Read Online Naughty Before Christmas (Decadent Delight Series #3) by Angie Daniels - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Angie Daniels
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remembered she had a nine o’clock meeting.
Smiling , Reggie ended the call and reached for his wallet and was getting ready to put his tickets away when he decided to check his numbers. He removed the stub from Wednesday’s drawing and compared it to a ticket in his wallet. He lined up the two rows of numbers, and when he gazed down at the winning numbers, his eyes flicked back, forth, back again, and then his breath stalled.
12 36 8 1 22 3
Frantically, h is eyes scanned both sets of numbers again.
It was a perfect match.
No fucking way.
Shak ing with nerves and excitement, Reggie snatched his keys, jumped out of his truck and practically ran into a man coming out the store. “Sorry,” he mumbled before stepping inside the convenience store. He needed verification fast. Quickly, he got back in line, clutching the ticket possessively in his hand until he reached the counter.
“ You want to buy another lottery ticket?” the cashier asked with that same smile.
“ Uh-uh. Can you check this ticket for me?” Reggie said and it wasn’t until he handed it to her that he realized his hand had been trembling.
“ Sure.” She scanned the barcode. When he heard the bell chime, and the cash prize flashed across the lottery screen, the cashier gasped and shouted, “You won!”
T he three million dollar jackpot.
* * *
“You wanted to see me?”
“Come on in ,” Berlin said as she looked up from her chair and waved him into her office.
Cameron Clarke.
The man she had once been determined to make her baby’s daddy. Now she laughed every time she thought about it. Cameron was now the medical director of the clinic. “I have November’s expense report ready for your signature.”
With a smile, he walked over and took the folder from her hand. “I’ll look over it at lunch and get back with you.”
She nodded approvingly. “How’s Cynthia?” She was referring to his wife.
The sudden scowl indicated things weren’t going as well as they should. “Not too good. She still blames the whole world including me for the accident,” he added with a heavy sigh.
Six months ago, Cameron and his wife were on their way back from a comedy show when a semi-truck swerved in front of them, causing Cameron to slam his Porsche into a tree. Cameron had walked away with minor injuries but his wife sustained serious trauma to her legs and was told she might never walk again. The couple also found out she had been pregnant with their first child.
“ Just give her time. I’m sure she’ll come around,” she said, being optimistic.
“ Yes, I know,” he replied although he didn’t look so sure. “How’s the baby doing?” he asked. And her heart went out to him for losing his.
She glanced down briefly at her stomach and felt guilty for grinning. “She’s doing fine.” There was no mistaking the envy in Cameron’s eyes. “Yeah, my man Reggie is excited.” The two men went way back to grammar school. Berlin liked to think it was because of Cameron that she and Reggie were now together, especially since it had been Cameron she had been pursuing before Reggie decided to intervene, and stole her heart in the process.
A slow, lazy grin curved his mouth as he watched her sitting behind the desk caressing her baby bump. “Reggie’s a lucky man. I’m really happy for both of you.”
Berlin inclined her head in simple acknowledgment of the compliment.
There was that look of envy again , only this time with a hint of sadness. “Well, I’ll bring this back later.”
After he returned to the cli nic, Berlin swiveled around on the chair and gazed out the window thinking about how much her life had changed. A ten-step plan? A doctor? She giggled at the memory. She couldn’t imagine being married to anyone but Reggie. In the last five years she had learned love wasn’t about the size of a man’s wallet but instead how big his heart was. Reggie showered her with just the simple things, sometimes
Smiling , Reggie ended the call and reached for his wallet and was getting ready to put his tickets away when he decided to check his numbers. He removed the stub from Wednesday’s drawing and compared it to a ticket in his wallet. He lined up the two rows of numbers, and when he gazed down at the winning numbers, his eyes flicked back, forth, back again, and then his breath stalled.
12 36 8 1 22 3
Frantically, h is eyes scanned both sets of numbers again.
It was a perfect match.
No fucking way.
Shak ing with nerves and excitement, Reggie snatched his keys, jumped out of his truck and practically ran into a man coming out the store. “Sorry,” he mumbled before stepping inside the convenience store. He needed verification fast. Quickly, he got back in line, clutching the ticket possessively in his hand until he reached the counter.
“ You want to buy another lottery ticket?” the cashier asked with that same smile.
“ Uh-uh. Can you check this ticket for me?” Reggie said and it wasn’t until he handed it to her that he realized his hand had been trembling.
“ Sure.” She scanned the barcode. When he heard the bell chime, and the cash prize flashed across the lottery screen, the cashier gasped and shouted, “You won!”
T he three million dollar jackpot.
* * *
“You wanted to see me?”
“Come on in ,” Berlin said as she looked up from her chair and waved him into her office.
Cameron Clarke.
The man she had once been determined to make her baby’s daddy. Now she laughed every time she thought about it. Cameron was now the medical director of the clinic. “I have November’s expense report ready for your signature.”
With a smile, he walked over and took the folder from her hand. “I’ll look over it at lunch and get back with you.”
She nodded approvingly. “How’s Cynthia?” She was referring to his wife.
The sudden scowl indicated things weren’t going as well as they should. “Not too good. She still blames the whole world including me for the accident,” he added with a heavy sigh.
Six months ago, Cameron and his wife were on their way back from a comedy show when a semi-truck swerved in front of them, causing Cameron to slam his Porsche into a tree. Cameron had walked away with minor injuries but his wife sustained serious trauma to her legs and was told she might never walk again. The couple also found out she had been pregnant with their first child.
“ Just give her time. I’m sure she’ll come around,” she said, being optimistic.
“ Yes, I know,” he replied although he didn’t look so sure. “How’s the baby doing?” he asked. And her heart went out to him for losing his.
She glanced down briefly at her stomach and felt guilty for grinning. “She’s doing fine.” There was no mistaking the envy in Cameron’s eyes. “Yeah, my man Reggie is excited.” The two men went way back to grammar school. Berlin liked to think it was because of Cameron that she and Reggie were now together, especially since it had been Cameron she had been pursuing before Reggie decided to intervene, and stole her heart in the process.
A slow, lazy grin curved his mouth as he watched her sitting behind the desk caressing her baby bump. “Reggie’s a lucky man. I’m really happy for both of you.”
Berlin inclined her head in simple acknowledgment of the compliment.
There was that look of envy again , only this time with a hint of sadness. “Well, I’ll bring this back later.”
After he returned to the cli nic, Berlin swiveled around on the chair and gazed out the window thinking about how much her life had changed. A ten-step plan? A doctor? She giggled at the memory. She couldn’t imagine being married to anyone but Reggie. In the last five years she had learned love wasn’t about the size of a man’s wallet but instead how big his heart was. Reggie showered her with just the simple things, sometimes
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