Match Made In Paradise by Barbara Dunlop (black female authors TXT) 📕

as she walked. The lace billowed slightly from her slender shoulders. Her neck was long and graceful. The swing of her arms and the length of her legs were miles and miles of sexy. And the back view was exquisite. The purple silk molded to her hips, cascading over the curve of her rear.

She was across the room now, but his hands still itched to reach out. He could almost feel her curves under his fingertips.

She turned then, giving him a smile that seemed to say she’d proven her point.

Silas doubted she would have proven her point, but he had no way of knowing for sure. He hadn’t so much as glanced Brodie’s way while she crossed the floor, never mind analyzed his reaction to Mia’s outfit.

What she had proven was that Silas couldn’t keep his eyes off her. He told himself it wasn’t his fault. There was a science to female beauty and perfection, and Mia had the formula. It was the reason they paid her to model expensive clothes.

*   *   *

Mia had offered to help out with the roof repair, but Brodie quickly waved her off and had Raven back him up. Raven said it was too dangerous, while Brodie’s expression left Mia feeling she was an interloper and not welcome to join them. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was still annoyed about her date with Zeke.

She couldn’t really argue back, since she’d never used a hand tool, never mind a power tool. Raven’s bizarre shower setup was the first time Mia had even seen a water pump. Truth was, she’d never changed a lightbulb.

While the three of them hammered away up there, she reminded herself that she had other skills. The pool game at the Bear and Bar, for example. It had been satisfying to surprise Silas—in a good way for once. It was a little thing, but she couldn’t help but feel good that she’d impressed him.

He’d liked her sleepwear too. She’d seen the heat in his eyes, and it made her feel incredibly sexy. For a minute, she thought he might say something or do something like touch her or kiss her.

Not that the purple two-piece outfit was particularly revealing. She had cocktail dresses that fit more snugly. There wasn’t even any lace on the nightgown, no peekaboo this or that. And the cover-up sleeves came halfway down her arms.

Its main attraction was that it was soft and comfortable. She’d had it for years.

Raven shouted something over the sound of the hammers above Mia’s head. Her words were unintelligible from inside the cabin, but Brodie answered, and then Silas chimed in. They all laughed, and Mia tried hard not to feel left out.

She’d changed into a pair of jeans and a jade-green top and wore a borrowed pair of knit socks from Raven as slippers. Now she poured herself coffee and moved to the screened porch. She couldn’t download any new emails, so she reread the one Marnie had sent on Friday, wanting the comfort of a connection to a friend.

The email was upbeat and chatty, and Mia smiled at the part about Alastair’s ex-wife, Theresa, trying to charm the judge. It hadn’t worked. The judge was having none of it. Still, he hadn’t granted Marnie’s request for an expedited hearing either. So, they were likely still weeks away from a court date.

Marnie had also been in contact with the security firm monitoring Mia’s social media. There were no recent red alerts, but there were still plenty of taunts and insults coming her way.

Mia knew she wasn’t going to feel less lonely focusing on home and Lafayette, without Alastair and where her colleagues all seemed to have abandoned her. Still, she scrolled backward, rereading messages that reminded her of her old life, the time when she still felt part of the Lafayette Fashion team, when people kept her informed and appreciated her input.

But as she read further, she couldn’t help seeing the messages in a different light. It was clear to her now that people been writing to Mrs. Alastair Lafayette, not to Mia Westberg. They mostly seemed to be humoring her with simplistic answers, clearly assuming she knew nothing about the business. It was odd that she’d never noticed that before. Now, it was yet another blow to her confidence.

The front door banged open and she realized the noise on the roof had stopped.

“—plus I’m not liking the weather forecast for tomorrow,” Raven was saying.

“We’ll work as long as we have daylight,” Silas said.

“There’s nothing pressing so far at WSA,” Brodie said.

Mia came to her feet and went back into the house, putting on a smile, telling herself that even if she wasn’t a natural fit in Paradise, Raven was family. Family was important. Family was there for her.

Raven had the fridge open and was pulling out some ham and cheese.

“How’s it going up there?” Mia asked.

“Good,” Raven quickly said with a nod.

“About halfway done,” Brodie said as he pulled three soft drinks from the fridge. Then he glanced guiltily at Mia and went back for a fourth. He clearly didn’t consider Mia part of the crew.

Silas seemed unnaturally focused on washing his hands at the kitchen sink, while Raven lifted a heavy cast iron frying pan from a ceiling hook. Brodie saw what she was doing and caught it halfway down, setting it on the propane stove.

Silas dried his hands, while Raven and Brodie gathered supplies from the fridge.

Then Silas held up a loaf of bread. “This one?” he asked Raven.

“That’ll work.”

His gaze finally met Mia’s and held there for a second. Then he took in her outfit, and she wondered what he was thinking—that he preferred this morning’s look or that she fit in better here dressed like this?

Before she could guess his thoughts, he took the wooden cutting board from behind the canisters, pulled a knife from the butcher’s block and started efficiently slicing the bread.

Mia envied their easy camaraderie. She wished she could spot something to just pick