His Curvy Friend E-Book

Mary E. Thompson

• Herausgeber: BluEyed Press
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

Ian
You know the worst thing about falling in love? Getting friend-zoned. 
I was patient. I waited five years for her to end her last relationship. For her to realize he wasn’t good enough for her. For her to be ready to move on. 
I was done waiting. I had to tell her the truth. That I wasn’t the same guy I used to be, bringing home every woman in our small town. That I was the guy she was sharing secrets with on the online dating app. That I was single, and ready for her to be mine. 
I had to tell her I loved her. 
But what if she didn’t feel the same? 

Blake
“He’ll back off if I kiss you.” 
Talk about blowing up my world. I was dumped me because my ex thought I was in love with my best friend’s brother. Now, Ian wants to kiss me. In front of my ex. 
I’m so damn tempted. Every woman wants Ian. I’m no different. 
But kissing him crossed a line. A line I wasn’t sure I could come back from. Could I stop at one kiss? 
Not likely. 
But I also couldn’t keep him at a distance like I did with everyone else. He would learn everything. 
And not just how much I wished he could be mine, but also why he never could be. 

Leseprobe

HIS CURVY FRIEND

A SMALL TOWN CURVY GIRL ROMANCE

BOOK BOYFRIENDS WANTED

BOOK ONE

MARY E THOMPSON

His Curvy Friend

Book Boyfriends Wanted, book 1

Copyright © 2019 Mary E Thompson

Cover Copyright © 2021 Mary E Thompson

Cover Photo from depositphotos, Copyright © curaphotography

Cover background from depositphotos, Copyright © tomert (lights) and Milanares (blue)

Cover watercolor stripe from depositphotos, Copyright © ronedale

Published by BluEyed Press, All Rights Reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. All characters, businesses, locations, and events are either products of the author’s creative imagination or are used in a fictitious sense. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-944090-82-1

Print ISBN: 978-1-944090-83-8

Audiobook ISBN: 978-1-944090-84-5

Created with Vellum

BOOK BOYFRIENDS WANTED

Welcome to MacKellar Cove, a sleepy little town nestled in a quiet cove on the St. Lawrence River. Grab a drink at the bar where all the locals hang out. Join the women for a talk about life and love at the local bookstore. Just be careful because it’s still a small town so everyone knows everything about everyone else. Which is why the most popular dating app doesn’t include pictures.

Grab a drink, and a slice of cake, and meet your favorite book boyfriend. We want them all!

BOOK BOYFRIENDS WANTED

His Curvy Secret (subscriber exclusive)

His Curvy Friend

His Curvy Wife

His Curvy Treat

His Curvy Frustration

His Curvy Gift

His Curvy Outcast

His Curvy Nurse

His Curvy Ex

His Curvy Craving

His Curvy Genius

His Curvy Fantasy

His Curvy Boss

His Curvy Infatuation

His Curvy Stranger

His Curvy Seduction

SUBSCRIBE NOW AT MARYETHOMPSON.COM

CONTENTS

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Epilogue

About the Author

To every woman who ever felt like she wasn’t enough…you are.

1

BLAKE

I was already staring at the ceiling when my alarm blared. The sun hadn’t woken up yet, but I had. I’d been up for over an hour and dreading the day for months. I would get through it, but it wasn’t going to be a good day.

I slapped the screeching alarm and climbed out of bed. I took a fast shower to help me wake up then got dressed in my normal uniform of jeans and a black tee with Cracked scrawled over my large left breast and a bigger version of the logo on the back.

I tied my hair up into a ponytail and added a touch of mascara and a little lipgloss. Not that I was trying to impress anyone, but it helped me feel a little more prepared to face the day. When I admitted to myself I couldn’t delay any longer, I took a deep breath and left my house.

The walk to Cracked only took a few minutes. Even a curvy girl like me made the trip quickly, but when the heat of summer finally moved in, it would take me a little longer if I wanted to avoid being drenched in sweat all day.

Megan, one of my coworkers, was coming from the other direction when I walked down Caroline Street. We met in front of Cracked and hugged. It was going to be a tough day for all of us.

Lights were on inside, and the kitchen was already bustling. We had an hour before we opened, but biscuits were going in the oven, batter was being mixed, and coffee was brewing.

“Hey,” Jean, another coworker, said, giving Megan and I both hugs. “This day sucks.”

We nodded in agreement. Of all the things Georgia asked us to do before she died, none of us thought celebrating her sixtieth birthday with a celebration of her life would be hard, but now that the day had arrived, it was almost impossible.

Earl, the owner of Cracked and our boss, called out from the kitchen and waved with his spatula. We waved back and set to helping Jean while Earl cooked breakfast. We’d all agreed to have breakfast together this morning. It was a chance to share the start of the day with the people who saw Georgia daily.

Earl came out of the kitchen with a plate of pancakes, Georgia’s favorite, and lots of bacon and sausage. We grabbed one of the full pots of coffee and sat down.

We held hands and all said a private prayer or blessing or whatever. I asked Georgia to give me strength to be there for Karissa, her daughter and my friend, and to hold out for the kind of love she had with Eddie.

We squeezed hands and dug in to the food. Customers would be knocking on the door right at six if we didn’t open on time, so we ate quickly, sharing stories about Georgia.

“Did you ever hear about her first day here?” Earl asked.

I turned to look at him and shook my head. “Were you here?”

He nodded. “I’ve been here forever, baby girl. I hadn’t bought the place yet, but I was in the kitchen. Ms. Georgia was a new mom the day she walked in here. She had that sweet baby girl of hers strapped to her chest and she marched in that door and demanded she talk to the manager.”

“No,” I breathed. Georgia was always confident, but even I struggled to imagine her having that kind of gall.

Earl chuckled, his teeth bright against his dark brown skin. His shaved head and face made him look younger than he was. I guessed he was pushing seventy, but I really had no idea.

“Oh, she did. She said that she was going crazy at home with a new baby and she needed to work. Kathy was our manager then and she asked if Georgia had any experience. She said no, but she would learn quickly as long as she was given a shot and plenty of breaks so she could nurse her new baby,” Earl said with a laugh.

“She demanded breaks and to bring Rissa with her?” I asked.

Earl nodded. “She was always a pistol. I never thought she’d be gone from here before me.”

The overwhelming sadness slapped me across the face. It stole my breath and had me closing my eyes.

“None of us ever thought we’d be here without Georgia,” Jean said. “It’s not the same without her.”

I forced a smile and tried to fake that I felt it. “You guys are all coming to the party Saturday night, right?”

They all nodded back. “Wouldn’t miss it,” Jean answered for everyone.

“Thanks. You know it’ll mean a lot to Rissa to have as many people there as possible.”

“How is she doing?” Megan asked. Megan was a few years older than me, but we’d become friends over the last year. She started working at Cracked when Georgia got sick and had to back off her hours. When Georgia found out she wouldn’t be back, Megan agreed to take the job full time and got to know the woman she was replacing. It wasn’t easy to have someone else step into Georgia’s shoes, but Megan honored Georgia with everything she did.

I shrugged. “I haven’t talked to her in a couple days. She’s been working on a new app and is really busy. I don’t know if she’s trying not to think about today or if she’s just under a deadline.”

Karissa was a brilliant programmer and had a knack for developing apps that quickly went viral. She’d been secretive about her latest project, but she was close to finishing it last I heard.

“If today is this hard for us, I can’t imagine how she’s feeling,” Jean said.

I nodded in agreement.

We finished our breakfast and cleaned up our seats. Earl went back into the kitchen while Jean, Megan, and I set the dining room up and refilled our own coffee cups.

Megan opened the door just before six to let in the customers waiting for breakfast. All the regulars knew it was Georgia’s birthday and walked in with solemn faces and little fanfare.

I took orders and shared Georgia stories. For the first hour, it was hard to keep it together as everyone wanted to talk about her. A few of the guys who’d been her regulars for years got choked up.

By the time the early morning group headed out, I was ready for my five hour shift to be over so I could hide under my covers and cry instead of having to smile. I cleared tables and stocked creamer, sugar, and jelly. When the door opened again, I turned to tell the new guest to sit wherever they wanted and saw Ian Jameson.

Ian’s sister had been my best friend forever, and Ian was…he was Ian. We were friends, too, but he’d become more in the months since we lost Georgia. I’d known him forever, and he was sort of like a brother to me also.

Except for the fact that he starred in some of my fantasies lately. Okay, all of my fantasies.

“What are you doing here so early?” I asked him with a teasing grin.

Ian didn’t get up before ten most days. When he did, it was major. For him to be walking into Cracked just after seven in the morning was a shock.

“I wanted to check on you,” he said softly once he reached my side. He kissed my cheek and lingered, pulling me into a hug.

I wrapped my arms around his neck, enjoying the embrace almost as much as I enjoyed the strength I got from him. “I’m okay,” I said.

He pulled back and studied me carefully. I tried not to think about what he saw. My ponytail was likely messy by now, maybe even with something in it. My shirt had been clean two hours ago, but it had a smear of butter at my waist where my belly brushed over a plate without me realizing it and something sticky on my right breast that was probably syrup. And I was sweaty, because chubby girls were sweaty girls.

“Are you sure?”

I nodded. “Yeah. It’s not easy, but I’m okay. Why are you really here?”

He shrugged. “I hear breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

I laughed and rolled my eyes at him. “Are you staying or are you on your way somewhere?”

“I’m staying. If that’s okay.”

“Of course. You can sit wherever you want.”

“Where’s your section?” he asked.

I pointed. “Any of those tables and the counter is mine.”

He squeezed my hand and winked. “I’ll grab a seat at the counter.”

I nodded and finished what I was doing then went back to where he sat. I didn’t want to appear too excited to see him, but it wasn’t every day Ian stopped in when I was working. Still, I knew his order without asking.

“The usual?” I asked him when I made my way over. He already had a cup of coffee with one creamer and his menu was closed next to him.

He nodded. “Always. Thanks, babe.”

I smiled, put his order in with Earl, grabbed plates from the window for another table, and checked in with customers who’d finished eating. When I made it back to Ian, he was watching me.

“What?”

He shook his head. “Just impressed with how you do this.”

“What?”

“Talk to people all day. I couldn’t do it.”

“You talk to people,” I argued.

He shook his head. “I talk to one customer at a time, then they go away and I work on their boat for a few weeks. You’re dealing with multiple groups at once and always have a smile for everyone.”

I shrugged. “I’m used to it, I guess. I don’t really think about it.”

The door opened and I glanced up with an automatic smile. I froze, my eyes going to Ian before going back to the man at the door as he walked closer.

I dated William Hogan for almost five years. It had been almost nine months since he dumped me, all because he thought I slept with the man he was about to take a seat next to.

“Hey, Blake. Can I get a coffee?” William asked, sliding onto the stool one away from Ian.

I nodded, turning away from Ian to grab the coffee.

“Willie,” Ian said, using the nickname he’d given William, even though he knew William hated it.

“Ian. I guess I should have expected you to be here,” William said.

I poured his coffee and played chicken, carrying the pot around to the rest of the restaurant filling mugs for everyone I spotted with less than a full cup.

By the time I made it back to the counter, William was scowling and Ian looked pissed.

“I’d like to order,” William said.

I nodded and pulled my notepad out of my apron pocket.

“Two poached eggs. Dry rye toast with butter, not margarine, on the side and grape jelly. Four slices of bacon.”

I wrote it all down and looked up. “Is that everything?”

“Yes,” William said.

I nodded and put his order in. Ian’s was ready, so I grabbed his plate and set his food in front of him.

“Looks great, babe. Thanks,” Ian said.

I didn’t think anything of him calling me ‘babe,’ but apparently William did. He grunted and huffed a laugh. A part of me wanted to explain to him that Ian called me that for years, but I didn’t owe William anything anymore. He broke up with me.

I busied myself with other customers until William’s food was ready. I set the plate in front of him and asked if he needed anything else. He looked around and said no, then dug in to his breakfast.

Ian’s plate was empty so I took it and set it in the dish bin and asked if he wanted anything else.

“Another cup of coffee would be great,” he said with a grin.

I nodded and poured him another cup, sliding a creamer in front of him to add to it. I put the pot back and leaned against the counter, watching the mostly empty restaurant.

The low moments were always the moments I talked to Georgia. She was constantly sharing wisdom and advice. She had an encouraging word for everyone and a smile and joke whenever you needed one.

The emotion got to me for a second, and I needed to get away. I tore off the bills for both men and set them on the counter, then left the floor. There was nowhere to hide, but the bathroom was a single stall and, thank God, it was empty.

I stuffed the back of my hand in my mouth to stifle the sob that wrapped around my throat and tried to push its way out. I sucked in a breath through my nose and blew it out again, over and over, until the need to cry passed.

I washed my hands and took a deep breath, then unlocked the door and started to leave.

Only to be pushed right back into the bathroom, the door closed and locked behind us.

“Ian, what are you doing?” I demanded.

“You’re not okay, babe. Come here.” He wrapped his arms around me and tucked my head under his chin.

I wanted to resist him, but he was there and he cared. I slid my arms around his waist and held on tight. Five minutes. I could take five minutes.

I let the emotions run, crying hard. My nose ran and my eyes flooded. The sobs I choked back a minute ago rushed right back to the surface and erupted from me.

Ian just held me, his warm hands gliding up and down my back in smooth, even strokes. I hated that he felt the ripples of my chubby back under his perfect palms. I couldn’t hide my curves, but I did everything I could to mask them.

I pushed all thoughts of my excess of curves away and tried to slow my tears. After a few minutes, I finally calmed enough to pull back from Ian.

He wiped the tears from my lashes and cupped my jaw, tilting my head up to look at him. “Feel better?”

I smiled and nodded.

“Good,” he said, pulling me back in and kissing my forehead. “I wish I could take this pain from you.”

“Me, too.”

He chuckled. “Willie’s gone.”

I laughed softly. “Did you run him off?”

He shook his head. “I didn’t do anything.”

I nodded. It didn’t matter either way. William was a customer, nothing more. I didn’t want him to be more. We were over, and I was okay with it.

Ian finally let us out of the bathroom, and we nearly ran into Jean. Her dark brows went up, but she didn’t make a comment. I would definitely hear about it later, though.

Ian paid for his breakfast and kissed my cheek before he left, putting a huge tip down with his bill. I started to chase him out, but I could give half of it back to him another time. He knew I hated when he gave me a massive tip.

The rest of the morning went by quickly until a dark-skinned woman with wide, excited eyes walked in just after nine. The expensive purse on her shoulder and the MacKellar Cove sweatshirt said she wasn’t a local, but she definitely looked like she knew where she was.

“Are you here for breakfast?” I asked her, holding a menu.

She nodded and gave me a kind smile. “I am. Thanks.”

“You’re welcome to sit anywhere you’d like,” I said with a return smile.

She zeroed in on the stools at the counter and sat on one of them. I set her menu in front of her and offered her coffee.

“Oh, yes, please. I left really early this morning to get here. Can I ask you a question?”

I nodded. “Of course.”

She drew a deep breath and smiled. “I was here a year ago, and there was a woman working here. We talked for a while about, well, a lot of things. Her name is Georgia. Is she here by any chance?”

I sucked in a breath and smiled. It wasn’t the first time a customer asked if Georgia was around. Everyone knew her. With visitors, I rarely told them the whole story, though. Just that she wasn’t around.

“I’m sorry, but she’s not here.”

“Oh,” the woman said, her face falling. “She promised me she’d be here today.”

“She did?” I asked. That didn’t sound like Georgia. She loved her customers, but she didn’t usually schedule time to see them again. Even the regulars knew Georgia took a day off once in a while and didn’t work seven days a week.

The woman nodded, her tight curls bouncing with the movement. “Maybe it’s silly, but today’s my birthday. She told me it was hers, too. When I was here a year ago, I told her I’d love to live here. She convinced me I should, and I finally made it happen. I have everything I own in my car outside, and I move into my new condo today. I was really looking forward to telling her I did it. And having a familiar face in town since I don’t know anyone.”

Well, shit. I had to tell her the whole truth after that confession…and it was going to hurt.

I drew a deep breath and smiled. “I’m Blake,” I started.

“Hi, Blake. Trinity.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Trinity. I’m friends with Georgia’s daughter. Her name is Karissa.”

“Oh, would she know where her mom is? I brought her something. Maybe you can give it to Karissa to give to her mom?” She dug into her purse. “It’s a necklace. I make jewelry and she commented on the piece I was wearing last year. I wanted to thank her for talking me into following my heart and living my dreams.”

My breath stuttered as I inhaled. “Trinity, I’m sorry, but Ms. Georgia died a few months ago.”

“What?” she asked, her smile crumpling. “No.”

I nodded. “She had breast cancer. She didn’t know how bad it was until it was too late.”

“No,” she said again.

I nodded, choking back my own tears as Trinity’s raced down her cheeks.

I stepped around the counter and hugged the other woman. Trinity turned into my embrace and held on to me. I hugged her, knowing I couldn’t provide the same comfort Georgia would but doing my best to console the sobbing woman in my arms.

“She okay?” Jean asked softly, stopping behind me.

“Georgia,” I replied, knowing nothing more needed to be said.

Jean patted me on the shoulder and continued on.

Trinity hiccuped and drew in a breath. “I’m so sorry.”

I shook my head as I stepped back. “Trust me, I’ve had more than my share of moments doing the same thing. Georgia never wanted us to cry over her, but she was an amazing woman. It’s impossible not to miss her.”

Trinity smiled. “I only knew her for a few hours, but she was so nice to me. She really made me want to live a better life. To be happier.”

“Georgia had a way of inspiring people to do things they didn’t even know they wanted to do.”

Trinity chuckled. “That’s exactly what she did with me. Now I feel like a fool for moving up here because of a woman I knew for a few hours who isn’t here anymore. I hated the city because I didn’t know anyone, and I’m in a new town and still don’t know anyone.”

“Well, you know me. And a few blocks down is a bar called O’Kelley’s. Have you seen it?”

She nodded. “It’s by my new condo, I think.”

“Oh, you’re moving in to Waterfront Villas? Nice. Karissa and our other friend Finley live in one of those. Anyway, Saturday night, we’re having a party for Ms. Georgia at O’Kelley’s. Starts at seven, but we’ll probably be there until they close. You should come.”

Trinity shook her head. “No, I couldn’t impose.”

I smiled and put a hand on her arm. “I promise you, we’d love to have you join us. Please come.”

Finally, Trinity nodded. “Okay, I will. Thanks, Blake.”

I grinned. “It’s always good to have friends.”

2

By the time my shift was over, I was feeling better. I’d made a new friend, helped her feel welcome in MacKellar Cove, and I’d seen Ian.

If I was being honest, seeing Ian was always the highlight of my day, but I couldn’t tell anyone that part.

I went to the back to grab my bag before heading out, but Earl stopped me.

“Hey, let me talk to you a minute. Come here and flip pancakes with me,” he said in his gruff, affectionate tone. Earl was the kind of guy who hated to get emotional but always was. He loved all of us like we were his own kids even though he’d never had any. He’d never gotten married and never dated as far as I knew.

I took the spatula from him and flipped the row of pancakes in front of me while he added more to the griddle.

“I have a proposal for you. I’ve been thinking it’s time to update that big wall overlooking the square. And I want you to do it,” he said, not looking at me.

I couldn’t look at him either. Cracked was the first building west of the town square, which was really a huge park that took up three full blocks in the center of MacKellar Cove. The square was where everything in town happened. It was iconic for visitors, but also a meeting place for locals. Adirondack chairs sat on a small hill overlooking the water with pathways that ran into town. A wide sidewalk from the square led up and down the waterfront behind the businesses that lined the small cove set off from the St. Lawrence River. The square was the centerpiece of MacKellar Cove, and overlooking the square was huge for business at Cracked.

And Earl was trusting me to create something that would help bring in that business. Wow.

“Are you serious?” I blurted, unable to stop the words.

He chuckled. “Of course. Who else would I get? The other muralist in town?”

My heart cracked just slightly that he was hiring me because I was the only one around.

Then he said, “You’re my one and only choice, Blake. Because you’re the best, and you love this place as much as I do. I can’t imagine trusting this job to anyone else. And it will be a job. I’ll pay for the paints and supplies and your time. Starting today. Work up a few ideas and we can talk whenever you have them ready for me.”

Wow. I really couldn’t believe it. I’d painted a few small murals around town, but nothing the size of Cracked. It would be huge for me, for my career. And it was the kind of challenge I’d been looking for. Something other than nondescript water scenes that I painted on a regular basis to sell in the local gift shops. They paid the bills, but they didn’t always inspire me.

“I’d be honored,” I finally told Earl. “I…thank you.”

“There’s one more thing,” Earl said. He shuffled his feet and flipped pancakes, avoiding my gaze again.

“Spit it out, Earl,” I said with amusement.

He grinned and said, “I want Ms. Georgia in the painting.”

“What?” I breathed.

He shrugged and met my gaze with his own warm, sad one. “She was the heart and soul of this place for more than thirty years. I want people to know about her for another thirty or more. Eddie agreed to it. He said Georgia would have been honored.”

“What did Rissa say?” I breathed.

Earl avoided my eyes again.

“You didn’t ask her?” I half-shouted.

He shrugged. “I thought you could.”

“Oh, jeez, Earl. You know you should have talked to her.”

“I know, but I thought it might be easier coming from you. Will you talk to her?”

I nodded. We were all getting together that night to have our own quiet celebration for Georgia. I told him I’d figure out how to mention it to Rissa then headed out.

Instead of going straight home like I should have, I walked to the square so I could see the wall. I sat down in the middle of the first block, behind the Adirondack chairs on the grassy area that was a haven for young parents, and stared at the wall.

Ideas filled my head immediately, one flooding in after another. My fingers itched to start sketching, but I didn’t have a book with me. I didn’t even have a receipt from breakfast. I just had my mind, and I let it wander.

It wasn’t long before it was wandering toward Ian. More and more my thoughts were consumed by him. Ever since our trip to Hawaii where Georgia and Eddie got married, I couldn’t stop thinking about Ian. The way he held me close when we danced. The way his fingers teased my bare skin when he touched me. The way his eyes blazed with something dangerously close to need when I walked in on him in the bathroom.

I could still see the look in his eyes from that night. I didn’t realize he was in the bathroom when I got back to the room we shared. I’d been in the hotel bar with the rest of the girls, and I thought Ian wandered off in search of someone to spend the night with. The room was silent when I let myself in, and I assumed the housekeeper left the bathroom door closed for some reason. I never imagined I’d walk in on Ian, water from his shower still running in rivulets down his chest. My gaze tracked those drops until they disappeared in the thick patch of hair surrounding his semi-erect cock. He yanked his towel around his waist, breaking the spell I was under.

Then my eyes snapped to his and every cell in my body tightened with an undeniable craving. His hazel eyes were stormy. Lust filled. Soaked with as much desire as my panties.

I backed up and closed the door, figuring someone else was in there with him. Why else would he have that look in his eyes?

But he was alone. No one else walked out minutes later when he did, wrapped in that towel, to get clean clothes. I was already in bed, covers pulled up to my neck, wishing I was alone so I could slide my hand into my panties and take care of the throbbing ache.

That was the moment I knew I needed to break up with William. He’d never looked at me like that. And I knew my friends were right saying it wasn’t worth being with someone who didn’t ignite that instant yearning in me.

The fact that William beat me to the break-up just meant I didn’t have to be the bitch who dumped him after five years of dating and a proposal gone wrong.

I repeatedly tried to think of a time William made me half as turned on as Ian did with that one look and couldn’t come up with one. It really wasn’t fair that the only man who sparked my desires that much was a man I couldn’t have. Even if he wasn’t my best friend’s brother, Ian wasn’t a commitment kind of guy.

I sighed and told myself I needed to forget about Ian Jameson. He was a friend, but he didn’t want to be anything more, so I needed to stop thinking about him as more. It wouldn’t do me any good, and neither would fantasizing about him in public.

The sun was warm on my back as I walked home, letting me know summer was coming quickly. By the time I reached my door, my tee was sticking to my back and my thighs were chafed and sore. I stripped everything off in my room and tossed it all in the laundry basket in the corner. I needed a cold shower and some painting clothes so I could get some work done.

* * *

A few hours later, I jumped back in the shower to wash off the paint, then dressed in a loose pink top and jean shorts. We were having a mid-week girls’ night at Book Boyfriends Unlimited, Finley’s bookstore. It was a few blocks from Cracked on Riverview Road. She had a prime spot, right on the water where boaters could pull up to the nearby pier or anyone walking along the water could stop in. Finley was a die-hard romance fan and only sold romance novels, which worked out well for all of us since it was the only romance we had in our lives.

Finley already had the closed sign flipped when I got to the store. She locked the door also, since under normal circumstances, she would be open for business. I knocked and waited for her to let me in.

“Hey, hun,” she said, wrapping me in a hug. Finley was like the sister I never had. We were opposites in many ways, but we always got each other. And no matter what else was going on in our lives, we were always there for each other.

“How are you?” I asked her. Ms. Georgia was like a mother to all of us, and I wasn’t the only one struggling with the day.

She shrugged. “It’s been tough. I had a reminder on my phone that I’d forgotten to remove. And I set up the display to showcase her favorites, but it was tough to walk by it all day.”

I looked at the table front and center. Finley liked to ask locals what their favorite books were and maintained a display through the busy season with those selections. It gave everyone a chance to try out new authors. Ms. Georgia always participated. She was the one who got most of us into reading romance. She wisely told us the men in books weren’t real, but we needed to wait for men like them in our lives. Men who would say sweet things and do whatever it took to make us happy.

I was finally ready to listen to her.

“How was your day?” Finley asked after a minute.

I shrugged. “Pretty good. Earl wants me to paint a mural on the side of Cracked.”

“What?” Finley yelled. “Blake, that’s awesome. That’s not just pretty good.”

I smiled and added, “He wants Ms. Georgia to be in the mural.”

Finley’s eyes narrowed. “Karissa hasn’t mentioned this.”

“That’s because she doesn’t know yet. Earl asked Eddie, but he wants me to talk to Rissa.”

Finley huffed a laugh. “That was nice of him,” she added with a dash of sarcasm.

I grinned. “Yeah, tell me about it.”

Another knock on the door interrupted our discussion. Laura waved from the other side of the glass. She held up a plate that made my stomach rumble even though I didn’t know what it was.

“Hey,” Laura said once Finley let her in. “It’s Oreo cheesecake. Ms. Georgia’s favorite.”

Finley and I hugged Laura and the three of us headed toward the back where Finley hosted book clubs and our group of friends every week.

Laura uncovered her cheesecake just as there was another knock on the front door. Finley went to see who it was while Laura and I talked.

“How are things at the clinic?” I asked.

Laura gave me a sad smile. “Today was tough. We had all hoped Ms. Georgia would ring the bell.”

I nodded. “We did, too. How was Dr. Allison?”

Laura had a thing for her boss, who was Ms. Georgia’s oncologist. Dr. Allison was brilliant and kind, but he was stiff and cold. He never joked or laughed with his patients. He was all business, which was fine, except people needed to feel like they were still human and not just a diagnosis.

“He was his usual self,” Laura said softly. She defended him constantly, but there was only so much she could say about him when he acted like nothing bothered him.

“I guess you have to be detached in his world. Otherwise he couldn’t do his job,” I said, trying to be kind to the man. He did try to save Ms. Georgia, and he was well regarded locally and within the cancer community.

Laura nodded and looked up when Finley came back with Elise and Karissa. Karissa held up two bottles of wine. “I need to celebrate tonight.”

“What are we celebrating?” Laura asked.

Karissa’s grin was wide and bright, showing off her white teeth and the one with the slight turn to it. “I finished my app today. I think my mom inspired me. There was one thing I was working on, and she helped me get it straight today. It’ll be live in a few days, and I’m so excited about it.”

Karissa’s fingers flew over her phone before she turned it around for us to all see what looked like the front of a bookstore.

“Book Boyfriends Wanted,” Elise said.

Karissa nodded. “Yep. We’re always talking about how cool it would be if we could wave a magic wand and turn the book boyfriends we love into real men. Well, this will do it.”

“Your app is a magic wand?” Finley asked. One brow went up with her skeptical tone.

Karissa shook her head. “No, but it’s close. It’s a dating app, except everyone is going to be known because of their favorite characters. The questionnaire I developed has a lot of questions about who you are, but I added in a bunch that tell others who you are in a relationship and who you’re looking for. If you want a guy like Mr. Darcy, you’ll get paired with him. If you’d rather go for a Mr. Grey, you’ll get him. It takes everything we love about romance novels and puts it into the real world so we can find real men who act like book boyfriends.”

“Holy shit,” Elise said. “This is perfect.”

The rest of us murmured our agreement.

“Excellent,” Karissa said happily. She opened her wine and grabbed one of the cups on the table. “Because you’re all going to sign up and help me test it.”

We looked at each other and nodded. “Okay,” Finley spoke for us.

“Seriously?” Karissa asked. “I really thought it would take a lot more to convince you guys to give it a shot.”

“A chance to meet a man who’s going to love me like this guy?” Elise asked, holding up the book we’ve been reading. It was a new friends to lovers story with a dirty-talking, alpha hero. I totally understood her desire to find a guy like that.

Karissa nodded.

“Can I sign up now?” Elise asked.

Karissa laughed. “As soon as it’s live! I’ll let you guys know. And thank you.”

We dug in to Laura’s cheesecake and shared stories and advice we’d gotten from Ms. Georgia over the years. We drank Karissa’s wine and celebrated her app and Ms. Georgia.

It was a perfect night.

“I met someone today,” I told them after we’d finished the wine and eaten the entire cheesecake.

“Is he cute?” Elise said.

I shook my head. “Not a guy. A woman. She knew Georgia. Met her last year. They have the same birthday, and Trinity moved here today. She came in to Cracked and wanted to tell Georgia she finally followed her dreams and moved up here.” I pointed at Finley and Karissa. “She moved into your building today.”

“I remember Mom mentioning her. It was the first time she met anyone with her same birthday. She couldn’t believe it took fifty-nine years,” Karissa said with a smile.

“I don’t think I know anyone with my birthday,” Elise said. “That would be cool.”

“Yeah,” we all murmured.

“I invited Trinity to the party Saturday. I hope that’s okay,” I said.

“Of course,” Karissa said. “Mom would have wanted her there. Did you tell her?”

“That she died?”

Karissa nodded.

“Yeah, I did. She kind of freaked out that she moved to a strange town and the only person she knew wasn’t there. I told her we’d be her friends and invited her. I feel bad for her.”

Finley and Karissa exchanged a glance. “We’ll look for her in the building,” Finley said. “I wasn’t home all day so I don’t know where she moved in. There are still a few vacant units.”

“I was buried in my app and didn’t leave until I came here. I don’t know either,” Karissa said. “But we’ll meet her Saturday if we don’t figure it out before then.”

We were all a little quiet after that, thinking about Saturday and the party we were throwing. We were going to O’Kelley’s, but we knew most of the town would show up. Everyone loved Georgia, and they all wanted to celebrate her birthday.

We talked a few more minutes, then everyone cleaned up and headed out. I yawned and stretched, knowing I was going to be exhausted the next day. I was running on fumes already and would be even worse in the morning. But it was good to see my friends.

We all walked out together after Finley made sure the store was locked. We hugged in front and said goodbye then all walked off in the direction of our homes.

I thought about how happy Karissa was about her app and wondered if I should have said something to her about the mural. It was chicken of me to keep my mouth shut, but maybe once I had a few concepts, she could help me pick something.

That was what I told myself, at least. I hoped it was true.