Page 4 of The First Spark

Kiki’s grin widens. “Now, I know this may be difficult for you, but what if you try being your normal, charming self? Take another stab at being neighborly. Who knows? Oriana Thorne might surprise even you.”

“That’s your big idea? Some help you are.”

“Just try it. Don’t go in there with a chip on your shoulder from some perceived grievance?—”

“I didn’t start this,” I argue, letting my feet slide to the ground with a thud.

“Maybe not, but if you want to start the speakeasy project, you need to finish this first. Bottom line, I can’t help you here. But I know you when you want something, Asher Hammond. You’re unstoppable.”

“Easy for you to say. You don’t have to tangle with Oriana’s dark side.”

Kiki pulls her keys from her purse and walks toward the door. “Never thought I’d see the day when a tiny woman could scare a man like you.”

She’s fucking with me, but she also knows that poking at my masculine ego is the best way to coax me into gear.

“Aren’t you funny?” Another loud groan escapes my chest as I push myself from the chair. “Nothing can melt that ice queen, but I want the speakeasy opened, and she’s my only obstacle.”

Everythinghinges on my snarky neighbor’s seal of approval.

Kiki seems certain it won’t be difficult to get Oriana on board with my plans, but I know better.

I stand a better chance of convincing an orca that a seal isn’t a delicacy.

“I guessit wasn’t good news,” Braden observes, glancing up from his latest client design when I trudge into his studio space.

“That’s an understatement. Kiki says I’m screwed if I don’t get Oriana’s signature. No way around it.”

“You knew that already, though.”

“Still thought I might convince her to change her mind.”

Braden shakes his head and snorts at my words. “I’m sure her husband would love to hear how you plan on doing that.”

“Probably not worth the jail time.”

“Definitely not.”

Despite his ribbing, Braden, like Kiki, knows I don’t eatoff another man’s plate. I did that once, albeit unknowingly, and it haunts me to this day.

Some lines you don’t cross.

Now, if Kiki had requested I bury Oriana Thorne under a newly poured foundation, I might have consideredthatproposition.

I’m kidding, of course, although it seems easy compared with my current mission.

My gaze tracks along the walls of Braden’s studio, searching for an answer amongst the artwork and awards littering the walls.

Sadly, there is none to be found.

It’s then I spy the violet coffee cup sitting on the workspace next to my younger brother. I’d recognize the branding anywhere—it’s from One More Page.

Aka, Oriana Thorne’s bookstore.

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” I snatch up the cup, sending my brother a withering glare. “Fraternizing with the enemy now?”

Braden sighs, tapping his stylus against his tablet. “Man, I know you don’t like her, but the woman brews some seriously good coffee.”

“She doesn’t make it. The coffee pot does all the work. All her petulant ass does is pour some beans into a filter. What a talent.”

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