Page 37 of Hope & Harmony

Then, she always joked that he could start paying the bills when he was a rich businessman living in Manhattan, after which she could put her feet up and eat bonbons all day. They would laugh, and then Dylan, bless his kind heart, swore he would take care of her when that day arrived.

Not that she would ever let him, of course, but it was a sweet promise all the same.

Joel sighed, clearly not convinced. “Okay, if you’re sure,” he said at last. “It was nice talking to you, Andi.”

“You too.” Most people who came in treated her like she was invisible, simply grabbing whatever they wanted, paying, and leaving. It was nice to have someone help her pass a few minutes of what was bound to be a very long three hours.

He hesitated for a moment longer before turning and heading for the door. “Good night.”

She waved as he left, then perched on the edge of the stool, watching as Joel climbed into the back of the limo. She wished they’d had longer to chat because her curiosity—okay, and libido—had kicked into overdrive.

What did he do for a living?

Did he always travel around in a limo?

Did he have a girlfriend?

What would it be like to kiss him? Would he be gentle and sweet? Or rough and hungry?

She scoffed at the last questions because it wasn’t like the answers mattered. Men like Joel McKenna did not go for girls like her. He was older, sophisticated, more experienced, well-spoken, and rich.

But none of those facts stopped her from running her finger over her lower lip, imagining those hard kisses. Or fromfantasizing about what it would be like to lie down underneath him on the backseat of that limousine while he had his wicked way with her.

She let the images play out for too long, then sighed because now, it wouldn’t just be a long night.

It was going to be a lonely one, too.

CHAPTER 2

Joel looked up from his computer when there was a knock on the door to his hotel suite.

“Housekeeping,” someone called from the hallway.

He rose and opened the door, prepared to say he was okay for towels, but stopped when he saw Andi’s smiling face standing next to her cart.

Her eyes widened when she realized it was him.

“We need to stop meeting this way,” she joked.

“Andi.” He could tell she was surprised he’d remembered her name.

The truth was he’d been thinking about the petite blonde ever since he walked out of the convenience store a little after three a.m. Leaving her had been harder than he might have expected, considering the woman was a stranger.

However, it went against his nature to leave someone in what he believed to be a dangerous situation. And as far as he was concerned, a young woman alone in a convenience store in the middle of the night was asking for trouble.

Joel would like to think he’d feel protective of anyone in the same situation, but something about Andi had caught his attention and held onto it. He was no stranger to beautifulwomen, and while she was charming with her wavy blonde hair and big blue eyes, that wasn’t what drew him in.

It was her personality. She’d gotten called in to work someone else’s shift in the middle of the night and showed up with a smile on her face and a cheerful attitude. She was friendly and bubbly, and he got the sense that what he saw was what he got with Andi. It was refreshing, given the fact he spent too much time dealing with people who were fake—inside and out.

Then something else occurred to him, and his pleasure at seeing her again morphed into anger. Dark circles under her eyes indicated she hadn’t gotten much sleep last night, and he frowned. “Did you come straight from the convenience store to work here?”

“Yep,” she replied, oblivious to the irritation her response sparked.

Where was this woman’s family? Why was she working two jobs back-to-back like this? Didn’t she have anyone to help her?

She mentioned her brother but no one else.

He reached out before he could think better of it and ran the tip of one finger under her eye. “You’re tired.” They certainly didn’t know each other well enough for him to touch her, but Andi didn’t shy away.

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