Beauty & the Biker Read Free Page B

with Bella’s very essence and upbringing.
    She eyed the wand logo with a grin. “So what are you, ID-dot-com? Some sort of techno fairy godmother?”
    Shaking her head, she scrolled the particulars. “Too good to be true.” Then again, there were charitable foundations that granted spectacular wishes to ailing children. And Internet services that offered everything under the sun. Given today’s technological resources it probably was possible to make impossible dreams come true.
    She read the terms of use, the testimonials. She told herself this was a scam. But what if it wasn’t?
    Because she was desperate, and hopeful, and determined to make magic, Bella registered with ID.com then opened the extensive data form. She toyed with applying for a six-figure contract with a Big Apple publisher, but what good was a contract without a spectacular product? Why not stack the odds? Or at least, buck convention and color outside the lines? The thought of partnering with an illustrator had her by the throat. A long term relationship. An exciting journey where every road led to a happily-ever-after.
    Which ignited thoughts of Prince Charming.
    If she was shooting for the impossible why not shoot for the stars? Partnering with an illustrator who also possessed the qualities of her ideal lover. What the heck ? she thought as she typed a spontaneous wish list.
    Sense of humor, generous heart, optimist, hard worker, kid friendly, magical kisser…
    The more she mused, the greater her tunnel vision.
    On a whim and with a wink to the heavens, Bella waved a mental wand and typed: Dream Partner.

Chapter Two

    Once upon a Thursday…

    Bella hit the snooze alarm twice before forcing herself upright. She’d been dreaming about her soul mate. A hero who whisked her off her feet and carried her away. She couldn’t remember where. Not that it mattered. The overall fantasy had been exhilarating.
    Reality sucked.
    In reality, she was twenty-nine and living at home with her depressed dad. He’d rolled in after midnight, drunk as a skunk and jolting her out of a restless sleep with his bombastic arrival. Worried he’d hurt himself, she rushed downstairs only to find him righting the end table he stumbled into and sent flying.
    “ Are you okay, Daddy ?”
    “ Fine .”
    “ You didn’t drive, right ?”
    “ Nope .”
    “ So the truck’s parked … Where ? Coyote’s ?”
    “ Desi’s .” Shoulders slumped, head dipped, he avoided her gaze as he plodded toward the stairs. “ But I’ll get it back . Promise .”
    They’d been through this before and Bella was always the one who collected the classic pickup the next morning while he slept off a hangover. She always retrieved Big Red. Always. He wasn’t thinking straight. At least he hadn’t risked his life or anyone else’s by climbing behind the wheel.
    Speaking of… Bella shook off the morning cobwebs reminding herself she was carless on a day when she couldn’t count on Angel—who lived just down the road—for a lift into work.
    She squinted at the bedside clock. “Oh, no.”
    Maybe she’d hit the snooze more than twice. Or maybe she’d set the alarm wrong. Whatever the case, she’d overslept big time.
    Frazzled, Bella swung out of bed and nabbed her cell. She called for a taxi only the sole cabby in Nowhere was booked until nine. “Thank you, but, never mind,” she told the man then sucked it up and imposed on Georgie.
    “Sure I can give you a lift,” she said. “It’s not like I have to be anywhere on time. Unemployed and all that.”
    “We’ll have to swing by Desi’s,” Bella said. “Dad left the truck in the lot and—”
    “Say no more.”
    Georgie knew about Archie Mooney’s depression. Everyone knew. Though most were too kind to remark on his intensifying battle with the bottle. They figured it was a phase, part and parcel of mourning the loss of his wife and job. They figured it would pass. So did Bella, although she was beginning to lose patience.