Full Disclosure (Homefront: The Sheridans Book 2) Read Free Page A

twenty bucks from me in poker this summer.
(And that’s a lot when you’re playing penny poker.) Ryan Sheridan might not
have a clue what I’m trying to do here—rescue him the same way his
company has rescued me from a dead-end job with no benefits.
    But the moment his eyes meet mine, I know
we’re on the same page.
    “Thanks.” His voice is low and seductive,
and makes my spine tingle. His eyes are locked on mine and I feel an awareness
of every cell in my body right now.
    “I better get going now,” he finishes,
breaking free from Natalie’s invisible clutches and climbing into his Jag.
    “Morning, Natalie,” I say, flashing a brief
smile as I quickly roll up my window and drive off before I end up being her
next victim.
    My heart slams behind my ribcage. That
was more excitement than a dull mom like me usually gets in the morning. As I
turn onto the main road, I can’t resist looking for his car in my rear-view
mirror, but there are two minivans and one SUV blocking my view.
    I press my eyelids shut momentarily at a
stop sign, determined to wipe from my mind the image of my boss with a Henley clinging
to his ripped body.
    After driving for a few minutes, I
confirm the time on my clock before I wedge myself into a parking space at
Pop’s Donuts on Anders Street in downtown Newton’s Creek.
    The chimes jingle as I open the door to
the smell of fresh-made donuts. Pop’s has been around since I was a kid. Even
though I grew up two towns over from Newton’s Creek, my brother and I used to
ride here on our bikes from our house to pick up a dozen donuts every Saturday
morning.
    “Hi, Pops! Hey, Cass!” I call out when I
arrive at the cash register. It’s the old fashioned kind that goes cha-ching every time a sale is rung up.
    Cass grins when she sees me. “Hey. Got
your coffee ready for you.”
    I plunk down my money for her as she
calls out over her shoulder, “Pops, mind if I take my break?”
    “Go right ahead, Cass.”
    Cass started working weekdays at Pop’s
for a little extra money when her job playing Princess Buckeye started winding
down for the season. On weekends she’s still working at Buckeye Land, our
region’s Disneyworld knock-off, until she makes her final appearance as their
reigning princess at the Newton’s Creek Annual Buckeye Festival in a couple
weeks. After that, Cass will return to New York City where she has a modeling agent.
She tells me that at twenty-three, she’s over-the-hill for her industry, but I
still say that with her looks she’s destined for supermodel status.
    I only have about five minutes to chat
with Cass in the morning before I need to head to work, but I relish the time
with her. These five minutes are the only time in my day when I feel like a
normal 24-year-old, rather than a single mom scraping by.
    “Allie should be here any minute. She
just texted me,” she tells me. “How’s your morning?”
    “Good. You?”
    “Crazy busy. With that commuter bus
picking up at seven and eight now on Anders Street, we get such a rush of
customers.” She presses her index fingers into her temples.
    “Aw, I’m sorry, hon.” I take a sip of
coffee. “Do I dare ask how your date was last night?” I add eagerly. I love to
live vicariously through my childless single friends. There’s a whole world out
there that I’ve never really experienced except through hearsay.
    “Horrible. Seriously, is it even possible
to go on a date around here and not have to look up to see the menu?”
    I laugh. “Where’d you go?”
    “Bob’s Burgers.”
    “Well, at least it wasn’t a chain.”
    “The only reason it’s not a chain is
because opening another one would be a crime against humanity.”
    “Was the guy nice, anyway?”
    She curls up her lip, and my next five
minutes is spent listening to Cass lament about her date—and the lack of
men here in Newton’s Creek. Much as I want nothing but happiness for Cass, I do
find some comfort in hearing that dating life is