Untangle My Heart (Tangled Hearts) Read Free Page A

rang.
    It had to be Charles, wanting to find out how his evening went. Even if it was warranted, he sure as hell wasn’t in the mood for a lecture from his brother. He pressed the answer button quickly, anxious to end the blasted ringing. “What?” he snapped.
    “That’s a hell of a way to answer the phone. Good morning to you, too,” an irritated voice shot back.
    Caught off-guard, he struggled to find his voice. “Kate. I’m sorry. I didn’t look at the display and thought you were Charles.”
    “He must have royally pissed you off to deserve a greeting like that.”
    “Maybe I’m not in the mood for conversation this early.”
    Kate snorted. “Early my ass. It’s almost eleven. You sound hung over. You must have had a hard night partying last night.”
    He wasn’t up for their usual banter. “Is there a reason you called? After our last conversation, I didn’t expect to hear from you until Monday at the office.”
    “As a matter of fact, yes.” She paused, and he imagined her biting her lower lip like she usually did when dealing with things that made her uncomfortable. “I was hoping you could help me, my family, actually.”
    He sat up straighter in his chair. In the short time he’d known her, she’d never asked for help. “And you’re asking me? As I recall, you said you’d rot in hell before you came to me for anything outside work.”
    “Yeah, well…I was angry, and you know how I get.”
    He most certainly did. Kate had a tendency to speak before she thought, without considering the repercussions.
    “Right.”
    “Come on, Edward. I’m sorry for what I said. Are you going to make me beg?”
    An erotic image of Kate begging flashed through his mind, causing heat to shoot down to his groin. He cleared his throat. “What is it you need?”
    “There’s a restaurant my family wants to lease. We need an opinion on how much it will cost to fix it up and get it operational.”
    “I thought your family had a business. Are they looking to expand?”
    Kate sighed. “No. The pizzeria isn’t doing well, and they’re going to have to close. They plan to open a more sophisticated, upscale sort of place.”
    “I see. And you need my help,” he said.
    “I don’t need your help, Edward. I could have gone to Charles, but I’m asking you.”
    He swung his long legs off the bar stool and walked into the kitchen to refill his coffee. “My brother turned you down, didn’t he?” Edward could envision the indignant expression on her face and a hand on her hip.
    She huffed out a breath. “Okay, fine. I called Charles and he wasn’t available to help me today. He suggested you might be.”
    Edward didn’t believe for a minute his brother wasn’t available, but rather, said he was busy simply to throw Kate and him in the same room together. While a part of him wanted to throttle his meddlesome brother, he supposed it was best to not delay confronting his feelings for this woman considering the events of last night.
    “Where is this place?”
    “On City Line Avenue, just outside Philly.”
    “When do you want me there?”
    “I’m here now with my dad. We don’t want to take too long to make a decision because they’ve already lost another place to a competitor.”
    “I suppose that means today, then?”
    “If you can. My mother offered to make you a home-cooked Italian feast for dinner.”
    “And you? What will you do for me?” he teased.
    “Not near anything close to the thoughts running through your perverted little mind.” She paused. “But I’ll be eternally grateful for your advice.”
    The idea of Kate’s eternal gratitude brought a smile to his lips.
    “I like the sound of that, luv. Tell me where to meet you.”
    After getting directions to the restaurant, Edward packed a small overnight bag in case he wanted to crash in a hotel later. After grabbing something more substantial to eat at his favorite deli, he headed out of New York.
    It would be interesting to meet Kate’s