Read Online Her Favorite Temptation by Sarah Mayberry - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Sarah Mayberry
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good neighbor.”
She attempted to take her card back, but he smiled and tucked it into his pocket. “Too late. It’s mine now.”
She couldn’t stop herself from smiling. He truly was an excellent flirt.
Her parents’ Mercedes was ahead and she could see her parents watching them out the windshield.
“Your dad is a bit of a silver fox,” Will commented.
“So I’ve been told. Promise me you’ll take it easy for the rest of the day.” She stopped a few feet away from the car. The walk had put a bit of color into his face, but he looked tired.
“I will go straight upstairs and put on my jim jams just for you,” he said solemnly.
“As if you own pajamas.”
“It was worth a try. By the way—” he reached into his pocket, then surprised her by catching her hand and pressing something into it “—happy birthday.”
She glanced down and discovered she was holding a snack-size bag of multicolored jelly beans. He’d obviously added it to his order when he’d paid for his prescription.
“I love jelly beans,” she said, thrown by the gesture.
“Good. Have a great day, Leah.”
“Thank you.”
She waited until he’d entered the building before slipping the jelly beans into her jacket pocket and walking to her parents’ car.
“Sorry about that. Thanks for waiting,” she said as she slid into the backseat.
“I take it he’s got everything he needs?” her mother asked.
Her tone was neutral, but Leah could feel the tension in the car. Her mother was not even close to forgiving or accepting her change of specialty. As Leah had anticipated, it was going to be a fun day, full of unspoken undercurrents and unvoiced disapproval. Yippee.
“Yep, he’s all sorted.”
They chatted about the weather and the traffic as her father drove through the city, all of them working hard to keep things light. He kept the destination a surprise until the last minute, finally revealing that he’d booked a table at Vue du Monde, one of Melbourne’s most critically acclaimed restaurants.
“I feel very spoiled,” Leah said as they rode to the fifty-fifth floor of the Rialto building.
“Your father’s been dying to come here for a long time,” her mother said. “We wanted to save it for a special occasion.”
The restaurant was moody and dark, with parquet floors and button-back chairs and white-neon abstract swirls on the walls. And the view... The view was astonishing. Her father insisted on her having the best seat to appreciate the panoramic expanses of city, thanks to the floor—to-ceiling windows, leaving the seat beside her free for Audrey so she, too, could soak up the view. He’d just ordered a bottle of champagne when Audrey arrived, looking elegant as always in a black, beige and white striped dress.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to keep everyone waiting,” Audrey said as she reached the table.
“You didn’t. We just got here,” Leah said.
She stood and kissed her sister’s cool cheek, smiling when Audrey wished her a happy birthday.
“We saved you one of the seats with a view,” their father said warmly.
Something inside Leah relaxed as her sister sat next to her. Audrey was so smart and calm and composed. She never let their parents rattle her, no matter how hurtful they were. Just having her close made Leah feel stronger, more resolved. After all, Audrey had endured years of disapproval and criticism. If she could survive and thrive, so could Leah.
“This all looks pretty amazing,” Audrey said brightly.
Talk quickly gravitated to medicine, the default setting for almost every conversation with their parents. Leah tried to derail it so that Audrey could be included, but it was one of her parents’ many blind spots and after a while she decided it was easier to go with the flow.
Their meals were delivered to the table and the conversation finally shifted from medicine to the situation with Audrey’s work. She was employed as a buyer for a major hardware chain, a position
She attempted to take her card back, but he smiled and tucked it into his pocket. “Too late. It’s mine now.”
She couldn’t stop herself from smiling. He truly was an excellent flirt.
Her parents’ Mercedes was ahead and she could see her parents watching them out the windshield.
“Your dad is a bit of a silver fox,” Will commented.
“So I’ve been told. Promise me you’ll take it easy for the rest of the day.” She stopped a few feet away from the car. The walk had put a bit of color into his face, but he looked tired.
“I will go straight upstairs and put on my jim jams just for you,” he said solemnly.
“As if you own pajamas.”
“It was worth a try. By the way—” he reached into his pocket, then surprised her by catching her hand and pressing something into it “—happy birthday.”
She glanced down and discovered she was holding a snack-size bag of multicolored jelly beans. He’d obviously added it to his order when he’d paid for his prescription.
“I love jelly beans,” she said, thrown by the gesture.
“Good. Have a great day, Leah.”
“Thank you.”
She waited until he’d entered the building before slipping the jelly beans into her jacket pocket and walking to her parents’ car.
“Sorry about that. Thanks for waiting,” she said as she slid into the backseat.
“I take it he’s got everything he needs?” her mother asked.
Her tone was neutral, but Leah could feel the tension in the car. Her mother was not even close to forgiving or accepting her change of specialty. As Leah had anticipated, it was going to be a fun day, full of unspoken undercurrents and unvoiced disapproval. Yippee.
“Yep, he’s all sorted.”
They chatted about the weather and the traffic as her father drove through the city, all of them working hard to keep things light. He kept the destination a surprise until the last minute, finally revealing that he’d booked a table at Vue du Monde, one of Melbourne’s most critically acclaimed restaurants.
“I feel very spoiled,” Leah said as they rode to the fifty-fifth floor of the Rialto building.
“Your father’s been dying to come here for a long time,” her mother said. “We wanted to save it for a special occasion.”
The restaurant was moody and dark, with parquet floors and button-back chairs and white-neon abstract swirls on the walls. And the view... The view was astonishing. Her father insisted on her having the best seat to appreciate the panoramic expanses of city, thanks to the floor—to-ceiling windows, leaving the seat beside her free for Audrey so she, too, could soak up the view. He’d just ordered a bottle of champagne when Audrey arrived, looking elegant as always in a black, beige and white striped dress.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to keep everyone waiting,” Audrey said as she reached the table.
“You didn’t. We just got here,” Leah said.
She stood and kissed her sister’s cool cheek, smiling when Audrey wished her a happy birthday.
“We saved you one of the seats with a view,” their father said warmly.
Something inside Leah relaxed as her sister sat next to her. Audrey was so smart and calm and composed. She never let their parents rattle her, no matter how hurtful they were. Just having her close made Leah feel stronger, more resolved. After all, Audrey had endured years of disapproval and criticism. If she could survive and thrive, so could Leah.
“This all looks pretty amazing,” Audrey said brightly.
Talk quickly gravitated to medicine, the default setting for almost every conversation with their parents. Leah tried to derail it so that Audrey could be included, but it was one of her parents’ many blind spots and after a while she decided it was easier to go with the flow.
Their meals were delivered to the table and the conversation finally shifted from medicine to the situation with Audrey’s work. She was employed as a buyer for a major hardware chain, a position
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