So Good: A Ribbon Ridge Novel (Love on the Vine Book 1) Read Free

 
    She glared at him. “You’re a menace.”
    Something about the way she said it made him slightly uncomfortable. It was as if she actually meant it, and how could she? They didn’t even know each other. He wanted to change that. Because, holy hell, he was attracted to her.
    “I’m not really. If you’ll let me—” He’d been about to say buy you a drink, but you didn’t have to buy any of the wine at this dinner. “I’d be happy to pour a great wine for you later.”
    “Thanks, but no thanks. I need to get back to my friends.” She pulled her plate in close. “You go first.”
    He didn’t want to take no for an answer, but he had a rule—three strikes, and he was out. That gave him one more chance with her. He’d save it for later. “By all means, ladies first. My feet are rooted to the ground until you move.” He gave her a bow, something a gentleman would do.
    Her gaze turned skeptical, but she moved. As she passed by, she gave him a bemused look. He watched her until she sat down at her table. A moment later, she turned her head, registered that he hadn’t budged, then quickly turned back. But not before he’d caught a blush in her cheeks. Or maybe that was just his wishful thinking at this distance. Either way, he looked forward to trying that third time and just hoped he didn’t strike out.

Chapter Two

    “H e’s still watching you.”
    Brooke Ellis didn’t mean to look, but she did. And there he was staring at her in all his handsome, self-assured glory.
    She snapped her head back around and forked a bite of salmon into her mouth.
    Her friend Naomi, seated on Brooke’s right, sighed. “And now he’s gone. You should’ve invited him to sit with us.”
    As it happened, there was an empty chair on the other side of the table. Both Naomi and their other friend Jana had remarked—several times—that the people at the table would surely shift so that Brooke could sit with him.
    “I am not inviting Cameron Westcott to sit with us.”
    Jana paused in eating. “Wait, you know him?”
    Brooke had successfully changed the subject when her friends had tried to bring up the attractive guy who’d clearly been hitting on her. She’d known as soon as she saw him exactly who he was. “Remember that wine sales guy I’ve mentioned a few times, the total player? The one with the reputation for having a girl in every city in his territory?”
    Jana’s blue eyes widened. “That’s him?”
    Naomi sipped her wine. “Who cares? He’s hot. And interested in you. When was the last time you had sex?”
    Nearly three years ago. But who was counting?
    “She has a point,” Jana said. “In fact, he’s the perfect guy to end your dry spell since he won’t expect anything. I think you should hit that.”
    Naomi lifted her glass in a toast. “Ditto. And if you don’t, maybe I will. Or maybe I’ll go for the taller one. They looked like they might be related.” She glanced between Brooke and Jana. “Brothers, maybe?”
    Brooke speared several leaves of romaine on her fork. “I have no idea. Nor do I care.”
    Jana grinned. “You’re so full of it. I saw you checking him out, and whether you want to admit it or not, you were flirting with him.”
    “Until she shut him down cold.” Naomi’s teasing gaze turned serious. “Seriously, you deserve a good time. Why not give him a shot?”
    Because he was a player, just like her ex-husband. And look how their marriage had turned out. She inwardly cringed because that wasn’t a fair assessment. Yes, Darren had looked elsewhere, but their marriage had hit the skids long before that had happened.
    “I am not giving a guy like Westcott a shot at anything.” Although, Naomi raised a good argument if Brooke was looking for a one-night stand or a casual fling. Which she wasn’t. “I’m focused on my job right now. They took a chance on me, and I don’t want to blow it.”
    About fifteen months ago, she’d moved to the area from southern Oregon.