Played (Elite PR) Read Free

during rush week.
    Finally, she rounded the corner to her place—an older home that’d been converted into three apartments. A place she might not have for much longer unless she seriously turned things around. The pale yellow house stood proud on the corner with its wrap-around porch. It was that porch, with its colorful Adirondack chairs, that had captivated Mel initially. She envisioned hanging out there after work and having cocktails with friends, kicking back on those chairs on a hot evening while reading a book, even serving sweet tea to her parents when they came up to visit.
    Two out of three wasn’t so bad.
    She couldn’t blame her parents; they had the business to take care of. Not to mention her sisters (and their families) were all in Sweetwater, so there wasn’t much need to leave. Strange how things turned out. Who would’ve ever thought that Mel would be the one to move to the city and land the big job? Or be the last to get a ring on her finger?
    She was so focused on that depressing thought that she didn’t notice the moving truck parked in front of the house. So when she opened the door that led to her apartment, she wasn’t exactly expecting to see a guy dragging a mattress up the stairs.
    “What in the ever-loving hell?” she screamed, stumbling back into the door. Her mind flipped from one scenario to another to explain the scene in front of her. Thief? Squatter? Deliveryman?
    “Oh, hey there,” a deep voice said from behind the puffy white Select Comfort on the flight of stairs above. “Don’t mind me. I’m just moving in.”
    “Just moving in?” she mocked. Meanwhile, there went ten years off her pathetic life. She didn’t like being caught off guard, and she definitely didn’t like surprises. It only made her ornery. Combine that with her current state of exhaustion and Mel didn’t exactly show well.
    She couldn’t get a good look at the guy. He was hidden in the darkened hallway, but the door across from her upstairs apartment was propped open. Shit. He must be her new neighbor. She might’ve known that if she answered any of her landlord’s calls. But she had her reasons for avoiding him.
    Still, who moved at this time of day, unless you were running from the law or a woman? Either way, she didn’t need the drama so close to her own living quarters when she had her own mess to deal with.
    “A little early for moving day, wouldn’t you say?” she snapped.
    “And a little late to be coming home”—he peeked around the mattress—“dressed like that , wouldn’t you agree?” His voice was smooth, low but clear, almost musical. She ignored what the sound did to her insides and absorbed his words instead—his condescending and judgmental words.
    “Daddy, is that you?” she sing-songed. Who did he think he was, talking down to her? She had enough of that at work. She certainly didn’t have to put up with it at home, too.
    “Barking up the wrong tree, little lady,” he said with a smile in his voice, not letting her stop him from his work. “Not really into role-play.”
    Hmm, role-play. Now that could be something to explore. Somewhere between shots four and five last night, Mel decided that she was going to try this adulting thing—for real this time. She was on a mission to make a life here and to finally have the adventure she left home for. And whether she decided to meet Teddy or not, she’d return to Sweetwater this year a new woman. She was ready to embrace her inner Scarlett and live a life without regret.
    “It’s okay,” her new neighbor said, interrupting her dramatic internal monologue. Heck, she was just about ready to break into song. “Whatever floats your boat, hon. I’m not here to judge.”
    Right. He was still talking role-play. She didn’t bother to acknowledge him. Instead, she walked up the flight of stairs, squeezing against the wall of the hallway to slip past the mattress. She was not going to let this inconsiderate a-hole keep her