Everybody Knows (Sunnyside #1) Read Free

print ad, but so much more... real. Genuine. Strong, but
sensitive. Rugged, but brooding. Devastating, but wary.
    Nothing about him signified artificial
enhancement. Backlit by the setting sun, his profile as he bent his head to
soothe the small animal revealed a scar that curved along his chin, smile lines
at the corner of his eyes, and an honest-to-God tan—no bronze spray-on for this
hunky hero.
    Under normal circumstances, she wouldn’t have been
susceptible to this unsophisticated variety of hot-hot-hot. After all, she’d
spent most of her formative years sharing hair and facial tips with GQ male
models. And Harper knew better than to be sucked in by a handsome face and
killer body. Still, any girl would pause to appreciate natural beauty when she
saw it.
    And she’d never seen one of those
too-gorgeous-for-his-own-good magazine models move that fast for anything less
than free drugs, free sex, or free designer clothes. Certainly not to protect
an innocent animal.
    “I’m sorry.” She shook herself, trying to get a
grip on her emotions and return to reality. “I didn’t see her at all. You
prevented me from committing involuntary manslaughter—or in this case—dogslaughter.”
She offered a small smile, but his expression revealed no appreciation for her
attempted humor.
    The dog’s protector looked up and perused her with
eyes that flared with heated interest and desire before retreating into cool
deliberation. To be fair, since she’d been within inches of turning him into
road kill, the heat she’d detected could have been more annoyance than interest
or desire. But she didn’t think so.
    With the full force of his attention turned her
way, his appraisal caressed her from the top of the new auburn highlights/mink
lowlights she’d splurged on right down to her Pretty-In-Pink painted toenails
and all points in between. She basked in another moment of clarity when
everything seemed bright and shiny and new. With infinite possibility.
    Right up until he shook his head in disgust.
    Disgust? She straightened her shoulders
indignantly. Really?
    Okay, so maybe she’d glorified and magnified her
reaction to him. Or his reaction to her. Or both. And even though her hair was
frizzing up like a Brillo pad, she didn’t usually generate disgust.
Disappointment or disinterest maybe, but not disgust.
    But then he blinked and his expression transformed
into cool neutrality. Hopefully, it was the disgust she’d imagined, not the
interest or desire.
    “I intentionally threw myself in front of your
car, but here comes the person who’ll demand an apology.” He shrugged. “Brace
yourself, this isn’t going to be pretty.”

Chapter Two

 
    A young woman in too-tight
denim shorts, unicorn T-shirt, and sequined flip-flops burst from a white
clapboard house across the street. Three stair-step children poured out behind
her. The screen door slammed in exclamation.
    Damp but drying tendrils of hair waved around the
freckled faces of the two little girls, maybe six and four years old, both of
them wearing shorts over swimsuits. A toddler boy wore droopy, waterlogged Toy
Story swim trunks and carried a Buzz Lightyear action figure. The three kids
and mom all wailed at varying decibel levels. The dog took the racket as a cue
to chime in.
    “Are you hurt, Zach? Poor Pippa! Is she dead,
Zach? Is she hurt? Please let her be all right. Plee-ease.”
    The chaos of shrieking questions and exclamations
pierced Harper’s brain with sharp staccato stabs through the temple.
    The woman and children all reached the guy named
Zach at the same time. Squaring his shoulders, he presented the dog for them to
view.
    “She’s fine, Brianna. See?” Instead of calming the
foursome’s fears, his reassurance incited increased screeching. The dog barked
with more force than a dust mop could normally generate.
    “What about you, Zach? Are you all right?” Brianna
brushed her hand across his back and shoulder in a concerned but