Read Online Earning Edie (Espinoza Boys #1) by D.J. Jamison - Free Book Online

nodded. My rant seemed to have turned her quiet. I hoped I hadn’t killed her sassy spark in its tracks. When I wasn’t being all sensitive, it was kind of fun.
    “Thanks for the apology. And um ... sorry if I over-reacted.” I shook my head at the absurdity of it all. “Guess I deserve anything you can dish out anyway. Catch you later.”
    Without waiting for a response, I booked it out of there.
    Jesus Christ, I was such a baby. I had absolutely no right to call Edie out for judging me. I’d given her the worst first impression possible, and I’d only reinforced it by being a cocky asshole when she confronted me in the newsroom.
    And with that pleasant thought souring my mood, I headed out to my interview with an even more sour councilwoman. Well, at least I wouldn’t be the only cranky person in the room.
     
    EDIE
    I changed into shorts, now that I was done with work, and went to the kitchen to make a sandwich.
    Joy had sent me home because the place was so slow. I’d tried to convince her to give me more hours, but she didn’t have it in the budget, so I’d have to look for a second job soon.
    While I ate my PB&J, I couldn’t help replaying my argument with Nick. I was surprised he’d been so touchy about my attitude.
    Nick was gorgeous, and I’d assumed he was vain because of it. The blue of his eyes against his warm complexion was vibrant enough to make anyone look twice. His hair, even when unstyled, had curled into cute, messy waves.
    He certainly had the cocky smile down to an art form, and I’d expect a confident guy like that to shrug off any criticism I could make. But maybe I didn’t know him as well as I thought.
    My phone rang, interrupting me before I could overthink it.
    I answered it between bites. “Hey, Lil.”
    “Hey. How’s the living situation?”
    “Good. Okay. Sort of.”
    “What does that mean?”
    I swallowed another bite, and reached for a glass of milk. “We kind of had a fight already.”
    She snorted. “Go figure. What did he do?”
    “Um. ...”
    “No, wait. Let me guess,” she said in a sarcastic tone. “He either hit on you already ...” As if! “Or he brought home some skank and made you listen to their gross sex all night.”
    “Ugh, God, no,” I said with a shudder. “Neither.”
    “Really? Well, color me surprised. What did he do?”
    “Nothing. He didn’t … it was just, you know, nothing major. He really hasn’t done anything to deserve your hate.”
    She scoffed. “Oh, really? So using you for an article that got you kicked out and ruined your already strained relationship with your parents was a good thing?”
    “Oh yeah, there’s that.”
    “There’s that,” she  repeated flatly.
    “Okay, so that’s why I’m here, so Nick can atone for his mistake and so next time he’ll think twice before manipulating someone like that.”
    I picked up my empty plate and glass and walked over to the sink. I turned on the tap as Lil continued to tear apart my arguments.
    “Well, yeah that’s the idea, but I’m not sure you being there is going to be much of a chore for him. What did you do? Clean his kitchen? He must be horrified.”
    She heard the running water and gasped. “Are you doing the dishes right now? Oh my God, I was only joking!”
    “Shut up! I’m just rinsing the plate I used. And if you want to know the truth, I was a bit of a bitch to Nick this morning and now I feel bad. So you should be happy, I guess.”
    She sighed. “Edie, I doubt you know how to be a bitch, but regardless … I know it was my idea, but I’m worried about you being there. Nick is … I mean, a guy like that. …”
    “I know,” I said quietly.
    “You like him, don’t you?” she asked in a resigned voice.
    “Not like that. That’s so not happening, Lil. I’m here for a place to stay. That’s it. And Nick may as well be my meal ticket, right?”
    “So, can I come over? Carlos is busy, and I’m bored. I want to snoop through Nick’s stuff and learn