Finding The One (Meadowview Heroes 1; The Meadowview Series 5) Read Free

strong jaw and a nose a little too long for his face, he’d be close to pretty. Similar to the playboys she used to date during her high fashion days. The other guy stood a couple inches shorter and looked a little older. Cute, too, but not as hunky. Or as intense. Her gaze flipped back to the first guy who’d caught her eye.
    He leaned against the metal railing, one hand holding a glass of champagne, his gaze fixed firmly on her. He raised the flute and nodded.
    At her .
    Trudy went all fluttery. It had been a while since a guy like that had come on to her. Since the Tubster Trudy event, she’d dated, sure, and had even had sex a few times, but usually with everyday men like her sister’s accountant (rather pedantic and with an unusual interest in plaid socks), the bartender at her favorite pub in the city (sweet, but totally hung up on his ex-girlfriend), and a high school physics teacher (potential long-term dating material until she overheard him on the phone telling his mom he was dating “Tubster Trudy from the Internet”). Was she ready for someone like this?
    Unable to resist, she sketched a hesitant wave back.
    Hunky Dude’s grin widened.
    A rush of heat blazed up her chest to her cheeks. That man packed one hell of a smile. Something glimmered in his eyes—seduction, playful teasing maybe—she couldn’t tell, but she went all mindless and breathless and warm in her belly.
    Milla shoved a stuffed fig in front of her face. “Want some?”
    “I’m steering clear of small fruit for now.” She glanced at the fig, then back to the more appetizing meal on the railing. “Besides, I’m busy.”
    “Doing what?”
    “Drooling.”
    Milla followed Trudy’s gaze up to the balcony and gasped. “Oh my god. Gertrude T. Prendergast, that man is beyond gorgeous. And he’s looking straight at you. The dude is seriously getting his flirt on.”
    “Think so?”
    Still holding her gaze, the man tilted his chin upward, a gesture of familiarity.
    Trudy’s stomach did a quick flip, then tugged inward. Milla was right. The hunk was definitely flirting. But her quest for the contract with Gregor Johansson couldn’t wait. Sigh .
    The man lifted a finger in the air, as if to tell her to stay put, then disappeared behind a pillar. Um…was he coming down to talk to her?
    “Honey, I think he wants you,” Milla said, still gaping.
    “Yeah, but I need to find Gregor.”
    “Gertrude—”
    “We’re in public. Call me Trudy. And focus on tonight’s agenda, which does not include me picking up a hottie. You know how bad I want this contract. Without it, I could lose my loft. And go to debtor’s prison with what I have on my credit cards. You don’t want to visit me in jail—it’s impossible to hug anyone through that thick layer of safety glass. I can’t lose focus tonight.”
    “Good luck with that. Because if the look in that dude’s eye was any indication, he’d like to take you home wild, passionate stranger-love to you.”
    “Milla!”
    Her sister ignored her protest. “But I do have to interrogate him first. Look him up on Facebook. Check out his Linked-In profile. This place has Wi-Fi, right? Hey, you are carrying condoms, aren’t you?”
    “I’m working ,” she said, fervently. Although yes, she had several condoms in her purse from the last time she’d gone out with her sister, who’d shoved a handful at her and warned her never to leave the house unloaded, just in case a Greek god dropped out of the sky and offered to give her carnal pleasure.
    At the time, Trudy had snorted with laughter. Greek gods didn’t drop from the sky.
    Or did they?
    Normally, she’d consider putting the pack of condoms to use. After all, he had the look of a playboy—all expensively dressed and slightly cocky—which put him in her category of a Dude To Do. Playboys worked well for her—they didn’t expect full-on commitment and were cool with things ending rather quickly. Just her style.
    Milla teased her about