Read Online Hope Breaks: A New Adult Romantic Comedy by Alice Bello, Stephanie T. Lott - Free Book Online Page B

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    Heaven. 
    The sun didn’t so much glare as glow golden through my kitchen window, and the sizzle and pop of the bacon wasn’t as irritating as it was inviting.  My belly growled as I smelled the greasy meat.
    Yummy.
    I cracked four eggs, and then cracked one more for good measure, and poured in a bit of water and then some salt and pepper, and stirred it all together with my fork.
    I was just about to dump it all into the waiting, heated frying pan when there was a knock on my front door.
    Damn, Drew and his ladylove were early.
    I’d probably have to cook more eggs and bacon, and maybe make some toast too.
    I jogged through my house, my feet bare, and pulled open the front door.
    All my breath just left me, and I stood holding onto the doorknob for support.
    Jake stared down at me, a crooked smile on his handsome face.  He was dressed in his blue Wal-Mart TLE work shirt and black work pants.  He didn’t say anything, just held out a peach colored paper bag that had Abigail’s Pastries emblazoned on it.  The smell of fresh glazed donuts wafted in through my front door and made my still starving stomach gurgle in anticipation.
    Jake looked up away from me and scented the air like a wolf on the hunt.  “Bacon… and coffee?”
    I gulped and tried to scare up a few words to say . Standing there mute and slack jawed wasn’t a good thing… come on!
    “I thought our next date was going to be scheduled?”
    “Oh, this isn’t a date…” he rattled the bakery bag, “it’s breakfast.”
    His smart-assed reply finally gave my brain a jolt and kick-start.  “You said you’d call.”
    The handsome bastard looked down at me and smiled, wicked and knowing—he loved surprising me. 
    I wasn’t so sure about all these surprises.  Sure, the pizza and kiss were good surprises last night, and donuts this morning too.  But sooner or later he’d surprise me with something I didn’t like. 
    It was only a matter of time…
    And if he kept feeding me like this, I was going to plump up like the Goodyear Blimp!
    “And I have,” he said, moving in past me and into my house—damn , he smelled good.   Better than the donuts or the bacon.  “I’m a-calling right now.”
    “Come on in, won’t you?” I said snarkily as I rolled my eyes at him. 
    I followed him to the kitchen and shook my head.  He deposited the donuts on my table and then went over to the stove.  He started turning the bacon over in the pan, and then poured the scrambled eggs into the empty frying pan.
    He was something else…
    I went and grabbed him a mug—this one was a Hello Kitty Christmas mug, pink with a green tree and Kitty in a little Mrs. Claus burlesque outfit.
    I filled it with coffee and set it beside him as he cooked.  He gave it a look and cringed.
    “What?”
    He gave me a pained look.  “Really?”
    I smiled.  “The big tough mechanic won’t drink out of a novelty mug?”  I tisked.  “For shame.”
    He picked up the pink mug, gave Kitty a sneer and then gulped down some of the black brew. 
    “Good,” he said, “but I can already feel my manhood shrinking.”  He held up the cup and took another gulp.
    “Hold it,” I said with a faux squeal.  “Let me grab my camera.  This will look great on my Facebook page!”
    Jake shot me with a look that could have killed, and then set the novelty mug down with a precise motion.
    It was my turn to smile.
    He looked down at the eggs he was folding in the pan, and said, “Time to plate up.”
    I grabbed two plates from my cupboard and held them out to him.  He took each one from me, our fingers brushing together, giving me little electrical sparks that made my flesh hum, my heart pitter-pat, and my toes curl.
    He dished out the food like a practiced short order cook and handed mine back to me.  We took our plates and coffee—even Miss Kitty—to the table and he reached over and opened the bag of donuts.  He reached in and grabbed one, and held it out for me.
    I