Her Irresistible Troublemaker (A Town Named Eden Book 3)

by Parin, Sonia

  “Sorry, I’ve got first dibs.”

  * * *

  “I’m all out of energy.” Lexie couldn’t even think, her stomach felt so empty.

  “You sound forlorn and you’re looking across the road at the café. Are you trying to tell me something?”

  Lexie slumped against the bicycle handlebars. “My hair’s clumpy from wearing this bicycle helmet. I’m sure my cheeks are blotchy and I’ve sweated so much I must look like a drowned rat unfit for public consumption, but I’d kill for a chocolate muffin.”

  “You realize that’ll defeat the purpose of all this exercise.”

  “Baby steps.” They returned the tandem bike to the rental shop and strode across the street to the café, but as they neared it, Lexie felt second thoughts creeping in. She must look a mess. Then again, why would she care what she looked like?

  Ava gave her a gentle shove inside the café. “Don’t fuss. You look adorable in your polka dot shorts.”

  Lexie took a deep breath, put her blinkers on and arrowed her way to the counter.

  “You’ve just turned a couple of heads and all eyes were on your shorts. I want a pair. Where did you get them?”

  “It’s a little place called Le Thrift Store.”

  Ava chuckled. “That’s where all my impulse purchases go to find a new owner. Last time I went into a thrift store looking for a retro outfit to wear to a costume ball I fell in love with a skirt and bought it without realizing it was something I’d donated the week before. Now that I think about it, those shorts do look familiar.”

  “I should go shopping with you and make you buy stuff I like.” Lexie placed her order for coffee and a muffin. “I need a new dating outfit,” she shrugged, “Just in case… And I’m a bit short of disposable cash.” That reminded her about the chat she’d been meaning to tackle with Ava instead of meandering off into attraction la-la-land.

  She needed another source of income, preferably doing something she loved. For the last year, she’d been using her savings to get by and while the comic strip brought in a regular income, it wasn’t enough to splurge on impulse purchases. It definitely wasn’t enough to impress her parents. They still expected her to justify her leap of faith move to the city with a healthy bank account balance.

  “If you need money—”

  “I can always swallow my pride and ask my parents or my sister. But I’m rather attached to my pride, as well as my independence.” She shook her head. At twenty-five years of age she really needed to start focusing on creating a solid foundation for herself. “I need to get another job to supplement my income. Either that or cave in to my parents’ heartfelt desire and go back to school to study something practical.”

  Ava dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. “Your comic strip has a huge following. Why not turn it into a graphic novel?”

  Lexie frowned, and then widened her eyes. “You have to tell me how you come up with solutions without first tearing your hair out.”

  “Doing a graphic novel is the most obvious next step for you,” Ava explained in her breezy tone. “Surely you’ve thought about it.”

  “Well… Isn’t it early days yet?” She hated the uncertainty in her voice. In the last year alone she’d packed in a lifetime’s worth of achievements, turning a whimsical dream into reality. She’d been so shaken up by the car accident, she hadn’t stopped to think, to consider the negatives of taking such a huge leap of faith.

  If she’d been in full possession of her senses, she would have agonized over every detail, worrying about the unpredictable nature of trying something she knew next to nothing about, going around in circles until she talked herself out of even trying. Luckily, Ava had given her the necessary shove in the right direction, insisting she had nothing to lose and who knew what to discover.

  “Honey, you need to start taking a daily dose of Carpe Diem. Your fans would love to see more of Lulu McGee.”

  “I’m never short of ideas for Lulu’s weekly escapades. In fact, it’s always a struggle to keep it short.”

  “There you go. Problem solved.” Ava grabbed hold of her arm. “Before you scuttle off home to start working on your ideas, let’s see if we can find a table in the courtyard.”

  “You’re not giving me much of a choice.”

  “No, I’m not. You’ve been away for a month. We still need to catch up. And you can start by telling me how Jack Riley compares to your ex, Jamie.”

  “So much for trying to change the subject.”

  Ava shrugged. “I always thought Jamie was a bit effeminate. Did he even need to shave?”

  “Jack Riley’s all male.” With broad shoulders, a square chin, and an easy swagger that spoke of confidence and a massive male ego. “He was clean shaven when I first met him in the morning, but then I saw him in the evening and he was sporting a light bristle.”

  “You saw him again? You didn’t tell me about that,” Ava exclaimed as they stepped out into the courtyard.

  “I’m still trying to digest it all. He has this weird effect on me. He says something and I can’t help myself, I have to say something right back.”

  “Honey, that’s called having a conversation.”

  “I get the whole concept of talking but this is different. We sort of click but… we probably bring out the worst in each other. And now every time I open my mouth, I feel this unstoppable urge to go off on a tangent about him. You don’t even need to prompt me. I’m fixated. Obsessed. Consumed by thoughts of him. I’m…” She dug her fingers through her hair and grimaced. “Excited. I can’t explain it, but I keep hoping to bump into him again.”

  Lexie was about to give Ava a brief run down on the second face-to-face encounter she’d had with Jack the night before when her gaze landed on him. Her step faltered. She felt around for the life saving impulse that would urge her to turn around and head in the opposite direction, but her body refused to budge. “That’s him,” she whispered.

  “Give me a minute. My eyes are glued to the guy sitting next to him. And by the way, you sound breathless.”

  She felt it too. “Okay. You’ve seen him for yourself. Now let’s go.” Lexie knew it would be the sensible thing to do. She’d already seen far too much of him, enough to fire up her curiosity, but if she went any further... If she didn’t tread with care, she really would become fixated, and that could turn into a bad case of lovelorn infatuation and then she’d be doing far more than peering between the gaps of paper covering her windows.

  “What? No way. I want a closer look. I bet he has one of those delicious voices that always make me think of dark chocolate and honey.”

  Just then, Jack looked up, returned his attention to his coffee and then did a double take, his bright eyes landing on her. Lexie’s stomach dipped and tumbled. He gave her a nod of acknowledgment and when she didn’t immediately respond, he stood up.

  “What is he doing?” Suddenly, Lexie felt her choices narrowed down to taking a step toward him.

  Ava gave her a gentle prod. “He’s trying to catch your attention. It’s kismet. You keep bumping into each other.”

  “More like crashing into each other,” she said under her breath. “Well, hello there.” She managed to sound cheerful but then he gave her an unguarded smile that nearly had her tripping over herself.

  “The tables have turned today,” he said.

  She looked around and realized there were no free tables left.

  “You’re welcome to share ours.”

  Lexie couldn’t move past the feeling of having missed something significant, such as her cue to exit and run for her life.

  Maybe she’d been living too long inside her head. Filling her days with make-believe adventures, Lexie had to wonder if she’d worn out a groove and become accustomed to using Lulu McGee as a surrogate for the life she wouldn’t mind experiencing.

  Actually, she was doing okay.

  Since meeting Jack, she’d let him in to her apartment and she’d had an impromptu dinner with him.


  What would she do next?

  “I’m… I’m with my friend.”

  “And I’m with my brother. So I guess we’re sort of even.”

  “We really shouldn’t intrude.”

  He shook his head. “You wouldn’t be. He’s telling me a lot of stuff I don’t want to hear, so this is really good timing.”

  Chapter Six

  While Ava dove straight into an engaging conversation with Mason Riley, Lexie sank down on the chair Jack pulled out for her and struggled to string a sentence together. She told herself it had to do with the element of surprise, of finding him at her local café… again, but it was most likely because since meeting him she’d been asking herself more questions than she had answers for. What if she opened her mouth and they all spilled out?

  “You’re looking very sporty today,” he said.

  “Don’t be fooled by the sneakers. They’re only for show. We’ve been on a bicycle ride.” Going from tongue-tied to pouring the words out made her cringe, but measuring and censuring her words would give her too much thinking time and she’d probably end up losing herself in his eyes, and that could spell disaster for her. “Don’t tell me you’re slogging it out again today.” Her eyes slid along his forearms and danced between one speck of paint and the other.

  “I’m putting in half a day and taking tonight off.”

  Knowing he wouldn’t be around that evening left her feeling inexplicably bereft. “Will you be catching up with your life?”

  “I’ll be kicking back and watching a movie. What are you getting up to tonight?”

  “Sundays are my winding down days. I always watch a movie, either at home or at the local cinema, depending on the weather.” She stopped to draw in a breath and nearly lost her train of thought. There was a softness in his eyes she hadn’t noticed before and—

  She shook her head. Best to steer clear of his lips. “If it rains, I prefer to stay home,” she continued, “And because I don’t have air-conditioning, on hot days I like to cool down in the comfort of a cinema.”

  “So what do you do when it’s not hot or cold?”

  She gave a huffy burst of laughter. “I have one of those indecisive nights and end up watching TV, hopping from channel to channel looking for something to hold my interest.”

  “You should come over.”

  Her breath hitched. “Um… did you say…”

  “Come over.”

  “To your place?”

  He nodded.

  “You and me. At your place. Together.”

  “Yes.”

  Her lips parted then closed before she could say yes with the eagerness she felt bubbling inside her. “Are you serious?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be?”

  “It’s... out of the blue unexpected.”

  “Living on the edge strange,” he agreed.

  “And I’m not sure I even like you.”

  “Sure you do. Why else would you rescue me...” He leaned in as if about to impart a secret. “Twice now.”

  “Me? When?”

  “Now.” He looked over her shoulder at his brother. “And last night when you let me share your table.”

  “I feel like a caped crusader.” She gave Ava a discreet nudge but her friend seemed to be deep in conversation. Lexie shifted in her chair. The month she’d spent visiting her parents had broken up the tedium of spending her days and nights in her apartment. Usually, she stepped out for lunch and the occasional dinner but overall, her social life during the last twelve months had been...

  Uneventful. Boring.

  Monotonous.

  When she wasn’t working, she was avoiding herself and the barrage of thoughts that hovered in her mind by losing herself on the Internet, or dipping into the pile of books she couldn’t stop accumulating, or watching one of the many TV shows she enjoyed following. All solitary pastime activities.

  Good heavens, if she kept this up, her social skills would atrophy. She needed to introduce some variety into her life. Lexie knew Ava would agree. In fact, she’d probably say she was overdue for some much-needed stimulation, specifically, the type provided by men.

  “So you’re asking me out on a date.”

  He gave her a small smile. “I know you don’t like to date. Do we have to label it?”

  “It would help to know what I’m getting into. We’ve only just met.”

  He shrugged. “Is there a rule I don’t know about banning people from spending time together because they’ve only just met?”

  “I doubt it since society seems to have done away with all forms of etiquette, rules... boundaries—” She gestured with her hands, which probably made her look as flustered as she felt. “I’m sure that once upon a time we wouldn’t have been allowed to talk unless we’d been properly introduced and even then, it would have been deemed inappropriate to be in your company unless properly chaperoned.” Lexie’s heart pounded against her chest. What had all that blabbering like an idiot been about? She needed to stop, right now, and say something to throw him off, preferably something intelligent.

  “There’ll be beer and popcorn.”

  He was serious. And she hadn’t put him off with all her mindless dribble.

  “I have a super large screen TV and air-conditioning,” he added.

  “You’re making it impossible for me to say no.”

  “You can tell your friends you went out on a date. Get them off your back.”

  Lexie had the strangest feeling she was being cornered into admitting she really wanted to say yes to the movie and to spending more time with Jack Riley and to kicking back and relaxing around him and…

  It wouldn’t be a date.

  He’d only asked her because he knew she didn’t have the slightest interest in becoming involved.

  “You don’t have to make an effort and dress for the occasion. Wear whatever you throw on when you’re home.”

  Well, he’d sorted that one out quick smart, driving the nail straight home. If he didn’t care what she looked like or what she wore, then… he didn’t care. And it most definitely wouldn’t be a date without at least seventy-two hours notice. She’d read that somewhere.

  Lexie gave her bottom lip a light tug. If she said yes, she’d be crossing a defining line. From being acquainted and sharing a brief history of grumbling over his building to putting behind their conflict and jumping straight into…

  She had no idea what to call it.

  They weren’t friends but maybe he wanted to become friends and that would be a novelty for her because she hadn’t had a male friend since she’d moved away from the small country town where she’d grown up.

  “Do you have some sort of hidden agenda I’m not aware of?” she asked. “I know asking doesn’t make sense because if you did, then you wouldn’t tell me.”

  His eyes darted over to his brother and back to her. “Remember what you were complaining about last night?” Dating, he mouthed.

  He wanted to get his brother off his back?

  “Of course, if you’re still feeling ornery about the building I’ve forced you to live with, I’ll completely understand you not wanting to spend any time with me.”

  “I have been hard done by,” she mused out loud.

  “Can you think of a way for me to make it up to you, besides tearing down the building?”

  “Throw in some pizza and I’ll consider it.” She had enjoyed the time she’d spent with him the previous night. But how would she feel about going to his house? That would be a huge leap. Maybe she should suggest a public place.

  “Done.”

  Now she couldn’t say no and she’d sound stupid if she suggested meeting some place where she could feel immune to the sort of temptation Lulu McGee thrived on.

  He laughed. “You made me work really hard for that.”

  “Nothing ever comes to one, that is worth having, except as a result of hard work,” she said hoping he wouldn’t ask where the quote came from.

  “More reason for
me to look forward to tonight. I’ll text you my address.” Smiling, he rose to his feet. “I should get going and my brother has a wedding to get to. So I’ll see you tonight.”

  Lexie kept her eyes glued to him until he disappeared from sight, then she turned to Ava. “I’ve no idea how that happened, but I’ve just agreed to spend the evening with Jack and if this blows up in my face, I’m blaming my inner Lulu.”

  “Way to go, Lexie.”

  “It’s not what you think. He’s not interested in me. Apparently his brother’s on his back about not dating. And please stop giving me that blank expression. I know I’m reasonably good looking and shouldn’t have any trouble finding someone, but I’ve lived in my apartment for over a year, in a building occupied by a disproportionate number of eligible men. And, except for the times when they need sugar or milk, not a single one of them has ever given me the time of day.” Now someone who appeared to enjoy her company but wasn’t necessarily attracted to her had asked her out on a fake date. Her social life was on the up and up.

  “You haven’t noticed men noticing you because you’ve been too busy getting your life back in order. And do I need to point out the fact that you haven’t found any of your neighbors interesting enough to notice? Anyway, you shouldn’t discount the possibility that Jack is interested in you.”

  “And that’s where my problem lies. What if he is?”

  “Then you enjoy yourself. Go out and have some fun for a change.”

  “You make it sound so easy.” When her voice broke, she took a deep swallow.

  Ava gave a slow shake of her head. “Honey, you’re being understandably cautious but going by what you’ve told me about Jack Riley, he sounds like a decent guy. He’s not the type to take you on a wild ride while under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Remember, this is the man who covered your windows. Any other guy would have gone on enjoying the view.”

  Yes, she’d already worked that out for herself. Lexie shook the thought away and smiled. “How did you get on with his brother?”