Read Online The Dating Intervention: Book 1 in the Intervention Series by Hilary Dartt - Free Book Online Page B

her shoulder looking for any sign of Jake Rhoades, his light blue t-shirt or his muscled legs in those jeans. She hoped desperately that she’d get another chance to see him. As she finally headed home, she couldn’t shake a vague feeling of disappointment that she hadn’t.
    She spent the rest of the afternoon getting everything set up and when she was done, she stood back to admire her work.  
    “Looks good, right, Pix?”  
    The cat, obviously onto Delaney’s real goal – procrastination – stalked out of the room, her tail swishing behind her. Just after four, a knock sounded at her door.  
    “Let’s see what you bought today,” Josie shouted from the other side. “Summer tells me you went shopping.”  
    Delaney rolled her eyes and opened the door. Josie’s eyes widened when she saw Delaney’s desk.
    “I needed a few things.”  
    “Oh my God, you redecorated your entire office area. This does not look like job hunting.”  
    “Retail therapy?” When Josie only shook her head, Delaney quickly added, “I have to be prepared. I need a good environment from which to hunt.”  
    “Congratulations. Great job. But I don’t think anyone in town is hiring a professional procrastinator.”  
    “Are you mad? Seriously? But look at it. It’s beautiful!”
    Josie took in the matching purple stacking files, pencil cup and lamp. She rubbed the petals of a silk flower between her fingers.  
    “No, Dee, I’m not mad. But I’m peeved. You’re supposed to be following our rules. Doing what we say. Summer and I want what’s best for you. You obviously aren’t concerned with what’s best for you, but we are. So yes, I’m peeved. Your office space looks very nice. The flowers are lovely, although they aren’t going to help you actually get a new job. So I’m peeved. Now, let’s see your new suit.”
    “It’s about atmosphere,” Delaney said. “It makes me more productive.”  
    Josie tapped her fingers on the desk and Delaney huffed off to her bedroom, muttering, “ Be the professional.” While she changed into her suit, she could hear Josie speaking in rapid-fire Spanish to Pixie.  
    “Pixie says she’s peeved, too,” Josie reported when Delaney came back out. “But that is a nice suit. We both like it, don’t we, Pix?”
    “Is it okay?”  
    “Yes. It’s good. I just said that. I know you want me to gush on and on about it, but I’m peeved. Your assignment for tonight is to write your resume and print off some copies.”  
    “I work tonight. After I feed you.”  
    “Should have done it today then, huh? Instead of shopping.”  
    “You know, you could do it for me tonight. While Paul’s working.”  
    “That’s true. But instead, I’m going to watch something horribly cheesy on TV while I grade papers.”  
    “You guys are slave drivers.”  
    “You bet your ass.”  

    ***
    So, maybe the lemon chicken was a little more complicated than Delaney remembered. Pulling it out of the oven to serve it, she noticed it looked more like something she’d scoop out of Pixie’s litter box. Maybe it just needed to sit for a while. She put the baking dish on the counter. Nervous now, she checked the potatoes. She remembered her mom telling her something about the potato falling easily off the fork … she had to shake it a little, but the potato did fall off eventually, landing back in the steaming pot with a plop and splashing her arm with boiling water. She drained them and began to mash them with a fork.  
    “Don’t you have a masher?” Josie asked from the dining room table, where she was grading a social studies quiz.  
    “No. I meant to buy one today,” Delaney lied, “but they didn’t have any at the store.”  
    “Mmm. Okay.”  
    “What do you mean?”  
    “I mean, okay.”  
    The door flew open then, and Summer and her kids paraded in. First Sarah, carrying a big library book in front of her, then Nate, dragging his full-to-bursting backpack on the floor