Romancing the Fashionista

Romancing the Fashionista by K. M. Jackson Page B

Book: Romancing the Fashionista by K. M. Jackson Read Free Book Online
Authors: K. M. Jackson
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homecoming float and dragged through the town square like old-timey bread thieves. What the hell? The reason he was even here doing this had left the room and was probably, at that moment, slipping out of her sexy slip of a dress not twenty feet from his own bed for the night.
    “Nolan, are you paying attention?”
    He blinked and looked at Ramona. “To what?”
    She gave him an exasperated look and rolled her eyes. “I was saying as king and queen, it would be nice if we opened the dance.”
    “Really, Ramona? Don’t you think we should leave that to the kids?”
    Silence.
    Jeeze. For a moment he thought the DJ even stopped the music, as if anyone questioning Ramona was that serious. She blinked. “Well, this is a special occasion, and we do have a reputation to uphold.”
    Nolan yawned. He was tired, well if not tired, then tired of this conversation, and ready for it to be over. “Trust me, I’m sure for all of us our reputations are bigger in our own minds than they are in anyone else’s. How about you take your turn around the dance floor with the current king in your life, and we’ll just leave it at that.”
    Ramona blinked as if she could wash away his dissention with her glued-on lashes. Finally she spoke up. “Well, I see somebody came back home with his cranky pants on.” She reached out and ran a hand across his chest. It was so blatantly sexual he was nothing but embarrassed for her, and worse, her husband who was by the bar visibly on his way to shitfaced throwing back a Jack.
    Nolan stilled her hand and gently put it aside, not liking that her hand was in the same spot Mel’s had been not long before. But still he smiled. He was good at it. “I’m cool. Not cranky at all.” He looked at the small gathering of his so-called friends. “Listen, I’m going to turn in. I’ll see you all in the morning.”
    There were nods and murmurs of goodnight as Nolan left the party, nodding to Ian who was now chatting up one of the waitresses. Nolan knew he screwed up by letting Mel go without him, and because of that he had a long night ahead of him of staring longingly at an adjoining door while he wished away a massive hard-on.

Chapter Seven
    Mel pulled her shades down over her eyes and headed out of the coffee shop clutching her cup tightly. She and Lexi were supposed to be breakfasting at her parent’s house this morning, but with Lexi falling back into the room somewhere around 4 a.m. and only budging long enough to text her mom to tell them she’d see them later, Mel knew she was on her own for the morning.
    She’d thought about taking the day and working on next month’s Anguilla layout. Shelby had overnighted her all she needed so she probably should skip the planned festivities today. But despite the pull of going over the tropical photo spread, Mel still found herself out on Main Street cautiously blending in with the small crowd of town folks standing around waiting for the annual Timber Day parade to start.
    As Mel stood in between a group of stroller moms and some old men who looked as if they had their lawn chairs out since daybreak, the parade started with the marching of the color guard. The military represented were greeted with cheers and some salutes from the crowd, followed by the cub and boy scouts, and then volunteers from the ambulance corps and the fire department. When the Girl Scouts came by with their bright faces full of hope, Mel was once again transported back to the days of growing up in the town and those old feelings of isolation came surging back on the rush of a wave. She remembered how her mother took her to a scout meeting at the suggestion of a friend she worked with at the bakery. But the girls took one look at Mel and couldn’t wait to point out the differences in her hair and skin tone. With the comment of an upcoming overnight at the lake, Mel went home and told her mother she would not be going back to the troop. Looking at the girls now, marching happily, Mel

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