The Reunion: Claire's Rebuilding Contract (Starting Over Series) Read Free

he said as he came back from taking a phone call.
     
    “Great. I am anxious to get my daughter back home as soon as possible,” she said.
     
    “Is she with her Dad?” he asked.
     
    The hair on Claire’s neck pricked up as he asked the question. She was sure he meant no harm by it, but it still made her skin crawl.
     
    “No. She’s with a friend of mine.” She didn’t offer any additional information. She knew she owed this virtual stranger nothing. It brought back bad memories of former friends giving private information to the media so she could end up seeing it on a tabloid. Trust no one. That was her motto.
     
    “Hungry?” he suddenly asked.
     
    “What?”
     
    “Are you hungry? It’s after lunch,” he said pointing at his watch.
     
    “Um. Well, I guess I need to eat…” she stammered again.
     
    “Your power was off too long, so anything in your refrigerator is no good. Let’s take a break and grab something,” he said pointing at his truck.
     
    “You want me to just go with you? No offense, but I don’t really know you,” she said cocking her head and studying his face.
     
    “Your neighbor is my oldest friend. And I have spent all morning digging through the dirt with you. Doesn’t that at least earn me a hamburger?” he asked with a grin. Wow. What a smile. He had perfect teeth and his face brightened unlike anything she’d ever seen before when he smiled.
     
    “I suppose so,” she said, agreeing mostly because her stomach was growling so loud she could hear it over the trees being cut down in yards near hers.
     
    They walked to his big red truck, and he opened the door for her. She had forgotten how chivalrous true Southern men were. As she went to climb in, her muddy shoe slipped which sent her falling backward into his arms. He was strong and smelled of cologne, and her mind went blank for a moment. It felt nice to have a real man put his arms around her, even if it was because she fell. The irony was not lost on her. Cameron never caught her - physically or emotionally. He was never “there”.
     
    “You okay?” he asked as he steadied her.
     
    “Yeah. I’m fine. Sorry about that,” she said turning to look up at him. “Let me try that again.”
     
    “Let me help you. It’s slippery out here,” he said while simultaneously grasping her waist and lifting her straight up into the truck. His strength astounded her. He was nothing like the typical Hollywood pretty boys she had dated before Cameron. The ones who didn’t get their nails dirty or wear clothes that were “out of style” that season.
     
    As she waited for him to come around to the driver’s side, she took a quick glance inside of his truck looking for something to tell her more about this man. Who was he really? Because he seemed like some kind of knight in shining armor to her, and that couldn’t be true.
     
    ***
     
    “So let me get this straight? You order a hamburger and then you remove the bun and eat the insides?” Jack asked as he sat there staring at Claire across the table at a local diner.
     
    “Yes. What’s wrong with that?” she asked staring back at him.
     
    “Well, for one, it’s a hamburger. You are supposed to eat the bun. Secondly, you are using a fork on a hamburger,” he said pointing at her plate as he took a drink of his Coke.
     
    “The bun just adds extra carbs that I don’t need ending up on my waist, if you must know,” she said smiling.
     
    Jack eyed her across the table and then leaned around to look at her from head to toe. She felt very uncomfortable for a moment, as if she was being judged in a pageant.
     
    “I wouldn’t worry about that if I were you,” he said as he leaned a bit forward.
     
    “And why is that?”
     
    “Because you’re as close to perfect as I’ve ever seen,” he said with a sly smile as he took another bite of his burger.
     
    “What a line!” she said without thinking.
     
    “A line? What are you saying?”
     
    “Do