Read Online With Strings Attached by Kelly Jamieson - Free Book Online Page B

tooth?”
    “You could say that. I like sweet things.” He winked at her and her smile went crooked and sexy.
    “I’ll bet you do,” she murmured.
    “Seriously, I gotta say, they didn’t taste like any other chocolate I’ve ever had. It really was incredible.”
    “She won an award last year in some prestigious chocolate competition,” Matt said.
    “Awesome. I consider myself fortunate to have tasted the wondrous offerings of chocolatier Corey Fenwick.”
    “You should,” she said. “And more people could, too, if only I could open a store.”
    “What’s stopping you?”
    She held out her hand where he could see it and rubbed thumb and fingers together.
    “Ah. Gotcha.”
    “I’m saving up,” she said. “I just need to find the right place at the right price. Pretty soon, I hope. Except my stupid car keeps breaking down.” She sighed.
    “I’ll fix it tomorrow, Corey, it won’t cost much,” Matt said.
    She nodded, that faintly glum set to her mouth returning, and Dylan hated that she’d remembered her busted-down car. He kept talking and making jokes until they got to Matt’s place. They sat outside on the wooden deck behind the house, overlooking Matt’s small backyard. A weathered wooden fence separated his place from the neighbors on either side. On one side, the neighboring home was a big two-story house; on the other, a smaller two-story with an open veranda with surfboards propped against the railing. That made Dylan heave a sigh of regret as he lowered himself into a comfy chair.
    “You okay?” Corey asked.
    “Yeah.” He jerked his head toward the neighboring house. “Seeing those boards made me feel a little bummed.”
    “Ah.” She nodded and took the seat next to him. Matt appeared with three beer bottles clasped in his hands and she took two, handing one to Dylan. “You miss surfing, don’t you?”
    “Hell, yeah.” Though he had to admit, worrying about Corey had taken his mind off his own troubles. At least for a while. It kinda felt good to have someone else to care about. Not that he was selfish. Okay, maybe he was. A bit. It was just that he was focused on his goal. Single-minded. He didn’t have time for relationships and getting all involved in other people’s lives.
    But being there with Matt and Corey and caring about their problems and feeling their empathy for him was strangely easy. It fit, like a perfect wetsuit. Snug, warm and protective.
    Jesus, his busted foot was making him all sappy. He focused back on Matt and Corey and their debate about what to do with the steaks.
     
    Matt was heading back into the house when he noticed Mrs. Kedding next door wrestling with the tap on the side of her house.
    “Hey, Mrs. Kedding. Need some help there?”
    She looked up, her white hair standing up on end around her head, her face red. “Fecking tap is stuck shut.”
    Matt hid his grin and vaulted over the wood fence between their yards. “Let me try.”
    Yep, the tap was good and stuck.
    “I’ll get a wrench,” he said. “Be right back.”
    In his garage he found what he needed. He returned to the deck where Corey and Dylan sat all cozy, drinking beers and munching chips. “Hey, guys, I’ll be right back. Gotta help my neighbor with something.”
    They basically ignored him, so he shrugged and jumped back over the fence, quicker than walking around and using the gate. He smiled at Mrs. Kedding and held up the wrench. “Here we go.”
    He fought with the outdoor tap and finally got it loose and turned the water on. “It’s kind of rusted,” he said. “Might need a new tap. But in the meantime let me spray some lube…er, I mean lubricant on it.”
    He caught Mrs. Kedding’s little grin and with a hot face he returned to his garage to find the WD-40. Jesus. The old lady was no prude, as he well knew, even though she was in her eighties.
    He got her all fixed up and got the hose going so she could water her flowers. “Thank you, Matt,” she said. “You’re