Read Online If You Only Knew (Harper Falls Book 3) by Mary J. Williams - Free Book Online Page B

was more than a little obscure. It was fun; that was what
mattered.
    The morning rush was just waning, meaning Tyler didn’t have
long to wait. Her friends joked that eventually she would just chew on the
grounds, eliminating the need for a machine or water. It wasn’t quite that bad.
Well, sometimes, on mornings like this one.
    “Nice hairdo, Tyler. Did you use an eggbeater or get
caught in a cyclone?”
    Jilly. Just what she needed. With a grateful smile, she took
the steaming cup from the barista and took a tentative sip. Not even Jilly
Underwood in the morning would make her stupid enough to scald her mouth.
    “Picked up any lumberjacks lately, Jilly?”
    “What are you talking about? I do not date
lumberjacks.”
    Tyler thought about letting it go. Jilly was an easy target,
too full of herself and always initiating contact. Walk away, a little
voice urged. Be the bigger woman. Unfortunately, the coffee was too hot
to gulp and Tyler felt more than a little bitchy.
    “Wood.” She said it loudly, taking another sip
from her to-go cup.
    “Wood?”
    “I heard you were looking for men who were carrying
wood. I just assumed you meant lumberjacks. Was I wrong?”
    “I—” Jilly looked around, her cheeks blooming red
at the chuckles directed her way. “That wasn’t what I meant. I, oh, never
mind.” She turned on her heel, heading out. Then turned and hissed.
“Bitch.”
    “That seems to be the general consensus lately.”
She said to the woman’s retreating back.
    Tyler took a deeper drink of the slightly cooled coffee and
sighed. First her brother and now Jilly. Generally, she didn’t care about
either’s opinion. Called that twice in less than a day did make one stop and
think. Maybe it was time to consult with the two people she knew would pull no
punches. If Tyler were becoming a permanent bitch on wheels, Rose and Dani
would tell her. What were best friends for?
     
    “NO. ABSOLUTELY NOT.”
    “I agree. You’ve been a bit edgy. But permanent bitch? Not
even close.”
    The three friends were at Dani’s loft, sharing some wine and
Chinese takeout. After her run-in with Jilly, Tyler had called Rose, then Dani.
Girls night in had been the proclamation. No men allowed. No doubt about it.
There were no truer friends.
    “I’d be worried if you weren’t bitchy.” Dani
handed Tyler a glass of icy golden chardonnay. “You have a deadline to
meet for the centennial celebration, not to mention other commissions to
finish. Then there’s Drew. He seems to be copping an attitude lately.”
    “You noticed that?” Tyler had started to wonder if
she imagined Drew’s change in demeanor.
    “Who wouldn’t?” Rose asked with a shake of her
head. “All that anger. It can’t all be pent up sexual frustration.”
    “It’s a big part of my problem.”
    “Just off the top of my head, I can think of a dozen
guys who would help you with that. Unless…”
    “Unless there’s only one I want?” Tyler finished
for Rose. “I asked, he said no.”
    She appreciated her friends’ restraint. Both could have
pointed out that the way she asked hadn’t been terribly flattering to Drew or
herself for that matter. Fucking, screwing. Call it what you wanted. She
propositioned him; he turned her down.
    “I can’t seem to stop thinking about the past. That
summer Drew and I—”
    “Fell in love?” Dani finished for her.
    “It’s become a movie on a loop that I can’t shut off.
Last night, I rewound to the beginning, the day we met on the bridge.”
    “A big moment in your life.” Rose reached over and
squeezed her hand. Connection. Her friends grounded her.
    “It was like yesterday. I could feel the summer heat,
the first stirring of attraction. Not like now. It was tentative, innocent. I
didn’t know what it felt like to touch a boy; I just knew I wanted to find out.
I knew I wanted that boy to be Drew.”
    “I’m sorry those memories make you sad.” Dani
added her