Three Makes a Family--A Clean Romance by Cari Webb (i want to read a book txt) ๐
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- Author: Cari Webb
Read book online ยซThree Makes a Family--A Clean Romance by Cari Webb (i want to read a book txt) ๐ยป. Author - Cari Webb
His fingers tapped a silent tune on the cushion inches from her bare shoulder. Distracting her. If she leaned in, the smallest of moves, she could draw from his warmth. Molly straightened. โYou wore a T-shirt to an interview for a competitive internship. Then ruined your only debate dress shirt with grease from a loaded cheeseburger.โ
โI still miss those hamburgers from The Pickled Burger.โ He leaned forward as if ready to impart a secret. โI havenโt found sweet potato fries like theirs anywhere. Itโs not for lack of trying either. Iโve been sampling them at every restaurant with sweet potato fries on the menu.โ
โThatโs dedication to a cause,โ she said.
โI learned that from you,โ he said. โItโs entirely your fault.โ
The sudden amusement glinting in his gaze trapped her. A different sort of awareness spread through her. โMy fault?โ
โI was a perfectly content below-average student in undergrad.โ Drew picked up the other champagne flute and tipped it toward her. His voice tipped from teasing to an exaggerated tragic tone. โUntil you offered to proofread one of my history papers. Then Dr. Reynolds accused me of paying for the paper to get a passing grade.โ
One history paper. One chance to show her appreciation. And nothing had worked out as sheโd intended. Molly stared at the champagne in her glass as if her memory surfaced inside the bubbles. โDr. Reynolds called me into his office too. I was so nervous. Iโm surprised I even spoke coherently to your professor.โ
Molly had always studied late until the library closed. Drew had always worked out at the gym at night. And heโd always managed to be outside the library to walk her home. Sheโd wanted to thank him for looking out for her. Sheโd wanted to pour her gratitude into a kiss. Instead sheโd proofread his history paper. Offering tips and feedback enough that his professor mistakenly thought someone else had written it.
โI was terrified. Scared I was going to be expelled and sent home to face my parentsโ wrath. Then you came to my defense.โ Drew lifted his glass to her in a toast. โI vowed to never let you down again and dedicated myself to my education.โ
He hadnโt wanted to let her down? She skimmed over that revelation, opting to focus on the playful and light. โDedicating yourself to your schoolwork is not the same thing as dedicating yourself to finding the ultimate sweet potato fries.โ
โThatโs just it.โ He laughed. โI learned the rewards of perseverance and focus from you. The reward of biting into the best-tasting sweet potato fry is out there somewhere, waiting on me to find it.โ
โI get the rewards of concentrating on your education. And I suppose fries too.โ Molly sipped her champagne and stared at Drew. โBut I donโt get the connection to me.โ
โThat was simple.โ Drew set his glass on the table and centered his full focus on her. โThe real reward was spending more time with you.โ
Her heartbeat tripped into rapid, pulsing speed in the silence.
โTo be around you, I had to step up my game.โ Drew relaxed into the couch.
All that time, Drew had only wanted to spend more time with her. โYou never said anything.โ
โI never wanted to be a distraction,โ he said. โOr to keep you from your goals. I remember you wrote your goals on little pieces of paper and stuck them everywhere as reminders to stay focused.โ
Sheโd had big goals and even bigger dreams back then. Some dreams she hadnโt made public. Or posted around her college suite. But her time spent with Drew, she remembered all of it. And now she was beginning to recall how much sheโd missed him. None of that was relevant. โI remember I had to order my own fries at The Pickled Burger because you refused to share yours.โ
โI always got the ones you couldnโt finish.โ He chuckled. โIt was a win-win.โ
Would he consider it a win-win if she were his legal counsel? Would he turn away if she confessed that she wanted to spend more time with him after tonight? She took another deep sip of her champagne and centered herself. She needed a client more than a friend. โDrew. When can we talk about your case?โ
He blinked and shook his head as if sheโd suddenly dropped a roadblock on their memory lane. โI have a possible lead on an apartment for you and Hazel.โ
He eased his arm off the back of the sofa, shifting away from her and closing himself off.
The tiniest twinge of hurt twisted inside her. โWhat kind of a place is it?โ
โItโs not the Los Angeles dream house you always described.โ He crossed his arms over his chest and eyed her. โThe one with the glass doors that would fold into the wall to allow the ocean breeze inside and the infinity edge pool that was designed to reflect the sunset.โ
โAnd donโt forget every room would have ocean views and there would be chaise lounges on the rooftop for star gazing.โ She pictured her dream homeโthe one sheโd imagined and perfected in her childhood daydreams.
Molly had spent her entire childhood moving from one apartment to another. One city to the next. Never staying longer than six months in any one place. Then her father had walked out. Mollyโs mother had simply packed up their meager belongings, relocated to a new town and continued their nomadic lifestyle. Molly had always wanted a house. A permanent place to call home.
Now, she intended to give Hazel the home she herself had never had growing up.
โDid you ever buy your dream house on the beach?โ he asked.
The hint of curiosity in Drewโs words pulled her back to the conversation.
โIt never quite worked out like I had envisioned.โ She shook her head and shifted her gaze toward the city skyline. โMy ex, Hazelโs father, had a different
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