Read Online Her Irresistible Troublemaker (A Town Named Eden Book 3) by Sonia Parin - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Sonia Parin
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the call disconnected. Moments later, a text came through.
When can we catch up?
“Is something wrong?”
“That’s what I keep asking myself.” Lexie shook her head as she typed a reply asking her sister to suggest a time and place, experience telling her it would be best to work around her sister’s busy schedule. If she wanted to meet, it meant she’d flown in to Melbourne for business and had allocated a time slot to catch up with her.
* * *
“Your troublesome neighbor seems nice.”
Jack shoved his hands inside his pockets and looked at the ground. He’d been gnawing the inside of his lip trying to decide if asking Lexie over to his place had been a good move or the craziest, jump from a plane without a parachute moment of his life. Something about her made it all too easy to go along with the first thing that popped into his head.
He shot his brother a questioning look. “Have you ever known me to do something out of character?”
“You proposed to Juliette. I thought that was way out there in the twilight zone weird.”
“Funny, I don’t remember you saying anything at the time.”
“Actually, I did. Quote, ‘Are you out of your frigging mind?’ unquote.”
“You were objecting to me marrying full stop.”
“I’m sure I was specifically objecting to Juliette.”
“Well, I asked Lexie over for a movie night. What have you got to say about that?”
“That it sounds like a milk and cookies date. Are you trying out a new angle I don’t know about?”
Jack frowned. “There’s something about her… a sort of lack of pretence. The same with me. You know when you date someone you’re always on your best behavior, like attending an interview. Well… I’ve been different with her. It’s as if I can be myself around her.”
“So you weren’t yourself with Juliette?”
“Juliette had expectations.” She’d always needed to be seen dining at the best restaurants, attending opening nights at the theatre, the opera, the ballet, not to mention endless charity functions. And every date had been meticulously choreographed to ensure the best possible outcome—being seen by the right people. He hadn’t known it at the time, but his life had been thoroughly scripted and accessorized to suit Juliette’s vision of the life she’d wanted to create. In the end, he’d only been a prop.
Mason laughed. “All women have expectations. They usually wait for the right moment to ambush you with them.”
“Are you saying Lexie’s playing her cards close to her chest?”
“I think I’ll reserve judgment on this one. Let me know how it plays out.”
By then it might be too late.
Too late for what?
“We’re just going to watch a movie, eat some pizza and if it doesn’t work out, then we don’t have to see each other again.” He hoped it wouldn’t come to that because sometime between now and the next few weeks, he needed to find his plus one for his father’s wedding reception and he had a feeling Lexie would be his perfect partner. “A partner in crime,” he said under his breath.
Chapter Seven
“Maggie? What… When?” Lexie tried to smile, but her brain had short-circuited, killing off several much-needed IQ points—the usual reaction to the sight of her brainiac sister.
Her handbag slid away from her shoulder and dropped to the floor. Distracted, Lexie dropped her front door keys on the hallway table.
Her sister. Here. In her apartment.
A rush of panic stations adrenaline shot through her, but she knew nothing would compensate for her lack of…
What would Maggie call it?
Savvy… savoir something or other…
Lexie didn’t speak French, but she knew it had something to do with the ability to speak and act in any situation without falling apart at the seams.
She wasn’t faring well in either area. And flapping her arms wouldn’t help her cause.
Maggie waved her hand as if to dismiss the importance of details. “Catch up, remember. I sent
When can we catch up?
“Is something wrong?”
“That’s what I keep asking myself.” Lexie shook her head as she typed a reply asking her sister to suggest a time and place, experience telling her it would be best to work around her sister’s busy schedule. If she wanted to meet, it meant she’d flown in to Melbourne for business and had allocated a time slot to catch up with her.
* * *
“Your troublesome neighbor seems nice.”
Jack shoved his hands inside his pockets and looked at the ground. He’d been gnawing the inside of his lip trying to decide if asking Lexie over to his place had been a good move or the craziest, jump from a plane without a parachute moment of his life. Something about her made it all too easy to go along with the first thing that popped into his head.
He shot his brother a questioning look. “Have you ever known me to do something out of character?”
“You proposed to Juliette. I thought that was way out there in the twilight zone weird.”
“Funny, I don’t remember you saying anything at the time.”
“Actually, I did. Quote, ‘Are you out of your frigging mind?’ unquote.”
“You were objecting to me marrying full stop.”
“I’m sure I was specifically objecting to Juliette.”
“Well, I asked Lexie over for a movie night. What have you got to say about that?”
“That it sounds like a milk and cookies date. Are you trying out a new angle I don’t know about?”
Jack frowned. “There’s something about her… a sort of lack of pretence. The same with me. You know when you date someone you’re always on your best behavior, like attending an interview. Well… I’ve been different with her. It’s as if I can be myself around her.”
“So you weren’t yourself with Juliette?”
“Juliette had expectations.” She’d always needed to be seen dining at the best restaurants, attending opening nights at the theatre, the opera, the ballet, not to mention endless charity functions. And every date had been meticulously choreographed to ensure the best possible outcome—being seen by the right people. He hadn’t known it at the time, but his life had been thoroughly scripted and accessorized to suit Juliette’s vision of the life she’d wanted to create. In the end, he’d only been a prop.
Mason laughed. “All women have expectations. They usually wait for the right moment to ambush you with them.”
“Are you saying Lexie’s playing her cards close to her chest?”
“I think I’ll reserve judgment on this one. Let me know how it plays out.”
By then it might be too late.
Too late for what?
“We’re just going to watch a movie, eat some pizza and if it doesn’t work out, then we don’t have to see each other again.” He hoped it wouldn’t come to that because sometime between now and the next few weeks, he needed to find his plus one for his father’s wedding reception and he had a feeling Lexie would be his perfect partner. “A partner in crime,” he said under his breath.
Chapter Seven
“Maggie? What… When?” Lexie tried to smile, but her brain had short-circuited, killing off several much-needed IQ points—the usual reaction to the sight of her brainiac sister.
Her handbag slid away from her shoulder and dropped to the floor. Distracted, Lexie dropped her front door keys on the hallway table.
Her sister. Here. In her apartment.
A rush of panic stations adrenaline shot through her, but she knew nothing would compensate for her lack of…
What would Maggie call it?
Savvy… savoir something or other…
Lexie didn’t speak French, but she knew it had something to do with the ability to speak and act in any situation without falling apart at the seams.
She wasn’t faring well in either area. And flapping her arms wouldn’t help her cause.
Maggie waved her hand as if to dismiss the importance of details. “Catch up, remember. I sent
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