Read Online The Boyfriend of the Month Club by Maria Geraci - Free Book Online Page A

the large salad bowl in the top cabinet above the dishwasher. Sarah had been eating meals at Grace’s house since first grade and was probably as familiar with the kitchen as anyone in the O’Bryan family.
    “Funny to you maybe.”
    “Show me again,” Sarah prompted.
    Grace smiled widely.
    “It’s hardly noticeable, unless you know exactly where to look for it.”
    “Know where to look for what?” Charlie asked, sauntering into the kitchen. He reached inside the refrigerator, pulled out a couple of beers, and automatically offered one to Sarah.
    Sarah pulled off the tab and took a sip. “Grace chipped her bottom tooth the other night. But don’t tell your parents, on account of all the money they spent on braces.”
    “What am I, chopped liver?” Grace asked, motioning to the beer in Sarah’s hand.
    Charlie pulled another beer from the fridge and gave it to Grace. “Let me see your chipped tooth,” he urged.
    She opened her mouth. “So where’s Phoebe? Trying on Mami’s wedding dress?”
    “What did you do to the tooth? Nibble on a rock? And I already told you, Phoebe’s not my girlfriend.” He took a sip of his beer. “She left five minutes ago,” he added.
    “Grace chipped her tooth trying to open a shrink-wrapped tampon,” Sarah said.
    Charlie made a man face. “Too much information.”
    “You’re the one who wanted to know.”
    “I’m sorry,” Grace said. “I shouldn’t have egged Phoebe on. It’s just . . . guys like you, Charlie . . . Well, you’re my brother and I love you, but sometimes you can be a big shit.”
    “I’m going to have a talk with her tomorrow after work and straighten things out. Okay?”
    Grace supposed he looked sincere enough. “Okay.”
    Sarah took a few more sips of her beer, then poured the rest in the sink. “Speaking of work, I need to go. I’m meeting the Dragon first thing in the morning and I still haven’t found the right swatch for her living room couch. She’s into pastel florals.” Sarah shuddered. The Dragon was Sarah’s newest client.
    “What’s wrong with florals?” Grace asked.
    “The house is a Mediterranean Revival,” she said, as if that explained it. She gave Grace a peck on the cheek. “Call me tomorrow after you leave the dentist’s office. I want to know what Dr. Fred says when he hears how you chipped your tooth.”
    Charlie waited till Sarah left before he said, “Personally, if it were me, I wouldn’t be telling Dr. Fred how you chipped your tooth. I’d make something up.”
    “Charlie, can we talk?” At the look on his face, she added, “It’s not about Phoebe.”
    “Outside,” he said, motioning to the back door.
    It was late afternoon, almost evening, and the weather had cooled off significantly. It was finally beginning to feel like November. Grace grabbed a light cotton blanket from the wicker basket her mother kept by the door and draped it around her shoulders, then followed her brother to the wooden deck overlooking the backyard. She picked the Adirondack chair closest to the pool and settled in for a not-so-cozy brother-sister chat.
    “I want you to convince Pop to let me open the store on Sundays.”
    “That’s what you brought me out here to talk about?” Grace couldn’t tell whether Charlie looked disappointed or relieved.
    “I told you, I’m not going to harp on you about Phoebe anymore.”
    “Pop isn’t going to open the store on Sundays.”
    “He will if you tell him the store is in trouble.”
    Charlie’s gaze shot to her face. “Is it?”
    “The economy is in a slump. People who are lucky enough to go on vacation aren’t interested in stopping to see the world’s largest alligator tooth. If you took the time to look at the books like you used to, you’d know that revenues have been steadily dropping for a long time now.”
    “What’s Pop’s take on that?”
    “He’s got his head buried in the sand. And now he and Mami are planning their big trip to Europe and I don’t want to