Read Online All He Ever Needed by Shannon Stacey - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Shannon Stacey
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sunlight, sitting on the park bench.
She’d looked hot as hell in the red sundress yesterday, too, but for some reason the image of her lost in a book, with the sun making her hair shine, was the picture that sprang to mind when he thought her name.
If he hadn’t known she had a history of not looking for a good time, he might have slid a little closer to her on the bench. Maybe put his arm around her. Before he got up, he would have kissed her and gotten a promise she’d see him again later. Dinner, maybe a movie, and then he’d spend the night in her bed.
But Paige might have a good reason for not dating, and he wanted to know more about that reason before he treaded somewhere he shouldn’t.
“You sleeping?”
Mitch opened his eyes and smiled at Rose, who was standing in the doorway. “Just resting my eyes.”
“My husband used to say that, just before he started snoring. I made you a couple of fried bologna sandwiches for lunch. Come eat them before the bread gets soggy.”
“Where’s Josh?” he asked as he followed her into the kitchen.
“He’s resting his eyes, too. Fell asleep in a lounge chair in the backyard and, since he hasn’t been sleeping too well at night, I’ll leave him be.”
“Ryan’ll be up Friday night. Just for the weekend, to scope things out.”
“Guess I’d better make sure I’ve got the stuff for shepherd’s pie.”
“Don’t forget the banana bread.” Mitch sat at the table and sank his teeth into a triangle of fried bologna sandwich that was oozing mayo and juices from the thick slabs of tomatoes. He moaned and devoured a second bite before speaking. “Nobody makes sandwiches like this anymore, Rosie. I miss them when I’m gone.”
“Just one of the many reasons you need a wife. One who can make a decent fried bologna sandwich.”
Mitch almost choked on his third bite. “A wife is the last thing I need.”
Rose shook her head, sitting across from him with a sandwich of her own. “I don’t know where we went wrong with you kids.”
“What do you mean? Ryan got married. Liz has been with that meathead, Darren, for years. And Sean’s married now.”
“Ryan also got divorced and, as you so delicately pointed out, Liz is with a man we don’t like. Since you boys weren’t very good at hiding your feelings, we rarely get to see her. And Sean may be happily married now, but one out of five isn’t exactly a winning record.”
“Didn’t realize it was a sport,” he mumbled around a mouthful of sandwich.
“Don’t you get lonely?”
“Not really. I hate to break it to you, Mrs. Cleaver, but not being married doesn’t mean I’m a monk.”
“Don’t be a smart-ass. What about kids? How are you going to start a family if you can’t settle on one woman?”
In an unexpected—and unwelcome—flash, Paige Sullivan’s face popped into his head. Since he wasn’t looking for one woman to settle down with, he assumed his subconscious went for the one woman whose home base he most wanted to slide into.
“My job doesn’t really mesh well with settling down,” he said. “I have to travel a lot. And not just a few days or a weekend here and there. I’m talking about weeks at a time.”
“You’ll make it work for the right woman.”
“Guess I haven’t found her yet.”
He thought he had once. Pam had not only seemed like Ms. Right, but she’d come pretty damn close to being Mrs. Mitchell Kowalski. Smart, funny and sexy as hell, she’d pushed past his habit of avoiding commitment, and it was only a few months before she moved in and started turning his apartment into a home.
Unfortunately, home was mostly a place he visited between jobs, and Pam really ramped up the nagging about him being gone all the time once he put a diamond on her finger. It had been a pivotal time in building Northern Star Demolition, and he’d kept telling her he’d eventually be able to travel less. Instead, eventually , she’d let another man keep his side of the bed
She’d looked hot as hell in the red sundress yesterday, too, but for some reason the image of her lost in a book, with the sun making her hair shine, was the picture that sprang to mind when he thought her name.
If he hadn’t known she had a history of not looking for a good time, he might have slid a little closer to her on the bench. Maybe put his arm around her. Before he got up, he would have kissed her and gotten a promise she’d see him again later. Dinner, maybe a movie, and then he’d spend the night in her bed.
But Paige might have a good reason for not dating, and he wanted to know more about that reason before he treaded somewhere he shouldn’t.
“You sleeping?”
Mitch opened his eyes and smiled at Rose, who was standing in the doorway. “Just resting my eyes.”
“My husband used to say that, just before he started snoring. I made you a couple of fried bologna sandwiches for lunch. Come eat them before the bread gets soggy.”
“Where’s Josh?” he asked as he followed her into the kitchen.
“He’s resting his eyes, too. Fell asleep in a lounge chair in the backyard and, since he hasn’t been sleeping too well at night, I’ll leave him be.”
“Ryan’ll be up Friday night. Just for the weekend, to scope things out.”
“Guess I’d better make sure I’ve got the stuff for shepherd’s pie.”
“Don’t forget the banana bread.” Mitch sat at the table and sank his teeth into a triangle of fried bologna sandwich that was oozing mayo and juices from the thick slabs of tomatoes. He moaned and devoured a second bite before speaking. “Nobody makes sandwiches like this anymore, Rosie. I miss them when I’m gone.”
“Just one of the many reasons you need a wife. One who can make a decent fried bologna sandwich.”
Mitch almost choked on his third bite. “A wife is the last thing I need.”
Rose shook her head, sitting across from him with a sandwich of her own. “I don’t know where we went wrong with you kids.”
“What do you mean? Ryan got married. Liz has been with that meathead, Darren, for years. And Sean’s married now.”
“Ryan also got divorced and, as you so delicately pointed out, Liz is with a man we don’t like. Since you boys weren’t very good at hiding your feelings, we rarely get to see her. And Sean may be happily married now, but one out of five isn’t exactly a winning record.”
“Didn’t realize it was a sport,” he mumbled around a mouthful of sandwich.
“Don’t you get lonely?”
“Not really. I hate to break it to you, Mrs. Cleaver, but not being married doesn’t mean I’m a monk.”
“Don’t be a smart-ass. What about kids? How are you going to start a family if you can’t settle on one woman?”
In an unexpected—and unwelcome—flash, Paige Sullivan’s face popped into his head. Since he wasn’t looking for one woman to settle down with, he assumed his subconscious went for the one woman whose home base he most wanted to slide into.
“My job doesn’t really mesh well with settling down,” he said. “I have to travel a lot. And not just a few days or a weekend here and there. I’m talking about weeks at a time.”
“You’ll make it work for the right woman.”
“Guess I haven’t found her yet.”
He thought he had once. Pam had not only seemed like Ms. Right, but she’d come pretty damn close to being Mrs. Mitchell Kowalski. Smart, funny and sexy as hell, she’d pushed past his habit of avoiding commitment, and it was only a few months before she moved in and started turning his apartment into a home.
Unfortunately, home was mostly a place he visited between jobs, and Pam really ramped up the nagging about him being gone all the time once he put a diamond on her finger. It had been a pivotal time in building Northern Star Demolition, and he’d kept telling her he’d eventually be able to travel less. Instead, eventually , she’d let another man keep his side of the bed
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