Read Online Need You Tonight by Marquita Valentine - Free Book Online

I would think that grieving for years can’t be healthy. Or how your husband would have wanted you to live the rest of your life.”
    Rowan sounds so much like Soon Lin in that moment that a wave of homesickness washes over me. She would so approve of me being friends with such a no-nonsense woman like Rowan. I take a breath to calm my nerves.
    “Please forgive me. I get a little testy sometimes.”
    Rowan’s blonde brow arches.
    “I get a lot testy sometimes, and I’m really sorry.”
    A genuine smile covers her face. “You’re forgiven. Just don’t let it happen again or I’ll fire you.”
    My mouth drops open. “Are you serious?”
    “ Kidding ,” she sings out, and then gives me a side glance. “Tell me about the hot date.”
    “I don’t have a date tonight. I’m making dinner for my handyman.”
    A smirk covers her face. “That sounds like a date to me.”
    “Parker and I are nothing to each other, not even friends. I barely know him.”
    “Parker Morgan?” The look on her face is priceless as I nod. “You’re going on a date,”—I narrow my eyes at her—“ making dinner for him?”
    “He came with the house,” I say lamely.
    “Do you know how many women will hate you after this?” she says as we walk inside.
    “Should I?”
    “Oh my gosh. You really have no clue about those Morgan boys.”
    “I’m not from here, so why would I?”
    “Two, please,” Rowan says to the hostess.
    We are led to a table near the back. I can tell that Rowan wants to know more, but the waitress has to get our food and drink orders first.
    “Back to Parker Morgan. He is fine, like ovary-exploding fine. Spill all the details of how the two of you met.”
    “There’s nothing to tell, really. I’m renting a house from his sister-in-law’s grandmother, and I was told he’s the guy to call if I had a problem.” I skip the part about our first meeting, where I practically forced him to read my husband’s obituary.
    “I’d be having a problem every night,” she says with no small amount of glee. “How do you control yourself around him?”
    “Because I don’t think of him like that.” Liar, liar a voice in my head sings at me. “I wouldn’t know what to do with him even if I did. I haven’t been with anyone in two and a half years. Soon Lin says I should get out more. She was more than pleased that I’m going out with you and your friends tomorrow night.”
    “That’s because Soon Lin is brilliant. I don’t even know her and I know this to be true.” She winks at me. “You know… maybe you should try to think of Parker that way and get him to think of you that way, too.”
    I give her a please-stop look.
    “Just see what happens and then report back to me for further instructions,” she adds in a rush. “Not that I want to live vicariously through you due to my own long dry spell.”
    I can’t help but giggle. I know Rowan is an encourager by nature, so I’m not offended.
    “It’s like the Sahara Desert up in my girl parts,” she says in all seriousness.
    My giggle turns into full-blown laughter. “That sounds like something a doctor might need to take a look at.”
    Rowan throws a napkin at me. “Witch.”
    We spend the rest of lunch talking about tomorrow night, her friends, and the club we’ll be going to, but I can barely concentrate, because all I can think about are her words.
    Maybe you should try.
    *
    Parker
    T WO HOURS BEFORE I’m supposed to head to Brooklyn’s my brother finally calls me back.
    “Glad you could fit me into your busy schedule, punkface,” I say, biting into a piece of strawberry-flavored licorice.
    “Shut it,” he grumbles. “Miss Violet took a nasty fall, and we’ve been dealing with that.”
    Shit. “Is she okay?”
    “She will be. Luckily, we were with her when it happened, so she got medical attention pretty quickly. Scared Kelly to death.”
    “Want me to come get her?”
    “Nah, she doesn’t want to leave Miss Violet’s side.”
    Now