Chapter 1
Note to readers: This novella takes place after “A Forever Kind of Love” but before “A Wonderful Kind of Love”. It also contains characters from “Saltwater Kisses” and “Yours Completely”. You do not need to have read any of these books to enjoy this book.
Laura
“Oh God, it's him.”
Laura wished she could just melt into the floor and vanish for a few hours. Of course he had to come to this. He was the last person she wanted to see today.
“Who?” Mia asked, looking around. She still had brochures in her hands as she tried to organize the table.
“Ethan. Ethan White,” Laura answered. She tried to move behind Mia to hide, which wasn't too hard since Mia was pregnant and due in just a month. Mia shook her head and kept organizing the information table.
“Ethan?” Mia turned so that Laura couldn't hide as easily. “He's a sweetheart. I like him. Why don't you?”
Laura watched as he walked across the open space between the barn and the house. He hadn't seen her yet, which she was incredibly grateful for.
“We, kinda, sorta...” she shifted her weight, trying to find a tactful way to describe why she didn't want to see him. “We have a history.”
Mia raised her eyebrows, interest sparkling in her eyes. “Oh, I'm gonna need more than that.”
Laura sighed. “It was at the Christmas party two years ago.”
“Okay. That doesn't tell me much,” Mia told her, crossing her arms and waiting for more.
“We had a thing.” Laura shrugged. “At the party.”
“Okay. More.”
“We were both drinking and it was snowing and beautiful. There was mistletoe.” Laura blushed a little. “There was a lot more than just mistletoe.”
Mia looked at her and then back over to where Ethan was talking to another guest. She shrugged. “Just a thing? I would have jumped his bones, personally.”
“Mia!” Laura looked at Mia's very pregnant belly.
“What?” Mia asked innocently. “He's cute.”
“You'd jump his bones?” Laura looked aghast. “Aren't you married? And pregnant?”
Mia rolled her eyes. “I'm not saying I'd do it now. Sheesh.”
Laura just shook her head and went back to making the information table for the day's events look nice.
“So, did you jump his bones?” Mia asked after a moment.
Hot memories of Ethan's touch flashed through Laura's mind. She could almost feel the way his caress felt on her bare skin. And good lord, those kisses. They'd stolen her breath. She grinned.
“I did,” she admitted with the hint of a blush.
“You go girl,” Mia congratulated her. “Didn't I hear that that party was in a museum?”
Laura nodded. “I will never look at the Rocks, Gems, and Crystals exhibit the same.”
Mia laughed. “You have to give me more than that. I need details. I mean, details of why you don't want to see him now. Not necessarily what happened in Rocks, Gems, and Crystals.”
“Things were great. He gave me his cell phone number. Then I called him and his secretary picked up,” Laura explained with a shrug. “She told me to never call back. That he wasn't interested.”
“Ouch,” Mia replied. She frowned and looked over at Ethan. “That doesn't sound like him. Did you ever try again?”