Forever The One (Meadowview Heat 1; The Meadowview Series 1)

by Rochelle French

  “Good for you! And say hi to Peter. Make sure to say his name—guys love it when you say their name. And get a little into his personal space. Without touching him, of course,” Chessie added quickly.

  “I’m just a little freaked, that’s all,” Lia admitted.

  “So calm your nerves, get a grip, and then go say hi. My brother’s always happy to see you, and it’s not like Peter doesn’t know you.”

  Fine. She’d give herself a few moments to calm the butterflies in her stomach, then go over and make up something to say to Jack, then say hello to Peter. Baby steps. Placing a hand on her stomach and willing it not to throw up, she stood. “Fine. I’ll do it.”

  “Good girl.” Chessie smiled broadly at her.

  “Go for it. Be brave,” Sadie added.

  The firefighters still hadn’t noticed her and her friends in their booth, so she still had time to gather her strength.

  A large group of tourists that had been seated at a table in the middle of the pub stood, tossing bills onto the table, and gathering their heavy jackets and purses. In moments, they’d exited the pub, headed out into the crisp autumn air, still happily chatting. Once the door closed behind them, silence traveled over the pub. Lia peered around the corner of their booth to spy on Jack’s table. The three other firefighters at his table laughed loudly at something one of them said.

  “Yeah, and that Lia Sawyer?”

  Lia recognized the voice of Gary speaking her name. She froze. The men at the table were talking about her?

  “She comes off all frigid,” Gary continued. “She’d probably be boring as hell in bed.”

  Oh God. Gary actually said she was frigid. And that she’d be boring in bed. And he’d said that in front of the others. Even in front of Jack, her own friend.

  Embarrassment burned Lia like fire whipping through an autumn forest—then a horrible, sinking feeling brought bile to her throat as a memory flashed over her. “You suck in bed, Lia. You’re as sexy as a frigging drowned rat, and you look just about as good.” The memory caught her, clutched her in its claws, and tried to pull her down to the black pit. She dropped her gaze to stare at the rough wooden floor and felt her mind start to slip away.

  No. She gave her head a quick shake. She wouldn’t let herself go there. She wasn’t going to let her mind plunge into that dark hole, not after she’d worked so hard for the last two years to banish that cruel and nasty voice from her head. She sucked in a deep breath and focused on regulating her breathing.

  “You don’t know what the hell you’re talking about.” Jack’s voice burrowed through the thick miasma. “Lia is amazing. Any man would be damn lucky to have even a chance with her.”

  Her racing heart started to settle. Thank God for Jack, sticking up for her. She focused on her breath, willed the muscles in her diaphragm to relax. In, out. In, out.

  “I agree,” another of the firefighters said.

  Wait—was that Peter who’d agreed with Jack? With her breath now steadied, she risked another peek at the firefighter’s table. Next to her, she could hear Chessie and Sadie fuming under their breath at Gary’s callous comment.

  “She’s cool,” Peter continued. “And she’s hot. That tiny body of hers? All that long black hair and matching eyes? Totally fine.”

  “It’s one thing to look hot and another to actually be hot,” Gary said.

  “Yeah, but I’d still tap that,” Peter responded.

  Jack frowned and half-rose from his seat, but Peter motioned him back down, then said, “I get it, dude, she’s your friend. No disrespect meant. Let me rephrase: I’d ask her to the Fireman’s Ball, treat her right, and then maybe tap that. If she’s into it, of course.”

  Jack said something in response to Peter’s statement, but Lia didn’t catch it. Slowly, she turned back to Chessie and Sadie.

  “Gary’s a douche,” Chessie snapped out, frowning.

  “Peter thinks you’re hot, though!” Sadie whispered loudly.

  “But Gary said—”

  Sadie waved her hands at Lia. “Forget what Gary said. He’s an idiot. I’ll go smack him upside the head.” Her sister-in-law reached across the table to hold Lia’s hand in hers—her long, perfectly manicured nails a sharp contrast to Lia’s short, bitten ones.

  Chessie shook her head. “Violence never solved anything, Sadie. But Lia, I’ll bake a loaf of pumpkin bread with a ton of Maalox in it and leave it on his doorstep.”

  “No,” Lia answered sharply. “There will be no smack-down, and certainly no laxative-laden baked goods.” She loved her friends, but they could be overprotective at times.

  “So what are you going to do about the fact that Peter Leary mentioned he might ask you to the Fireman’s Ball?” Sadie asked.

  “I have a difficult time believing he was serious. Peter goes for the gorgeous girls—the ones with big boobs and long legs and who can probably tie a cherry stem in a knot with their tongues. The ones who knew every sexual position in the book. Positions I know nothing about.”

  “So what if you don’t—haven’t you heard of the Kama Sutra?” Chessie asked. “I checked—Meadowview Public Library has a copy. That, and The Joy of Sex.”

  Good God, how did Chessie know these things? Lia sighed deeply, letting out tension with her breath. Her friend was right, in a way. It wasn’t her lack of experience getting in the way. It was her mind. But she could feel her body and her brain start to shut down. She’d had all she could take for one day.

  “I’m not ready to talk to him tonight. Just knowing he’s interested is enough,” she admitted. “Do you mind if we go out the back? I don’t want any of them to know we overheard their conversation.”

  Within seconds, the three friends had stolen their way out the back. As the girls walked her home down the cobbled streets to her second-story apartment, Lia thought about Gary’s hurtful words, the way Jack had stuck up for her, and Peter’s interest in asking her out.

  A date to a dance could be a safe experience. She closed her eyes and tried to imagine herself dancing in Peter’s arms. Being held by him. Touched by him. The idea sent her tummy twisting with anxiety, but she couldn’t deny that mixed in with her fear was excitement.

  She didn’t want to jump into the fire again without thinking things through, but she had to admit the idea of dating again sounded like the first big step. For the first time in a long time, she felt like the girl she’d been before she’d married Vance.

  And she felt hope.

  By the time Lia got to her front door, however, reality had settled in. She couldn’t kid herself. Thinking she might be ready to start dating again was one thing. Being ready to give a red-blooded man like Peter what he’d inevitably come to expect after a few dates was something completely different.

  Sex.

  No way was she ready. No freaking way. So was there really any point in dating a man unless she could honestly say she’d be ready when the dating turned into something more?

  No, as nice as it had been to feel those little tingles of desire earlier, she was nowhere near ready to start a romantic relationship. She’d stick to what she was comfortable with for now. Friendship.

  Friendship like the one she had with Jack, a man who she could always count on. A man who always made her feel safe. A man who wouldn’t push her to give more than she was ready to give.

  But she couldn’t stay this way forever. At some point, she needed to break free.

  * * *

  Jack fell in love with his best friend’s younger sister years ago. Lia’s been a widow for two years now and it’s time he asked her out. Only when she comes to him with a bizarre request—give her lessons on how to be touched by a man so she can date one of Meadowview’s hot firefighters—his entire plan is thwarted. Reluctantly, Jack agrees to Lia’s plan but secretly creates one of his own: during the course of their “lessons,” he’ll make sure she falls in love—with him! Read the rest of their love story by clicking to purchase Trusting the One. Hope you enjoy!
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  Copyright © May, 2014 by Rochelle Davisson

  Bloomfield Publishing

  This book was previously published as “Saving Sophie” by Elle Amery, copyright 2008, “Once an Obsession” by Bella French, and “Sophie’s Sacrifice” by Elle Amery, copyright 2013, and has since been significantly revised.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the copyright owner. This e-book is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This e-book may not be re-sold or given away in any manner.

  Publisher’s note: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

  ISBN: 978-1-62517-675-2