Read Online Entice (Hearts of Stone #2) by Veronica Larsen - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Veronica Larsen
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message.
[I think you're right. Join Emily and me for dinner?]
I go to set the phone down on the counter but his response is immediate.
[You're in luck. Just so happens I canceled plans I didn't have for tonight.]
I smile because he's maybe a tad too enthusiastic. And that's probably what Lex doesn't like about him. Lex is the opposite of enthusiastic. My response to his message is a time and an address.
Two thoughts come to me as I set the phone down. First, Lex is going to be pissed. Second, I've invited Jacob over to a dinner I haven't even started cooking. I rifle through the cabinets and refrigerator and realize Lex hasn't gone grocery shopping in at least a week or two. I meant to earlier, but got caught up in job hunting.
There isn't much to work with in this kitchen and so I decided it's pasta for dinner once again. I've got a half an hour to live before my sister wakes up to kill me.
It isn't funny, none of this is, but I laugh anyway, like an evil witch as I stir the simmering sauce.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Lex damn near strangles me when she finds out what I've done. It's a good thing that I'm trained in the art of persuasion because I manage to convince her to take a shot of vodka and eat dinner with us like a good host. By the end of the night, Jacob's charm melts the icebox that is my sister. She ends up enjoying his visit enough to invite him to her company's Christmas party on Friday. Well, he technically invited himself. Jacob seems like the type to do that a lot, wedge himself into the tiniest of holes. Like a sexy little chipmunk.
The next morning, my mood lifts a notch with the familiar chime overhead and the prominent sweetness enveloping my senses. The scent of powdered sugar and cinnamon.
An elderly couple sits at a table by the door, the woman cutting up a large plate of French toast. Nearby, a middle-aged man, dressed for construction site work, is hunched over a plate of pancakes. The kid from the other day is here again, sitting on the same stool and picking over an identical looking plate of eggs.
Owen is behind the register, standing beside a guy I've never seen before. From the way the two are hovered over the machine, with Owen gesturing to the buttons, it looks like the new guy is being trained.
At the sound of the door, Owen's eyes rise to meet mine and though neither one of us outwardly reacts to the presence of the other, our gazes remain unbroken until I take a seat on my favorite stool, beside the kid, and pull out my laptop.
The kid looks as disgruntled as ever, his head resting in his hand like before.
"How's your day going, so far?"
He peers up at me as though surprised. His face, which was crinkled between the eyes, relaxes a bit but his voice is flat when he speaks. "Not that great."
" That's the spirit ." I smile at him, taking his words to mean he's not a morning person. He sort of smiles back, more like he shrugs at me with his lips, before breaking eye contact.
The new guy takes my order. Owen goes back into the kitchen and I wonder if he's progressed to full on avoiding me.
Bringing my attention to my laptop screen, I pretend not to notice that the kid is watching me.
"Is it a girl that's got you all mopey?" I ask, without glancing at him.
He takes a deep breath, like my words pressed on a bullet hole in his stomach. "Maybe."
I'm typing now, logging into my email account. I can tell it's easier for him to talk to me when I'm not looking at him. "What's your name, anyway?"
"Landon."
"I'm Emily. How old are you?"
"Fourteen."
I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Okay, I'm nine."
I'm surprised. I knew for sure he wasn't fourteen, but I wouldn't have guessed he was so young. He comes across much older. Twelve, maybe. Maybe because he's tall.
"How old is the girl?"
"She's ten."
"Want to know a secret? Women are not as complicated as they seem."
He leans in and I don't think he realizes it. I meet his eager eyes and tilt my head
[I think you're right. Join Emily and me for dinner?]
I go to set the phone down on the counter but his response is immediate.
[You're in luck. Just so happens I canceled plans I didn't have for tonight.]
I smile because he's maybe a tad too enthusiastic. And that's probably what Lex doesn't like about him. Lex is the opposite of enthusiastic. My response to his message is a time and an address.
Two thoughts come to me as I set the phone down. First, Lex is going to be pissed. Second, I've invited Jacob over to a dinner I haven't even started cooking. I rifle through the cabinets and refrigerator and realize Lex hasn't gone grocery shopping in at least a week or two. I meant to earlier, but got caught up in job hunting.
There isn't much to work with in this kitchen and so I decided it's pasta for dinner once again. I've got a half an hour to live before my sister wakes up to kill me.
It isn't funny, none of this is, but I laugh anyway, like an evil witch as I stir the simmering sauce.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Lex damn near strangles me when she finds out what I've done. It's a good thing that I'm trained in the art of persuasion because I manage to convince her to take a shot of vodka and eat dinner with us like a good host. By the end of the night, Jacob's charm melts the icebox that is my sister. She ends up enjoying his visit enough to invite him to her company's Christmas party on Friday. Well, he technically invited himself. Jacob seems like the type to do that a lot, wedge himself into the tiniest of holes. Like a sexy little chipmunk.
The next morning, my mood lifts a notch with the familiar chime overhead and the prominent sweetness enveloping my senses. The scent of powdered sugar and cinnamon.
An elderly couple sits at a table by the door, the woman cutting up a large plate of French toast. Nearby, a middle-aged man, dressed for construction site work, is hunched over a plate of pancakes. The kid from the other day is here again, sitting on the same stool and picking over an identical looking plate of eggs.
Owen is behind the register, standing beside a guy I've never seen before. From the way the two are hovered over the machine, with Owen gesturing to the buttons, it looks like the new guy is being trained.
At the sound of the door, Owen's eyes rise to meet mine and though neither one of us outwardly reacts to the presence of the other, our gazes remain unbroken until I take a seat on my favorite stool, beside the kid, and pull out my laptop.
The kid looks as disgruntled as ever, his head resting in his hand like before.
"How's your day going, so far?"
He peers up at me as though surprised. His face, which was crinkled between the eyes, relaxes a bit but his voice is flat when he speaks. "Not that great."
" That's the spirit ." I smile at him, taking his words to mean he's not a morning person. He sort of smiles back, more like he shrugs at me with his lips, before breaking eye contact.
The new guy takes my order. Owen goes back into the kitchen and I wonder if he's progressed to full on avoiding me.
Bringing my attention to my laptop screen, I pretend not to notice that the kid is watching me.
"Is it a girl that's got you all mopey?" I ask, without glancing at him.
He takes a deep breath, like my words pressed on a bullet hole in his stomach. "Maybe."
I'm typing now, logging into my email account. I can tell it's easier for him to talk to me when I'm not looking at him. "What's your name, anyway?"
"Landon."
"I'm Emily. How old are you?"
"Fourteen."
I raise an eyebrow at him.
"Okay, I'm nine."
I'm surprised. I knew for sure he wasn't fourteen, but I wouldn't have guessed he was so young. He comes across much older. Twelve, maybe. Maybe because he's tall.
"How old is the girl?"
"She's ten."
"Want to know a secret? Women are not as complicated as they seem."
He leans in and I don't think he realizes it. I meet his eager eyes and tilt my head
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