Page 3 of Fall Into Temptation
Eva rolled her eyes. As the youngest in the family, she had a reputation for finding trouble. Her oldest sister Emma was a disciplined adult with schedules and spreadsheets. Gia was a multi-tasking forgetful yoga warrior. And Eva was the misunderstood dreamer. Their father insisted it was her natural sense of adventure that got her into trouble. Her sisters felt it was her disdain for responsibility. Eva thought both theories carried merit.
“I swear, this time I didn’t do anything. I was trying on clothes when Mayva’s grilled cheese on the hot plate set some inventory on fire.”
“So, you don’t need a lawyer?” Beckett clarified. He was one of Blue Moon’s infamous Pierces. A trio of brothers so attractive that a magazine had once tried to offer them all modeling contracts. They’d been more embarrassed than flattered.
“No lawyering necessary,” Eva winked at her brother-in-law. “But I appreciate the familial panic.”
“I guess we can get back to thatthing…” Beckett said, looking hopefully at Gia. The look on his face left no doubt as to what “that thing” was.
Gia flushed and grinned. “If you’ll excuse us, my husband and I have a… uh, lunch… meeting.” And just as she’d towed him inside, Gia dragged Beckett back out. “Glad you’re alive,” she called over her shoulder. “Bye, Eden!”
“Afternoon delight?” Eden mused.
“They look forward to the school year all summer long.”
Watching her sisters and their husbands enjoy their marital benefits made Eva feel the thinnest edge of jealousy. Not that she begrudged them their happiness. As far as she was concerned, her sisters were the best people in the world next to her father. It was just that she wouldn’t mind ending the dry spell that had plagued her since her move to the hippie town in upstate New York. In her case, a dry spell not only affected her personal life but also her professional life.
She sighed, and Eden joined her at the kitchen island. They lifted their beers simultaneously.
“Please tell me all the good men in town aren’t taken,” Eva groaned.
“I’m sure there are a handful left,” Eden predicted. She didn’t sound confident.
“So, you run a B&B?” Eva asked, changing the subject
“Yep,” Eden said, studying the beer bottle. “It’s just south of town. Big, rambling Victorian. Pond. Couple of fluffy dogs.”
“Oh! Right next to the winery!” Eva had seen the place. Three stories high with turrets, attic rooms, and an incredible navy, purple, and yellow paint scheme that somehow paid charming homage to both the architecture and the town. A burly pair of curly blonde dogs romped the grounds.
Eden grimaced at the mention of the winery and changed the subject. “What do you do for a living?”
“Oh, I’m a technical writer. Manuals and instructions mostly. Things like that.” The fib rolled off Eva’s tongue as glibly as the truth. Technically, up until a year ago, it had been the truth.
“That sounds…”
“Boring? Coma-inducing?” Eva supplied.
Eden laughed. “Hey, scrubbing guest toilets and baking muffins every day isn’t exactly glamorous. It’s like being a housewife to a bunch of strangers.”
“It’s amazing neither one of us has a drinking problem,” Eva joked. She raised her beer in a silent toast.
“How long do you think it will be before Sheriff Sexy lets us get our stuff out of the shop?” Eden asked.
“So, it’s not just me? He’s really that gorgeous?”
“Blindingly beautiful,” Eden agreed.
“He’s caught me in every embarrassing situation known to single women since I moved here. I think he thinks I’m an idiot.”
“It can’t be that bad.”
“He’s pulled me over for speeding the day after I moved in. I fell out of a tree almost on top of him at a picnic, and then I walked into a screen door carrying a cherry pie, and I just know he was watching.”
“Maybe he’s watching because he’s interested?” Eden suggested.
“Maybe he was watching because he considers me a menace to society.”
“At least he’s watching,” Eden pointed out, sliding onto a barstool.
