at CreateSpace, AuthorCentral, and D2D, and my phenomenal stock image team.
Your fabulousness knows no bounds.
CHAPTER ONE
“THE MAN ATE his Caesar salad with a knife and fork, Isaac.”
Isaac McKnight tried—really tried—not to grin over that one but he was wholly unsuccessful. “I’m sure that’s not nearly as pretentious as it probably looked,” he reasoned graciously…before adding without any remorse whatsoever, “Or maybe the good doctor has been hiding a really small mouth under that bushy beard, and he needs to take dainty little bites.”
Yep, just call him Saint Isaac, patron of grace.
Xoey’s immediate burst of laughter over the phone line, which neither confirmed nor denied his guess, instantly had Isaac wondering which of her killer smiles she was wearing right now. He’d bet good money it was the one that lit up those deep mahogany-rich bedroom eyes of hers with pure mischief—the one that hinted her own thoughts were at least twice as sinful as anyone else’s in the room. And three times as unapologetic.
God, he loved that smile. For a few quality seconds with that smile, he’d gladly pony up with all the zingers he’d been storing regarding her most recent Mr. Wrong.
But he managed to restrain himself.
The last thing Isaac needed was to give karma more reasons to run his ass over.
He was, after all, one of Xoey’s Mr. Wrongs as well.
The reminder was an effective buzzkill that silenced the ticker tape parade that had been playing in his head all morning over Xoey’s latest love life development…an extraordinary showing of self-con
trol for him that lasted a whole ten seconds. Maybe eleven.
A personal best.
With that new shoulder-patting record under his belt, he was already reaching up to switch the phone call over to his truck’s Bluetooth so he could listen to Xoey’s deal-breaking grievances from her date last night the way it was truly meant to be heard.
In stereo.
What could he say? The woman brought out all his ruthless, miserable-sonofabitch possessive tendencies. As far as he was concerned, hearing Xoey’s throaty voice take over his truck’s speakers with a list of reasons why the ‘third date’ she’d gone out on last night would in fact not be resulting in a fourth date—aka sex—with the pharmacist she’d met a few weeks back? Grammy-worthy music to his ears.
He simply didn’t see himself evolving any time soon.
“See, this is why I always insist on third dates in a restaurant,” continued Xoey, her laughter sobering. “Can you believe, after the salad, he wanted more wine so he actually snapped his finger at a passing restaurant worker—our seating hostess, mind you.”
Ouch. Strike two for the good doctor.
Had the poor schmuck been a Cactus Creeker, instead of just distantly related to one, he would’ve known that Xoey, local bartending legend and now part-owner of the town’s beloved brewpub, had a low threshold for that sort of thing. Her private fantasy was using the business end of her stilettos to kick out any fool who treated her own staff that way.
“And did I mention the man ordered his ribeye steak well done?”
Ding, ding, ding. Thanks for playing.
Discovering that a man liked his steak well-done was the equivalent of discovering a white stripe on the tail of a fluffy black cat in the woods in Xoey’s book.
Though he didn’t keep a record of such things—he really ought to—if he wasn’t mistaken, Xoey had stopped dating four guys in the past six months alone for that horrific red meat offense.
And yes, Isaac had taken no small amount of pleasure in inviting her over for steaks on the grill the weekend following two of those break-ups.
Served rare, of course, just the way they both liked it.
Looks like he was going to be adding steaks to his grocery list this week.
And maybe some Caesar salad dressing.
Pulling into the parking stall right next to Xoey’s blue hatchback, he tossed his now useless dead-air phone on the passenger seat and grabbed the take-out tray carrying the piping hot black coffee he’d picked up for himself enroute to the dog park, along with the fancy barely-classifies-as-coffee iced mocha drink he knew Xoey preferred with her doughnuts—what he was fairly certain was her pick for their Saturday breakfast spread this morning, judging by the familiar bakery sounds he’d heard over the phone line a few minutes ago.
Bacon doughnuts—he’d bet good money on it. Not just because it was a post-Mr. Wrong kind of morning, but because when it came to breakfast selections, he was the unequivocal Xoey-Whisperer.
He knew that the novelty pastry was one she and she alone had convinced their sweet old town baker to learn how to make. It was now a town hit, but no one knew that the sassy bartender with the dancer’s body was the one who’d made the diet-obliterating treat happen.
Her atrocious eating habits was one of the many little secrets Xoey kept hidden from most folks.
Him included, back when they were dating.
But now, with nearly a year spent in their hermetically sealed friend zone, he rivaled, and even often surpassed, her best friend Dani in knowledge of all things Xoey.
Of course, with great power, came great responsibility.
As the Xoey-whisperer, he’d spent a good portion of this past year laughing, and the rest of it with a perpetual hard-on. Because the woman was as hilarious as she was sexy. In a smart-ass-always-packing-with-a-wickedly-racy-joke sort of way.
Some called it her gift—the impressive ability Xoey had of turning anything hilariously dirty.
Isaac called it one of the main contributing factors for his high stress level most weekends.
Last night, for instance, was a prime example of the sort of stress she inspired in his life.
The night had kicked off with him receiving a text from Xoey at the start of her date that the pharmacist who always introduced himself as Dr. Stevens even outside of the office—seriously, who does that?—was wearing fitted slacks that were barely holstering his ‘Double O Seven.’
It was any wonder why Isaac had spent most of last night personally trying out the new punching bags he’d just ordered for his mixed martial arts gym.
And it wasn’t until well after one a.m. when Isaac finally got the text message he’d been waiting for so he could retire his MMA gloves for the night.
>> TOTAL S&M. DETAILS OVER BREAKFAST. XOXO
Months ago, when Xoey had first texted that very message to him after a date, he’d damn near had a stroke, and had been halfway across town ready to beat her date senseless when she’d followed up with a call drolly lamenting over just how painful her ‘Swing-&-Miss’ dud of a date had been.
Painful swing and miss…not painful whips and chains.
Crazy woman and her penchant for double-meaning quips.
If only his own break-up with Xoey had been so rationally, and clearly classified as an S&M.
To this day, he still didn’t know why Xoey broke things off with him a year ago.
They’d dated for a little less than five months. But they’d been friends, literally ever since.
It started the morning after they broke up—when they’d both found themselves at the dog park at the same time…though neither of them owned a dog. Right then and there, Isaac had decided that he wouldn’t let her run off or put a friendly distance between them. It took a few weeks, but eventually, almost grudgingly, she landed on the conclusion that he was perhaps more stubborn than even she was.
And the rest was history.
Now that he thought about it, that had probably been how their weekend breakfast at the park routine had begun. Without any coordination. It just…happened.
So here they were a year later—somewhat unofficial, and entirely inexplicable, best friends.
…Who, along with talking on the phone almost every day, spent one morning a week together eating horrendously unhealthy breakfasts, which, on his part, was negated by the rigorous workouts he would get on Xoey’s date nights.
Not that his heart could tell the difference.
Being in better shape than most of the MMA fighters that came to his gym didn’t make him any less at risk for a heart attack. At least where Xoey was concerned.
The woman basically had remote control access to most of his body parts—brain, heart, and…yeah. All his body parts.
Hell, just the sight of her name on his caller id screen was enough to send a spike of double-pronged adrenaline through his bloodstream faster than a whiskey espresso. Firing his blood one minute, and tossing a fishing net of the inexplicably warm and fuzzy variety around his heart the next.
He had a sneaking suspicion that his heart would just up and quit on him if he had to give up his weekly fixes of Xoey. Lord knows his other body parts were already forming some sort of union that was preventing him from having a successful date himself.
Or it could be that Xoey’s…errr, unique views on life and love were rubbing off on him. The candidly crazy woman colorfully maintained that all people should have the unalienable right to be: 1) unafraid to jump into love ass first, and 2) unashamed to ‘exchange if not satisfied’ every ninety days.
It was one of her many Xoey-isms.
That she exercised and celebrated quite frequently.
While he didn’t date nearly as much she did, between the two of them, their dating track record was fairly notorious.
Which is precisely why their little town of Cactus Creek was convinced that they were both madly in love with each other.
For his part, they were absolutely right.
CHAPTER TWO
WHEN HER LAST particularly grating grievance from last night’s date was followed up by silence instead of Isaac’s usual droll commentaries, Xoey Montenagro knew he was parking his truck.
The dog park they both loved was in a drop zone area where his phone wouldn’t work. Stubborn man that he was, he simply refused to change to the cell phone carrier she used, for reasons that essentially boiled down to his not wanting to. Meanwhile, her phone worked perfectly fine smack dab in the middle of their little slice of heaven out on the northern most edge of Cactus Creek.
While she was sure most of her friends would think it was weird, she actually liked that Isaac never felt the need to tell her when his phone was about to cut out anymore. It spoke to the fabric of their unique friendship. It was a friendship she absolutely cherished, and admittedly, one they would never have had if Isaac hadn’t doggedly ensured they would remain friends after she ended their relationship last year.
That’s the kind of guy he was—the world’s most perfect ex.
Now her best friend.
Official ceremony pending.
“How is it that you have reception out here?” called out a woman waving her phone around in the air the next bench over. “I have zero bars of service.”
Xoey turned and smiled. “There’s only one phone carrier that works in this part of town. I take it you’re not from around here?”
Odd for a tourist to come out to their dog park over all their other town attractions, but to be fair, Cactus Creek’s dog park was more a canine carnival than anything else that often drew many a curious visitor over, dog in tow or not.
“I’m from Tucson. My fiancé and I had a rare weekend off together so we decided to play tourist and head up to Sedona and the Grand Canyon,” replied the woman pointing at a man running around the park with a cute floppy-eared basset hound puppy. “We’ve actually heard amazing things about the brewpub here, and with it having a pet-friendly roof deck, we thought we’d stop by there for a late breakfast on the way.”