Read Online Valentine Collection (Valentine Anthology) by Jennifer Conner - Free Book Online
Authors: Jennifer Conner
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Valentine Surprise
Chapter 1
Cecilia Clayton took another sip of her latte and waited for her best friend’s brother to finish his phone call. This was the downside of Lee being a lawyer; he was always on the phone. He should let calls go to voice mail. That would be the polite thing to do. Hadn’t he been the one who called her to come over? Geesh!
Wheeling the office chair back a foot she waved her fingers. He spotted her and shrugged a broad shoulder in apology. Barefoot, with Levi’s, chocolate-brown hair that tipped his collar and laser-blue eyes, Lee was suck-the-breath-out-of-you good-looking. She met him and his sister in college where Cecilia grew to be best buddies with Tami. For the past six years she was the tag-along-friend that came with his sister.
That was when she learned about Lee’s ‘ problem ’. He was a technophobe. Cecilia asked him once why he hated computers. At college, he said he spent so much time with his nose buried in law books he never learned more than the basics of computer know- how. It just wasn’t important to him.
Through their college days he began to pay her to type up his dictated papers. He tried to do a paper himself once and it took five hours to hunt-and-peck three pages. The arrangement worked well, and the extra funds helped her pay for food and rent.
Now she was the lead developer of a growing software design firm. So, why was she still jumping every time Lee called?
Lee said he’d still happily pay her, but she hadn’t taken money for her tech help in four years. It was much easier to think of herself as a ‘good Samaritan’ than what she was - hopelessly in love with him. This time of the year made her sappy crush on Lee worse than ever.
It was all that damn Valentine merchandise.
The day after New Year’s when all the Christmas decorations came down, up went all the sparkly bling hearts and flying cupids. Cecilia hated it. Every store held a blazing reminder that she was alone.
When Lee called earlier that afternoon, her heart leaped in her throat, but just as quickly dropped down to the carpet. Virus updating ? Lee didn’t even know what it was or why the computer was asking for it. Cecilia tried to talk him through the steps, but after fifteen minutes, she decided it was easier to make the five minute drive to his place and fix it herself.
Cecilia put her palms down on the desk and scooted forward. She needed his password login to update his virus protection software. Lee never made any sense with his random passwords—then couldn’t recall them later. Whatever popped into his mind at that moment became the password.
Cecelia tapped a pen to her lower lip trying to think of what he may have chosen.
Porsche.
No access. Okay, so it wasn’t his car.
lawyer. court case. court house.
Nope, didn’t work either. He’d used those in the past, it was worth a try.
Man of my dreams. Love potion number 9. Cupid, get me out of here!
She sighed deeply and looked to see if Lee was finished with his phone conversation. Nope still talking away. From the heated debate she could hear on his end, it would be awhile.
Cecilia noticed a blue folder. It stuck out because it wasn’t the color of the others stacked high on the desk. She shouldn’t snoop but maybe there would be some good celebrity gossip. The local rich and famous who’d posted bail and retained Lee as their lawyer. She lifted the corner with the tip of her finger, looked to make sure he was still on the phone, then flipped it open.
Cupid’s Okay. It took a minute for the cover sheet info to sink in. An online dating service? What the….
At first, disappointment flooded her, but then like a beam of Valentine light shining down from above, she had an idea. The only way she was going to get Lee Maxwell out of her life, and her mind, was to find him true love. Then he could stop being her fantasy man.
She read the first page. Sure enough, it was an introductory packet they’d mailed to
Chapter 1
Cecilia Clayton took another sip of her latte and waited for her best friend’s brother to finish his phone call. This was the downside of Lee being a lawyer; he was always on the phone. He should let calls go to voice mail. That would be the polite thing to do. Hadn’t he been the one who called her to come over? Geesh!
Wheeling the office chair back a foot she waved her fingers. He spotted her and shrugged a broad shoulder in apology. Barefoot, with Levi’s, chocolate-brown hair that tipped his collar and laser-blue eyes, Lee was suck-the-breath-out-of-you good-looking. She met him and his sister in college where Cecilia grew to be best buddies with Tami. For the past six years she was the tag-along-friend that came with his sister.
That was when she learned about Lee’s ‘ problem ’. He was a technophobe. Cecilia asked him once why he hated computers. At college, he said he spent so much time with his nose buried in law books he never learned more than the basics of computer know- how. It just wasn’t important to him.
Through their college days he began to pay her to type up his dictated papers. He tried to do a paper himself once and it took five hours to hunt-and-peck three pages. The arrangement worked well, and the extra funds helped her pay for food and rent.
Now she was the lead developer of a growing software design firm. So, why was she still jumping every time Lee called?
Lee said he’d still happily pay her, but she hadn’t taken money for her tech help in four years. It was much easier to think of herself as a ‘good Samaritan’ than what she was - hopelessly in love with him. This time of the year made her sappy crush on Lee worse than ever.
It was all that damn Valentine merchandise.
The day after New Year’s when all the Christmas decorations came down, up went all the sparkly bling hearts and flying cupids. Cecilia hated it. Every store held a blazing reminder that she was alone.
When Lee called earlier that afternoon, her heart leaped in her throat, but just as quickly dropped down to the carpet. Virus updating ? Lee didn’t even know what it was or why the computer was asking for it. Cecilia tried to talk him through the steps, but after fifteen minutes, she decided it was easier to make the five minute drive to his place and fix it herself.
Cecilia put her palms down on the desk and scooted forward. She needed his password login to update his virus protection software. Lee never made any sense with his random passwords—then couldn’t recall them later. Whatever popped into his mind at that moment became the password.
Cecelia tapped a pen to her lower lip trying to think of what he may have chosen.
Porsche.
No access. Okay, so it wasn’t his car.
lawyer. court case. court house.
Nope, didn’t work either. He’d used those in the past, it was worth a try.
Man of my dreams. Love potion number 9. Cupid, get me out of here!
She sighed deeply and looked to see if Lee was finished with his phone conversation. Nope still talking away. From the heated debate she could hear on his end, it would be awhile.
Cecilia noticed a blue folder. It stuck out because it wasn’t the color of the others stacked high on the desk. She shouldn’t snoop but maybe there would be some good celebrity gossip. The local rich and famous who’d posted bail and retained Lee as their lawyer. She lifted the corner with the tip of her finger, looked to make sure he was still on the phone, then flipped it open.
Cupid’s Okay. It took a minute for the cover sheet info to sink in. An online dating service? What the….
At first, disappointment flooded her, but then like a beam of Valentine light shining down from above, she had an idea. The only way she was going to get Lee Maxwell out of her life, and her mind, was to find him true love. Then he could stop being her fantasy man.
She read the first page. Sure enough, it was an introductory packet they’d mailed to
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