Served Cold

by Marie Harte

  A little white lie has the power to bring a reformed bad boy to his knees.

  Best Revenge, Book 1

  Back in high school, Ann Weaver told herself getting ditched by Jack Bloom was for the best. At twenty-nine, she’s way over him. He was her first, but definitely not her last.

  On weekly wine night with her friends, the talk turns to regrets—and Ann finds herself pledging to fix her past, starting with confronting those who treated her like dirt. Her first target: Jack, who’s recently moved back to town to stay.

  But something’s different. He’s funny, kind, and amazing in bed. He acts like he really likes her, might even love her. Soon Ann is having a hard time remembering she’s only in it for revenge. Especially when she learns the real reason he dumped her.

  Jack is older, wiser, and has a hell of a lot of experience behind him. For a chance at a future with this grown-up, gorgeous Ann, he’s ready to do whatever it takes. Until her true motive for rekindling their romance comes to light, and Jack must decide if forgiveness is enough to let love push through the lie.

  Warning: A woman who’s out for revenge and encouraging friends rooting her on. May include sex in the outdoors, fun with salad, kissing in class, and a school teacher swearing like a sailor—not necessarily in that order.

  Served Cold

  Marie Harte

  Chapter One

  Bend, Oregon

  “Ms. Weaver? Andrew keeps poking me.”

  “But he started it!” Andrew protested.

  “Nuh uh. Josh saw you.”

  Josh confirmed Andrew had started it, as did a few other students.

  Ann drew in a deep breath, counted to five, then slowly let it out. A glance at the clock showed another ten minutes until school let out for the week.

  She gave the young troublemaker her stern face. “Andrew.”

  All it took was his name. He burst into tears and started stammering apologies. If only they were all so easy to manage. She broke apart two more squabbling seven-year-olds before returning to Andrew.

  God, what a long week. I need a drink.

  After calming him down, she restored order to the class. For once, it took little effort to get them to clean their desks before struggling into their jackets and backpacks.

  “Ryan, put your jacket on.” That one was always trying to sneak around in short sleeves, and with early October bringing a bite to the air, she knew his mother would appreciate him bundling up.

  He smiled, showing a missing front tooth. “Yes, Ms. Weaver.”

  Once the scamp put on his jacket and got in line with the others, she checked the time and gave a sincere smile just as the bell rang. “Okay, guys. See you Monday.”

  With a cheer they left the room to their parents and bus lines, and Ann puttered around the room so she too could leave. The weekend couldn’t have come at a better time. Though school had recently started, Halloween already loomed on the horizon. The kids had started chatting about costumes and candy, excited about the prospect of a parent-endorsed sugar rush.

  Her phone buzzed and she read the message. She texted back a confirmation on wine night at Riley’s. A professional baker, Riley always had the best goodies at her house. She was their go-to girl for gatherings since Maya could barely boil water, and Ann couldn’t compete with Riley’s prowess in the kitchen.

  More than ready to head out, she left, talking to current and past students as she started her walk home. On her way, she saw Josh hanging out of the car waving madly. She knew he lived close by.

  “Bye, Ms. Weaver!”

  She smiled and waved back. Next to him she saw Laura Bloom, his grandmother, driving. Nice family…if one could forget about Jack Bloom. Even after all this time she hated to think of him, but having his nephew in class made it difficult to pretend he didn’t exist.

  She put him out of her thoughts, as she routinely did these days, and finished her walk home in peace. After tidying up the small cottage she’d been lucky enough to purchase, she changed into comfy clothes and read a book, wishing she’d had the funds to accompany her parents on their two month tour of Europe. Must be nice to retire, she thought, imagining her mother’s fascination with touring ancient castles and her father’s annoyance at managing the conversion rate of the Euro.

  A few hours later, she left for Riley’s with a bottle of wine, a plate of cheese and crackers and a solid attitude. She didn’t even have to knock before the door opened.

  “What took you so long?” Riley frowned at her, then smiled seeing the wine. “Ah. The price of admission. Welcome.” She took the food and wine from Ann’s hands before Ann could offer them.

  “I feel so used.” Ann brushed past the chef of the Terrible Trio—what friends and family had labeled them back in elementary school—and found Maya sitting on the couch, already drinking. “Am I late?”

  The frown on Maya’s face didn’t detract from her beauty. With rich coppery skin, dark hair, and dark eyes courtesy of her mother’s Native American roots, she made Ann feel like a pale frump by comparison. The blah redhead with freckles and an odd penchant for tanning—her one saving grace considering most redheads burned.

  “I had a hell of a day,” Maya complained. “I mean, bad with a capital B.”

  “Don’t ask.” Riley closed and locked the front door before making a beeline to the kitchen. Already the smells of freshly-baked something made Ann’s whole world better.

  “So what happened?” Ann smirked when she heard Riley’s muffled groan.

  “I’ll tell you what happened,” said Maya. “Some creep decided he didn’t like my prices on Etsy so he started two-starring my stuff. I mean, you don’t like the work, fine. But to rate me low because I charge for shipping, like everyone else? Suck it, dickhead.”

  “Nice mouth,” Riley yelled from the kitchen.

  Ann turned. “Why are you yelling? You’re like four steps away.” In a house with an open floor-plan. Just as cute and tiny as Ann’s place, Riley’s had all the charm of a fairytale cottage. Wooden floors, creamy walls, comfy furniture. And that dream kitchen where good, sugary things came to life.

  “I’m yelling because she gets hard of hearing when she’s drunk.”

  “I’m not there yet,” Maya protested. “Besides, I’m not drinking because I’m angry. I’m drinking because I’m hungry. Where the hell are my cookies?”

  “Cookies and wine. Yum.” The combination clearly indicated the trio’s lack of sophistication. Just the way they liked it.

  Ann settled beside Maya on the couch and watched Riley work. She looked more like a model than an actual baker, with cocoa skin, bright brown eyes, straight black hair pulled back into a ponytail, and a face that could have made millions in advertising.

  Tonight, Ann felt uglier than usual around her friends. She sighed. “Geez, Riley. Do you ever sweat?”

  “You want my bodily fluids in your food? Really?”

  Maya grimaced. “Christ. I’m drinking here. Do you mind?”

  Riley snorted. “Whatever. Just make sure you use a coaster.”

  “Yes, Mein Fuhrer.”

  Riley flipped her off with a dough-covered finger.

  Apparently done riling the cook, Maya tugged Ann to face her. “So, my day might have been bad, but yours is gonna get a whole lot worse. Get some wine in you.”

  Dreading the bad news Maya looked all too gleeful to share, Ann fetched herself a glass and sat back down. “Go ahead. Shoot.”

  “Drink first,” Riley ordered from the kitchen. “You’ll thank me later.”

  “So you know too?” Ann took a sip and eased into the couch. Better to be relaxed when getting hit by a mental two-by-four, in her opinion.

  Maya blew out a heavy breath and announced, “Jack’s back.”

 
; Ann faltered a moment, then took another sip. A big one. “Jack Bloom?” As if Ann cared about any other jack-off. She mentally high-fived herself for the pun.

  Maya regarded her with concern. “You okay?”

  “I teach his nephew. I expected to hear about him at some point from his family. I mean, Josh is in my class.” She shrugged, trying to appear casual. “So he’s back in town visiting?”

  “Back in town to stay, or so the rumor mill is spinning.” Maya finished off her wine, then started on the cheese plate.

  “How do you eat so much and stay skinny?”

  Maya shrugged. “Bad genes.”

  They chuckled. It was no secret Maya had issues with her long deceased mother. Old wounds took a long time to heal, a lot like Ann’s emotional quagmire anytime she thought about Jack Bloom. “He’s back.”

  “That’s what I said.” Maya watched her. “So?”

  “So what?”

  “So vent a little. Remind us all again what a stupid, lousy creep he was for breaking your tender heart at sixteen.”

  “Seventeen. And we’ve been through this too many times to count.”

  “Come on. He’s a loser and a shithead for getting you pregnant and dumping you in the same breath. For choosing Selena Thorpe of all people, a girl with breasts bigger than a pair of Goodyear Blimps.” Maya was on a roll. “For taking back his ring when he had the nerve to—”

  Riley cut in from the kitchen, “Let’s be fair. Ann didn’t even know she was pregnant before suddenly she wasn’t. A blessing in disguise, I’m thinking. And it’s not like he dumped her because he found out. He never knew.”

  Jack had never known about it, and she planned to keep it that way. A senior in high school planning to go to college, she hadn’t even thought about having a child. That nature had decided she wasn’t ready helped ease the grief she’d had over the incident. It still didn’t seem quite real, as if the experience had happened to someone else long ago. A faint memory, a bittersweet relief.

  “But he ruined you.”

  Ann frowned. “You know, Maya, you don’t have to be so dramatic about everything.”

  “Yeah, right,” Riley added. “Drama’s her middle name.”

  “Fine. ‘Ruined’ might be harsh. But the way he dumped you for that bitch Selena was just wrong, any way you look at it.” She held up her glass.

  Ann clinked it with her own. “Well, that’s true. But my cousin told me that Selena’s on her third marriage, so karma’s on a roll.”

  “I love karma.” Maya smiled. “Still, you need to get prepared to face that jerk. And let’s be honest. He might not have ruined you, but you sure don’t trust guys the way you used to. Not enough to date for more than a few weeks before you dump them. That all goes back to Jack.”

  “Not true.”

  Riley joined them with a plate of cookies. “I have to agree with Maya on this one. Not all guys are selfish idiots with the compassion of radishes.”

  “Radishes?” Maya cocked her head.

  “I’m in cooking mode. Gimme a break. Look, Ann, your parents are happy. And your dad is obviously a guy.”

  “No, really?”Ann deadpanned, but Riley talked over her.

  “He can’t be a total loser or your mom would have dumped him years ago, right?”

  Maya agreed. “I love your dad. My dad’s awesome, and Riley’s was great too. I mean, he didn’t kill her at birth and throw her back to the wolves, even though she was a scrawny, ugly thing. A lot like she is today.”

  Riley rolled her eyes. “Yes, I’m so thankful he didn’t murder his own child because I’m so hideous.” She’d lost him to cancer at a young age, but by all accounts Darius Hewitt had been an amazing man. “The point, Ann, is that you’ve let what Jack did mess you up when it comes to dating.”

  “Oh, and you’re any better? How’s your love life?”

  Maya snickered. “Try nonexistent. Say what you want about me, but when I want sex, I get it.”

  “Sure you do, Miss Ass,” Riley mocked.

  “Jealous?”

  “Please. This baby got back.” Riley smiled and bit off the head of a sugar cookie man.

  “You guys are terrible for my ego, you know that? After a week of dealing with hyperactive children, I’m told that I’m scared of men and made super-aware that I’m the only one of us that has no ass.” Ann drank more wine.

  “Ann, get real. You’re petite and hot. All the guys are after you.” Maya helped herself to a cookie and bit the man’s legs off. “I love these.”

  “You’re welcome.” Riley turned back to Ann. “She’s right. You could date, you just choose not to.”

  “I’m selective. That’s not a bad trait.” She pointedly glanced at Maya—the polar opposite of selective—who ignored her.

  “So what’s the plan?” Riley asked. “How are you going to handle Jack?”

  “I’ll handle him just fine. Don’t worry about me. But you? I saw Anson yesterday.” A blunt effort to change the subject, and it worked.

  Riley’s eyes burned. “That hack? I thought he lived in Portland.”

  “Apparently he’s back. Dexter’s in town too.” Dexter Black, Anson’s cousin.

  Maya choked on her cookie, then downed some more wine to clear her throat. “What’s going on? Did hell freeze over?”

  Ann smiled at the happy coincidence, no longer the only one under the gun. “It seems that fate has given us back our worst enemies. Time for some do-overs, ladies. I tell you what. I’ll deal with Jack, and I won’t be pleasant. Aren’t you guys always telling me that I’m too nice?”

  They nodded.

  “Not this time. How about some payback on the golden boy for treating me like crap? If he has the audacity to even try talking to me, I’ll make him wish he’d never come back.”

  “I’ll believe that when I see it,” Maya said.

  “Oh, you’ll see it. But you two have to stand up for yourselves too. Maya, you need to deal with the one boy who got the better of you. And, Riley, maybe you can finally put your rival in his place. What do you say?”

  Talking about vengeance out loud empowered Ann. Finally, she’d get Jack out of her mind and her dreams. Confront him head on, say what she’d been dreaming about saying for years, then leave him with his proverbial tail between his legs. Oh yeah, that totally had appeal.

  Maya just stared at her.

  “What?”

  “Color me impressed. You sound a little mean, Ms. Wea-ver,” she ended in a singsong voice, imitating any one of Ann’s students.

  “Hey, you try to deal with twenty six- and seven-year-olds all day. It turns you nasty.”

  “If she can do it, I can for sure.” Riley rubbed her hands together and gave an evil laugh. “Anson Black, you are so going down.”

  “No reneging,” Maya warned. “We see this through. It’ll make us all stronger in the end. Confronting fears, handling the past—”

  “Eating more cookies,” Ann recommended, and bit right into her cookie’s nether region.

  “Ouch.” Riley laughed and held up her own headless sugar man. “A toast to us. And may revenge be as sweet as the icing on my cakes.”

  Chapter Two

  Ann spent the remainder of her weekend running errands and seeing the latest thriller at the movies with her friends. She, Maya and Riley had been inseparable since the first grade, and she didn’t see that changing any time soon. Through the boyfriends, the challenges, the wins and losses each had experienced, they’d been there for one another.

  Now, they’d have their revenge.

  She’d have hers sooner than later, it seemed, because Monday afternoon, who should arrive to pick up Josh from school? None other than Jack “The Ass” Bloom.

  Her pulse raced and her whole body seemed to come alive. She could feel him looking at her through the classroom door while she pretended not to notice. She and a few mothers who’d been helping with a class project readied the kids to go home for the day.

  “Ms. W
eaver! Ms. Weaver! Uncle Jack is here.”

  She inwardly groaned but refused to turn and face his overwhelming presence until she was ready. “That’s great, Josh. How nice for him to visit you at school.”

  “He’s takin’ care of me for a week. Mom and Dad are on business in San Diego.”

  Terrific. She’d have to see Jack before, during and after she gave him his verbal ass-whooping. Ann stood straighter. This had been a long time coming. No point in half measures.

  Then again, with all the kids around, she’d probably have to delay their little talk. She had no intention of getting into anything with her students or their parents near. But if Jack tried to hang around…

  The bell rang. She told Josh he could open the door, and the students filed out.

  To her chagrin, the room emptied in no time and nobody came in, leaving her pumped up for a confrontation that didn’t happen. Feeling let down, she grabbed her coat and shoulder bag and headed home. Her heart raced when she saw Josh sitting in a car in front of her house. The boy must have told his uncle where she lived since he passed it every day going home.

  Be calm. Be cool. She slowed her pace and reached the car at the same time Jack got out. Good Lord. He’d gotten even better looking in the twelve years since she’d last seen him. Proof positive that life was not fair.

  He still towered over her at more than six feet to her five-four. Short brown hair framed a handsome face, from which his bright blue eyes blazed. Had luck been on her side, he would have gotten slovenly and out of shape. Instead, he looked muscular even under jeans and a blue sweater.

  “Well, well. When Josh told me Ms. Weaver was his teacher, I was hoping it was you.”

  To her shock, he enveloped her in a bear hug that took her off her feet.

  Familiar warmth, desire, and a need to be closer caught her off guard. She hadn’t expected him to be friendly—or that she’d be so receptive.

  Before she could struggle to be put down, he set her back on her feet. “Still as pretty as ever.”

  She felt as if she’d stepped into an episode of The Twilight Zone.

  “You used to know Ms. Weaver?” Josh asked through the open car window.