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Chapter 30

Author: Talia James
last update Last Updated: 2024-05-08 02:15:01

"Where the hell is she?" The words were out of his mouth before the door even slammed shut behind him. The bell continued to jingle in the silence that followed his question.

For a moment, all three women—Edith, Abigail and Lucy—simply stared at him. Then the two older women spoke at once.

"What do you mean, where is she?" Edith demanded hands fisted on her wide hips.

Abigail's brightly painted lips pursed in a frown. "Isn't she with you?"

Lucy's silence drew his attention. Even when he stared at her, she said nothing.

Edith scowled, seemingly unaware of Lucy's silence. "She hasn't missed a day in years. We assumed, since she wasn't here to open the store, that she was with you."

"She isn't."

"Oh, dear," Abigail murmured. "Our Mattie is missing."

Lucy—he noticed—showed no sign of concern. Silently she crept towards the door, apparently hoping to escape unnoticed.

"Now Abigail," Edith warned. "Don't leap to conclusion. Just because she isn't here doesn't mean she's missing. I'
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  • Perfect Temptation    Chapter 31

    Losing Brad at twenty-one, when she'd never really had him, was devastating. Losing Brad at twenty-nine after lying in his arms, sleeping by his side and making love to him long into the night? There were simply no words for it. She wondered why the Nobel committee gave out awards for simple things like medical research and promoting world peace, but ignored the efforts of the brokenhearted to keep stumbling along as if nothing was wrong. Worst of all, she couldn't talk about her heartache with anyone. Jessica called every few days, but their conversations were brief. Mattie answered Jess's questions about 'how it had gone with Brad' as quickly as possible then changed the subject. Jessica—half a world away—would only worry if she knew how Mattie felt. Edith, Abigail, and Lucy tried to be supportive and understanding. But she didn't want to burden them. So for their sake, she insisted—repeatedly—that she was fine, relieved even to have the house back to herself, but she didn't thin

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  • Perfect Temptation    Epilogue

    "You know, when I asked you to look out for my brother while I was gone, I didn't mean you had to do it forever."Mattie looked at her best friend—now her sister-in-law—and smiled. "Well, I did promise. And you know how seriously I take promises."There was a glimmer of sorrow in Jessica's eyes as she raised her champagne in a silent toast. For an instant, Mattie wondered if there was something going on in Jessica's life that her friend hadn't told her about. Then the moment passed, and Jessica said, with mock solemnity, "Thank you for making my brother happy.""Trust me, I've been waiting a long time for this.""You know, he always did want to be part of your family.""Watch it, I might start to worry that he married me just for that," she teased, even though she didn't really believe it.But looking out across her father's lawn, she could see why. Brad's parents—who'd nearly had a fit when she insisted on holding the reception in her father's backyard rather than the country club—sa

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  • Perfect Temptation    Chapter 1

    Brad Sumners successful entrepreneur, former high school football quarterback, and all-around Greek God. Of all the things Mattie Wilcox could imagine him needing advice about, women were dead last on the list."Let me see if I've got this right." Mattie eyed her best friend and roommate speculatively."Your brother needs advice and, since you're leaving town, I'm elected?"Jessica Sumners tossed two suitcases on her bed."Come on," she cajoled. "You and I have been best friends since the sixth grade. We practically grew up together. He thinks of you as a sister." She scooped the entire contents of one dresser drawer into her arms and then dumped it into one of the open bags.Mattie raised her eyebrows at Jessica's uncharacteristic packing. Seeing Jessica-who was normally so calm and sophisticated-this rattled was a bit amusing, really. But who wouldn't be rattled under the circumstances? Packing for a nine-week trip in less than an hour would make anyone panic. But Jessica? Jessica, w

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  • Perfect Temptation    Chapter 2

    Mattie pulled the elastic scrunchie out of her hair, then scraped her fingernails over her scalp."Brad means nothing to you now." Hours later, and she was still trying to convince herself.She pulled her clothes off, wadding them into a ball and shooting them across her bedroom into the laundry basket. She crossed the hall to the bathroom, continuing her monologue while she waited for the water to run hot. "I mean it, too. You're not fifteen anymore. You're past that." She braced one hand on the tile wall and thrust the other under the stream of steamy water. Perfect."He'll visit. You'll be sympathetic. That's it." As she stepped into the shower, she noticed the bottle of Fresh Freesia shower gel. Jess was always leaving fancy gels and shampoos in here for her.Mattie started to reach for her own bar of Ivory like she always did but paused. What would it hurt? Surely one fresh freesia shower wouldn't spoil her forever. As she flipped open the cap and inhaled the light floral scent,

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  • Perfect Temptation    Chapter 3

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  • Perfect Temptation    Chapter 4

    Nine weeks?He had just two weeks before he had to be back in the Bay Area. Since his birthday fell toward the end of those two weeks—and since the thought of spending his first birthday since the divorce alone depressed him even more than the divorce had-he'd hoped to spend those weeks with Jess.He hadn't seen her enough in the past couple of years, and he didn't like the thought of the one family member he actually cared about drifting out of his life. Besides, he wanted her perspective on his divorce. He wanted to know if he was really an asshole Ginger said he was.Almost as if she'd read his mind, Mattie chimed in. "Look, Brad, she told me you need advice about women." As she spoke, she started moving toward the front door. "And don't worry. I've got you covered on that front. Just not today. Come back tomorrow. We'll talk about it then."She opened the door to show him out, but he didn't move. Something in her expression brought to mind the first time he'd seen her. It was the

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    A few hours later, Brad found Mattie in the backyard, sprawled in a lounger by the pool, an open bottle of Fat Tire Amber Ale resting on the table beside her chair. She held a worn deck of playing cards in her hands, the familiar blue-and-white pattern faded with time and use, and she shuffled them from one hand to the other. She paused, looked up when he approached, and then tapped the stack against her palm.She still wore jeans, but she'd lost the shoes and traded the UCLA sweatshirt for a worn T-shirt that said, Teachers Do It With CLASS! Madison lay at her feet, slowly twitching her tail in sedate contentment.His traitor dog opened one eye and glanced at him dismissively before deciding, with a sigh, to ignore him.Mattie looked sorely tempted to follow her namesake' example. She shuffled the cards twice more, and he could sense that she was watching him from her peripheral vision. Mattie had never been able to hold a grudge and he could see her annoyance beginning to crumble.F

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  • Perfect Temptation    Chapter 6

    Her honestly surprised him. As a preteen, she'd done little to hide her crush on him. At first, he'd been flattered but uninterested. By the time she'd been old enough to stir his interest, he'd been playing ball for her father's team for three years. So when her father asked him to back off, he had."We were?""Oh yeah. At sixteen, I thought you were everything I wanted in a husband."Now he couldn't help wondering if there's been more to her crush than he'd expected. But unlike when she'd take about the store, her tone held no regret. Only whimsy.He couldn't resist playing along. "Tell me about us. What kind of couple are we?"Her lips curved into a smile every bit as playful as the glint in her eyes. "The perfect couple of course.""How did we fall in love?" It wasn't the only question he had about this little fantasy of hers, but it was probably the safest."Over Christmas, while you were still in college." SHe tilted her head back, her eyes drifting closed. "Our first kiss was l

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Latest chapter

  • Perfect Temptation    Epilogue

    "You know, when I asked you to look out for my brother while I was gone, I didn't mean you had to do it forever."Mattie looked at her best friend—now her sister-in-law—and smiled. "Well, I did promise. And you know how seriously I take promises."There was a glimmer of sorrow in Jessica's eyes as she raised her champagne in a silent toast. For an instant, Mattie wondered if there was something going on in Jessica's life that her friend hadn't told her about. Then the moment passed, and Jessica said, with mock solemnity, "Thank you for making my brother happy.""Trust me, I've been waiting a long time for this.""You know, he always did want to be part of your family.""Watch it, I might start to worry that he married me just for that," she teased, even though she didn't really believe it.But looking out across her father's lawn, she could see why. Brad's parents—who'd nearly had a fit when she insisted on holding the reception in her father's backyard rather than the country club—sa

  • Perfect Temptation    Chapter 31

    Losing Brad at twenty-one, when she'd never really had him, was devastating. Losing Brad at twenty-nine after lying in his arms, sleeping by his side and making love to him long into the night? There were simply no words for it. She wondered why the Nobel committee gave out awards for simple things like medical research and promoting world peace, but ignored the efforts of the brokenhearted to keep stumbling along as if nothing was wrong. Worst of all, she couldn't talk about her heartache with anyone. Jessica called every few days, but their conversations were brief. Mattie answered Jess's questions about 'how it had gone with Brad' as quickly as possible then changed the subject. Jessica—half a world away—would only worry if she knew how Mattie felt. Edith, Abigail, and Lucy tried to be supportive and understanding. But she didn't want to burden them. So for their sake, she insisted—repeatedly—that she was fine, relieved even to have the house back to herself, but she didn't thin

  • Perfect Temptation    Chapter 30

    "Where the hell is she?" The words were out of his mouth before the door even slammed shut behind him. The bell continued to jingle in the silence that followed his question. For a moment, all three women—Edith, Abigail and Lucy—simply stared at him. Then the two older women spoke at once. "What do you mean, where is she?" Edith demanded hands fisted on her wide hips. Abigail's brightly painted lips pursed in a frown. "Isn't she with you?" Lucy's silence drew his attention. Even when he stared at her, she said nothing. Edith scowled, seemingly unaware of Lucy's silence. "She hasn't missed a day in years. We assumed, since she wasn't here to open the store, that she was with you." "She isn't." "Oh, dear," Abigail murmured. "Our Mattie is missing." Lucy—he noticed—showed no sign of concern. Silently she crept towards the door, apparently hoping to escape unnoticed. "Now Abigail," Edith warned. "Don't leap to conclusion. Just because she isn't here doesn't mean she's missing. I'

  • Perfect Temptation    Chapter 29

    When she woke up to an empty bed the next morning, she wasn’t surprised. Brad rose early every morning— except for the morning she made him apple pie— to do situps and other torturous exercises. Given how much she’d appreciated those stomach muscles last night, she could hardly complain now.She stretched and yarned, smiling as she remembered the previous night. When they’d made love the night before, he’d been not just passionate, but surprisingly tender. And today was his birthday. She’d have to do something special for him.Mattie rolled over, burying her nose in the pillow, where he’d slept. The pillowcase still held his scent. It smelled like him and—she grinned as she recognized the scent—her bath gel.Only when she started to climb out of bed did she see him, sitting in her bedroom's only chair, half-hidden by the early-morning gloom. He sat, elbows on his knees, fingers templed, staring at her.And that's when she knew something was wrong. The relaxed, sexy Brad of last night

  • Perfect Temptation    Chapter 28

    “Tell me about Mike.”Mattie stilled, about chocolate chips poised above the mixing bowl. Her hand clenched on the package and a few chips tumbled in. Deliberately, she shook half the chips into the bowl before asking, “What do you want to know?”She had the tapping of Brad’s shoes as he crossed the tile floor to stand beside her. In her peripheral vision, she saw him against the counter and cross his arms over his chest. “Tell me about the money.”She squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, she dumped the rest of the bag in the bowl—the day she was having for double chocolate chips. then she flipped the mixer on and waited for the consolation only raw cookie dough could provide.She turned to face him, “They told you about the loan,” she surmised. He nodded. “They shouldn’t have said anything.”“I pressured them.”She almost laughed at that. “Right. You’re the last person I’d expect to hear a defending them.”“They only wanted to help.”“I know.” She flipped the mixer off, extr

  • Perfect Temptation    Chapter 27

    “You made her cry.”Brad looked up to see Lucy standing in the doorway to the office, flanked on either side by Edith and Abigail. Collectively, they looked ready to lynch him. The image of being hung by a quilted noose flashed through his mind. He laughed grimly at the visual.They didn’t see the humor he did. As one, they stepped into the room, fists propped on hips, narrowed in defensive anger.He held up his hands surrender. “Wait. I didn’t mean to. She’s just upset about the—“ He racked his brain for suitable lie, but couldn’t construct one. “About the books. She’s worried about the shop.”Infinitesimally the three women relaxed.“Well, hang it all,” Edith said. “We know that. But we don’t know what to do to help.”“No, we don’t,” added Lucy. “We offered to take pay cuts, but she wouldn’t listen.”“Oh, dear,” Abigail murmured. “We had hoped things were picking up. After all, a strong woman knows her own mind and her own limits.”Brad nodded as if he understood. He’d spent most of

  • Perfect Temptation    Chapter 26

    He’d never met a business he couldn’t fix. Sure, some places had more problems than others did. That was just the way of the world. The good news was, for him at least, solving A Stitch in Time’s problems was going to be relatively easy. And brief.That was the good news. The bad news was, when Mattie heard the changes he was suggesting, she wouldn’t like them. But she was a businesswoman. Surely she would be able to distance herself emotionally from the problems with the shop.And yet, as he settled into the chair facing her desk, he hesitated a moment. He realized that he wanted to be able to fix her problems. Not because to her owed it to her—though he did—but because he wanted to be the one who rescued her. He wanted her to once again look at him and see her hero. Maybe if he saved her business, she would.The tiny room, dimly lit by a single overhead fixture, radiated with the warmth of Mattie’s personality. the ancient wood, the kitschy, Depression-era wall clock, and the inviti

  • Perfect Temptation    Chapter 25

    Brad never slept late. In fact he hadn't slept past nine in the morning since he'd gotten drunk his freshman year of college, slept till noon the next day, and missed his economics exam. So he was more than a little surprised to roll over, crack open his eyes, and see a tepid ray of late morning sun creeping through the gap in Mattie's curtains. He blinked sleepily before rubbing the grit from his eyes with the back of his hand. He knew without looking that Mattie no longer lay beside him in bed. She'd slept curled against him for most of the night, and he missed the warmth of having her near. Missed waking up beside her and making slow, sleepy love to her first thing in the morning. But the solitude did give him a chance to think. All this time, he'd been saying he didn't want another wife. Mattie hadn't believed him. Well, it turned out, she was right. He did want another wife. He wanted her. Why hadn’t he seen it before?All his life, he’d wanted a family like the one she’d gr

  • Perfect Temptation    Chapter 24

    She didn't mean to kiss him. It just sort of happened. An accident. Like the time in college, she'd tripped, fallen partway down a flight of stairs and broken her foot. One minute the world was right-side up and her feet were firmly on the ground, the next she was tumbling, free-falling, helplessly headed for disaster. One minute she was gently stroking his arm, murmuring something reassuring. The next, he'd twisted to face her, and the temptation of having him so close was simply too much to resist. Her mind cut off and she leaned forward to press her lips to his. Instantly she pulled back, surprised by the warmth of his mouth. But one taste simply wasn't enough. She had to have more. Leaning forward for another kiss, she pulled her feet up under her, angling closer to him. His lips were warm and soft beneath her. Pliant. As if he hadn't yet decided whether or not to kiss her back. But he tasted wonderful, spicy and sweet. Like cinnamon sugar. And she simply couldn't get enough o

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